Marrassini, Paolo (Prof.)Fitsumbirhane, Desta2021-03-172023-11-302021-03-172023-11-302009-06http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/25563For countries like Ethiopia, manuscripts are the main and reliable channels that transmit the knowledge and experience of the past to the present and the future. Ethiopia is rich in manuscripts, which are dispersed all over the country, in monasteries, churches, public and private collections. Even if the exact number of the manuscripts in Ethiopia (including Eritrea) is not known, some estimate it to be around 200.000 (excluding scrolls). In spite of the historical, theological, legal, linguistic, literary, etc ... importance of these collections to the country, little work is done to exploit them. Therefore, there is a need to describe them and publish catalogues, and to invite scholars with varied interests to these forgotten treasures. There is a monastery in Ziway Island (dabra ~Oyon church) in which a people called Zay live. It is believed they migrated during the war of Yodit Gudit with the Ark of the covenant of Axum. The monastery is one of the main depositories collections of codices, written from 6th-8th C after the coming of the Nine Saints. However, individual scholars, and local and international projects did not give enough attention to the collection of Ziway Island, not even the UNESCO sponsored EMML project, although it did microfilm some from 8 Sep. 1969 to 12 Feb. 1970. This paper seeks to fill this gap by focusing on the collection of Ziway Island (dabra ~Oyon monastery) The monastery, located in East-south of Addis Ababa 160km far from Addis Ababa, is to believed to have been founded in 845 E.C, the people from Axum who migrated to Ziway Lake and lived there for 40 years during the war ofYodit Gudit. It is also believed that after the death of Yodit Gudit, they left many Arks and manuscripts in the Island when some of them returned to Axum. According to the inventory of the monastery, it possesses around 40 manuscripts some of them damaged through time. The paper tries to list, describe and prepare a complete catalogue of 12 biographical manuscripts which happen to be the better preserved ones. I hope the study will invite secular as well as ecclesiastical scholars to utilize the treasure hid in them.enDabraSayon Church Ziway IslandThesis