Book of Aksum

Encyclopedia : B : BO : BOO : Book of Aksum

The Book of Aksum (Ge'ez መጽሓፈ ፡ አክሱም maṣḥāfa aksūm, Amh. meṣhāfe aksūm, Tgn. meṣḥāfe aksūm) is the name of an Ethiopian history, the earliest parts of which date to the mid-15th century during the reign of Zar'a Ya`qob (r. 1434 - 1468). The book contains three parts: the first, earlier, section describes the Church Maryam Seyon in Aksum prior to its damaging in the mid-16th century, the topography of Aksum and its history, and contains a list of services and the like regarding Maryam Seyon and its clergy. The second part, dating to the early 17th century, contains 103 historical and legal texts, many dealing with land grants, along with their protocols, while the third text dates to the late 17th century and contains 14 miscellaneous legal and historical texts regarding Aksum's history. The book was also supplemented in the mid-19th century with further later documents.Lusini, Gianfrancesco "Aksum:Mäṣḥafä Aksum" in von Uhlig, Siegbert, Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: A-C (Wiesbaden:Harrassowitz Verlag, 2003.), pp.185.

References