Between Manuscripts and Books: Islamic Printing in Ethiopia

Abstract

The history of Islamic print culture in Ethiopia is under-researched. Scattered references to Islamic printed books, publishers and typographies can be found in bibliographies of Islam in Ethiopia and in general studies of printing in Ethiopia.1 Nevertheless, the topic is of the highest interest, as print cultures have provided a means of preserving, circulating and transmitting the cultural heritage of Ethiopia’s Islamic communities. The study of the history of Islamic print cultures in Ethiopia therefore contributes not only to scholarship on African book histories, but also to that of the multifaceted and complex histories of Islam in the Horn of Africa.