An inhorn with black ink, a small bottle of red ink, a bamboo pen (ba’ar), and a piece of tile used for rubbing the parchment surface before scribing all sit in their places on a wooden inkstand, in the home of a scribe in Adgrat, Tigray Province, Ethiopia.
Ashmelas WoldeGabriel writes a small sample book in the traditional way, using a bamboo pen and resting the parchment quire against his knee, while seated on a short stool.
An ice abstract, the full-sized version aspected for use as a background image for a widescreen computer.
A tree-coveed ridge in the Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, December 2010.
Towering pines are covered in fresh snow on the road through Badger Pass and into Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, December 2010.
I am in London for the week and Oxford for the weekend, consulting Ethiopic manuscripts. I will not be updating the site and will rarely check my email during this time.
An eremite watches the celebrations outside of the church compound of Maryam Tsion (St. Mary of Zion), the holiest church in Ethiopia, and supposed resting place of the Ark of the Covenant. The yearly festival of St. Mary is the premiere holiday in Axum.
A nun rests upon her staff while watching the celebrations in honor of St. Mary of Zion, Axum’s high holy day, and the celebration of the patron of Ethiopia’s most important church.
A cat sits leashed to its stand, at the prouduce section of the main market in Mek’lele.
A bike leans against a mural depicting traditional outdoor teaching in the courtyard of a cafe in Mek’ele where I spent a fair amount of time.