Located in the area of Wadi an-Na run southwest of the Nile Delta Dayr as-Suryan (Arabic for
'Monastery of the Syrians') is rightly considered one of the most important Egyptian
monasteries. A site of intensive cultural production and accumulation of a huge patrimony it
has been well known for its large holdings of Syriac Coptic and Arabic manuscripts. The
Ethiopic collection of Dayr as-Suryan can be considered a good example of Ethiopian-Eritrean
manuscript culture 'migrated' abroad a phenomenon that has thus far not received due
attention. The present volume offers for the first time a scientific catalogue of this
collection which includes today twenty-four manuscripts dating between the seventeenth and the
twentieth century. The innovative catalogue has emerged within the framework of a project in
Digital Humanities and can be seen as a companion to the Beta masah ft online research
environment. The English language catalogue is completed by an inventory in Arabic a set of
indexes and colour plates.
