Stranded in Dongola: MS Vatican City, Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana, Vat. et. 44, 71v–76v, a Colophon by Takla ʾAlfā, Reconsidered

Abstract

The paper offers a re-edition of a valuable first-hand account concerning sixteenth-century Sudan, recorded in Gǝʿǝz by the Ethiopian monk Takla ʾAlfā during his stay at Dongola in 1596. Notably, Takla ʾAlfā was the only known Ethiopian visitor to post-medieval Dongola to leave an account of his visit. The colophon, MS Vatican City, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Vat. et. 44, 71v–76v, is preceded by hymns composed by the monk and offers insights into the circumstances of their creation. The text, which represents an expanded colophon with autobiographical elements, has received limited scholarly attention, but has a number of remarkable features. It sheds light on some philological practices and indicates a connection between the fast of our Lady Mary of the Mount of Qwǝsqwām and king Śarḍa Dǝngǝl. The newly identified reference to ǧǝlābā merchants in the colophon is the earliest known mention of the term in primary sources concerning Sudan. While the reference to a light in the sky remains vague, it adds to the corpus of Ethiopic narratives featuring celestial apparitions as meaningful quasi-supernatural elements or signs.