ADDIS ABABA- Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage and National Archives and Library Agency (NALA) on Thursday signed an agreement with the former to deliver 100 ancient Vellum vellums, seized from robbers to the latter.
The delivery aims to preserve and enable researchers discover what has been written on the vellums, General Directors of the Authority and NALA told on the signing ceremony.
The vellums will be available for the mass readers after converting them into a form of micro film, it was noted.
The Authority Director General Yonas Desta also stated that these ancient vellums were collected from robbers and submitted to the Authority on September 20, 2018 after court confirmation.
He also described that the Authority works to strengthen the preservation by safeguarding them from illicit trafficking of vellums to foreign countries by robbers.
Thousands of vellums were taken from Ethiopia to France, UK, Italy, German and other nations starting from the Imperial eras which the authority is planning to bring back through diplomatic strategy, he stated.
General Director of NALA, Yikunoamlak Mezgebu on his part, stressed that Ethiopia is land of ancient historical and artistic sculptures that depict the past history and forecast the future.
Ethiopia lost more than 3400 sculptures according to studies conducted by the Ethiopian Orthodox church.
Herald December 15/2018
BY YESUF ENDRIS