Russian Poet and Harari Booklore. IV. Bindings

St. Petersburg's academic institutions are home to a collection of manuscripts that were brought back from Abyssinia by Nikolai Gumilev (1886—1921), one of the most celebrated Russian poets of the 20th century, an indefatigable traveller and a courageous cavalry officer. The collection was the result of an expedition to the Muslim areas of Abyssinia organised by the Kunstkamera Museum in 1913. Most of the manuscripts relate to the city of Harar, which played a pivotal role in the spread of Islam not only in north-eastern Ethiopia but also in the Horn of Africa. In 2008 and 2010, the Museum embarked on new expeditions that traversed Gumilev′s routes. This article represents the fourth in a series [1], and its focus is on the study of the Harari manuscript bindings collection.