The Ethiopian archbishop’s residence in the old city preserves a part of Ethiopian community’s archives. These archives are divided into two main sections: the current administrative archival office, which includes all types of administrative documents, and the manuscript section.
The Administrative section In the current administrative archival office, there is an heterogeneous set of documents dated from the end of 19th century to present. There is no historical archives properly speaking. These archives are still used by the local administration for current affairs. Among all the folders stored in that place, seven include documents created before 1950: folders n°6, 154, 356, 358, 359, 360 and a last one entitled in Amharic “yä-leyu leyu guday däräseññoč käzih yegäññalu” including different types of documents unclassified. In addition to these folders, a book written in 1903-1904 (manuscript in Amharic) was recorded as “folder” n°172 and a report written in 1925 as “folder” 216. Documents dated before to 1950 found in the archives (ca. 160 documents) are administrative and financial documents, such as payment receipts, cheques, bank documents, financial reports, letters and correspondence including daily issues of the community, etc. These documents are written in Arabic, English, French, German languages. Amharic marginalia are often added to documents in order to give a clue to the topic of the document. Very few documents are fully written in Amharic. 55 documents are written in Arabic.
The manuscripts section The manuscripts section carefully preserves numerous parchment and paper manuscripts written in Ethiopian languages (Geez and Amharic). The collection represents more than 760 manuscripts. The oldest one dates back to the 15th century.
Through this collection, one could study the daily life of the Ethiopian religious community established in Jerusalem, and get information to understand all their problems and opportunities, such as housing, supplies, access to public services, administration or worship. Receipts and payment document are witnesses of Ethiopian involvement in local life.
Archbishopric of Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Jerusalem (AEOCJ)
Documents of German consulates in Jerusalem, Jaffa, and Haifa, including records of relations with the Ottoman authorities, tax matters, the acquisition of property, Jewish immigration, civil and criminal cases, representation of German interests by the Spanish Consulate (1917‒1926), and a variety of other subjects. Collection reflects Germany’s takeover of the Austrian Consulate in 1938.
Only the remnants from the archives of the consulate in Jerusalem from the years 1842-1939 (including several files of the Austrian consulate which were turned over to the German consulate upon the annexion of Austria in march 1938) are described here, but the fonds also contains remnants from the archives of the Jaffa consulate (1870-1917) and the Haifa consulate (1877-1918).
The Ruhi al-Khalidi collection is composed in part of vocabulary collections (Arabic-English lexicons organised into lists), notes taken from various works, including those of Ibn Khaldun, letters, a book inventory, a catalogue of library works and at least two diaries containing a succession of collages. The documents identified were produced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One of the volumes in the collection, entitled "Catalogue of the books of Ruhi Bey El Khalidi at the Khalidieh Library, Jerusalem" (Rwhi_25/14), records in writing a large collection of printed works from Ruhi Khalidi's personal library. This catalogue would have been produced after Ruhi Khalidi's death or at the end of his life and reflects his varied interests, with several titles relating to religion, history and travel, particularly to Bordeaux, where Ruhi Khalidi was consul, and to the Gironde. This collection is kept at the Khalidi Library in Jerusalem.
Items inventoried from the fonds:
Rwhi_25/01 Diary.
Rwhi_25/02 Diary.
Rwhi_25/03-09 Arabic-English glossary.
Rwhi_25/10 Chrono courrier.
Rwhi_25/11 Notebook.
Rwhi_25/12 Notebook.
Rwhi_25/13 God is good (drafts of letters, list of books).
It should be noted that the Poor Clares are a cloistered and not an apostolic order, so the monastery's interactions with the world are limited. The community has never maintained a school or dispensary: the monastery's archives reflect this life of enclosure.
This collection lists some sources which are not archives but publications and printed documents which are not part of any archival fonds or sole collection (i.e.: copies of books and printed documents which can be found in different institutions or private collections).
