Jozef Julian Sekowski’s Journey to Egypt and Upper Ethiopia, 1821

Jozef Julian S?kowski (1800-1858) was one of the greatest orientalist of his era, a traveller, researcher, translator and publisher of source texts, as well as academic lecturer and professor. He made a significant impact on Russian literary life of the first half of the 19th century. As a writer and publicist he was known to the public mainly under his pen name “Baron Brambeus”. As a researcher, S?kowski criticized the approach of western orientalists who were trying to understand the mysteries of the East from outside, and argued for the need of deeper involvement, paired with abandoning the Europocentric point of view. The person of S?kowski continues to raise doubts and controversies today, his national identity and civic attitude being the most hotly debated issues – he was a Pole by birth, but a Russian by choice. This edition is based on the Polish text of Podro? w Nubii i wy?szej Etyopii, (“Pami?tnik Warszawski” 1822, pp. 57 – 81) which S?kowski published immediately upon returning from his journey. Places omitted by the editors, which typically contained detailed descriptions of monuments, have been clearly marked. To retrieve the omitted parts it was necessary to refer the text published in Russian, from which they have not been removed (Puteshestve v Nubyu i verkhnyuyu Efiopyu, in: Sobranie sochinyeniy Senkovskago, ed. by P. Savelev, t. 1, Saint Petersburg 1858, pp. 24 – 58). Therefore, appropriate fragments from the Russian original have been translated and included in this edition. As a result, the Polish version presented here merges all the surviving fragments of S?kowski’s text. This edition has been provided with necessary explanations and comments, placed in footnotes. Their scope has been limited only to detailing the described monuments, certain elements of the state of research, and the correction of any possible misstatements. As far as possible, attempts have been made to enliven S?kowski’s report with appropriate illustrative material, reaching mainly for lesser-known drawings created during travels analogical to his pioneering expedition of 1821.

Jozef Julian S?kowski (1800-1858) was one of the greatest orientalist of his era, a traveller, researcher, translator and publisher of source texts, as well as academic lecturer and professor. He made a significant impact on Russian literary life of the first half of the 19th century. As a writer and publicist he was known to the public mainly under his pen name “Baron Brambeus”. As a researcher, S?kowski criticized the approach of western orientalists who were trying to understand the mysteries of the East from outside, and argued for the need of deeper involvement, paired with abandoning the Europocentric point of view. The person of S?kowski continues to raise doubts and controversies today, his national identity and civic attitude being the most hotly debated issues – he was a Pole by birth, but a Russian by choice. This edition is based on the Polish text of Podro? w Nubii i wy?szej Etyopii, (“Pami?tnik Warszawski” 1822, pp. 57 – 81) which S?kowski published immediately upon returning from his journey. Places omitted by the editors, which typically contained detailed descriptions of monuments, have been clearly marked. To retrieve the omitted parts it was necessary to refer the text published in Russian, from which they have not been removed (Puteshestve v Nubyu i verkhnyuyu Efiopyu, in: Sobranie sochinyeniy Senkovskago, ed. by P. Savelev, t. 1, Saint Petersburg 1858, pp. 24 – 58). Therefore, appropriate fragments from the Russian original have been translated and included in this edition. As a result, the Polish version presented here merges all the surviving fragments of S?kowski’s text. This edition has been provided with necessary explanations and comments, placed in footnotes. Their scope has been limited only to detailing the described monuments, certain elements of the state of research, and the correction of any possible misstatements. As far as possible, attempts have been made to enliven S?kowski’s report with appropriate illustrative material, reaching mainly for lesser-known drawings created during travels analogical to his pioneering expedition of 1821.

• By (author) Archeobooks
• Edited by Joachim Sliwa