Arnaud-Michel d'Abbadie
Encyclopedia
Arnaud-Michel d'Abbadie (24 July 1815 – 8 November 1893) was a French
and Basque
geographer
, and along with his older brother Antoine-Thomson d'Abbadie, was notable for his travels in Ethiopia
. The Chambers Biographical Dictionary calls him "Michel Arnaud d'Abbadie".
They were both born in Dublin, of a French father and an Irish mother. The parents removed to France in 1818, and there the brothers received a careful scientific education.
The younger Abbadie spent some time in Algeria
before, in 1837, the two brothers started for Ethiopia, landing at Massawa
in February 1838. They visited various parts of Ethiopia, including the then little-known districts of Ennarea and Kaffa
, sometimes together and sometimes separately. They met with many difficulties and many adventures, and became involved in political intrigues, Antoine especially exercising such influence as he possessed in favor of France and the Roman Catholic missionaries. After collecting much valuable information concerning the geography, geology, archaeology and natural history of Ethiopia, the brothers returned to France in 1848 and began to prepare their materials for publication.
Arnaud paid another visit to Ethiopia in 1853.
The general account of the travels of the two brothers was published by Arnaud in 1868 under the title of Douze ans dans la Haute-Ethiopie. Both brothers received the grand medal of the Paris Geographical Society
in 1850.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Basque
Basque Country
The Basque Country may refer to one of three areas inhabited by the Basque people:*The Basque Country , an autonomous community of Spain *The Basque Country , the approximate cultural area of...
geographer
Geographer
A geographer is a scholar whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society.Although geographers are historically known as people who make maps, map making is actually the field of study of cartography, a subset of geography...
, and along with his older brother Antoine-Thomson d'Abbadie, was notable for his travels in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. The Chambers Biographical Dictionary calls him "Michel Arnaud d'Abbadie".
They were both born in Dublin, of a French father and an Irish mother. The parents removed to France in 1818, and there the brothers received a careful scientific education.
The younger Abbadie spent some time in Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
before, in 1837, the two brothers started for Ethiopia, landing at Massawa
Massawa
Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa (Ge'ez ምጽዋዕ , formerly ባጽዕ is a city on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea. An important port for many centuries, it was ruled by a succession of polities, including the Axumite Empire, the Umayyad Caliphate,...
in February 1838. They visited various parts of Ethiopia, including the then little-known districts of Ennarea and Kaffa
Kingdom of Kaffa
The Kingdom of Kaffa was an early modern state located in what is now Ethiopia, with its capital at Bonga. The Gojeb River formed its northern border, beyond which lay the Gibe kingdoms; to the east the territory of the Konta and Kullo peoples lay between Kaffa and the Omo River; to the south...
, sometimes together and sometimes separately. They met with many difficulties and many adventures, and became involved in political intrigues, Antoine especially exercising such influence as he possessed in favor of France and the Roman Catholic missionaries. After collecting much valuable information concerning the geography, geology, archaeology and natural history of Ethiopia, the brothers returned to France in 1848 and began to prepare their materials for publication.
Arnaud paid another visit to Ethiopia in 1853.
The general account of the travels of the two brothers was published by Arnaud in 1868 under the title of Douze ans dans la Haute-Ethiopie. Both brothers received the grand medal of the Paris Geographical Society
Société de Géographie
The Société de Géographie , is the world's oldest geographical society. It was founded in 1821 . Since 1878, its headquarters has been at 184 Boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris. The entrance is marked by two gigantic caryatids representing Land and Sea...
in 1850.