author
Arnauld d' Abbadie
1815–1893
Best known for his long journeys through Ethiopia, this 19th-century explorer wrote from direct experience, blending travel, geography, and close observation of local courts and conflicts. His work offers a vivid window into a region that was still little known to many European readers of his time.
1 Audiobook
Douze ans de séjour dans la Haute-Éthiopie
by Arnauld d' Abbadie
About the author
Born in Dublin on July 24, 1815, Arnauld-Michel d'Abbadie was a French-Basque explorer, geographer, ethnologist, and linguist. He is most closely associated with the years he spent in Ethiopia alongside his older brother Antoine, where the two carried out wide-ranging geographic and scientific investigations.
Arnauld became known not just as a traveler but as a careful observer of Ethiopian political and social life. Accounts of his career describe his deep familiarity with regional leaders and court life, and his writing reflects both adventure and sustained study rather than passing tourism.
His best-known book is Douze ans de séjour dans la Haute-Éthiopie, a travel narrative drawn from the brothers' experiences in Abyssinia between the late 1830s and 1850. He died in 1893, leaving behind work valued for its blend of exploration, geography, and firsthand record.