ABSTRACT
Although Russia never had African colonies, it has had a long history of interaction with the continent going back to the Middle Ages, when Russian Orthodox pilgrims met fellow Christians from Africa (primarily Egyptians and Ethiopians) in the Holy Land. At the same time, Muslims from Russia met Africans in the holy sites of Islam. Later, Russian sailors and explorers visited many countries of Africa. At the end of the eighteenth century Russian consulates were opened in Cairo and Alexandria. Over a hundred years ago, pre-revolutionary Russia established diplomatic relations with Ethiopia and the South African Republic (Transvaal) in 1898. In the same year the Russian Consulate-General was established in Tangiers (Morocco).
