Sights in Ethiopia
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Simien Mountains National Park
The Simien Mountains National Park is easily accessible and excellent for trekking, with stirring views and a large variety of wildlife. The mountains are home to three of Ethiopia's larger endemic mammals: the walia ibex, the gelada baboon and the elusive Ethiopian wolf. Other mammals sometimes seen are rock hyraxes, jackals, bushbucks and klipspringers.
Endemic bird species include the commonly seen thick-billed raven, and the less common black-headed siskin, white-collared pigeon, white-billed starling, wattled ibis, spot-breasted plover, white-backed black tit and Ankober seedeater or serin. Although common, one of the most memorable sights (and sounds!) is the huge…
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Lalibela
The Middle-East has Petra, Ethiopia has Lalibela. Its rock-hewn churches are arguably Ethiopia's top attraction, and they elicit an instinctive awe, whether you're a religious architecture buff or not.
Perched at an altitude of 2630m (8629ft), Lalibela also remains a very isolated place, and a centre of pilgrimage. More than anywhere else in the world, you'll get the impression you've landed in a kingdom at least seven centuries behind your own.
Lalibela's 11 churches are cut straight from the bedrock, so their roofs are at ground level. All 11 churches were built within one century; some, according to legend, with the help of angels. The churches have been kept alive by…
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Debre Berhan Selassie
Despite the walls of Debre Berhan Selassie hosting the most vibrant ecclesiastical artwork in the nation, it's the ceiling that captures the most visitors' imagination. Think of Mona Lisa's mysterious smile and multiply it 104 times over! Yes, each of the 104 winged Ethiopian cherubs dotting the beamed ceiling seem to have slightly different, but equally quizzical expressions.
Full of all the colour, life, wit and humanity of Ethiopian art at its best, the walls provide a compendium of Ethiopian saints, martyrs and lore. The devilish Bosch-like depiction of Hell has to be our favourite. A close second is the Prophet Mohammed atop a camel being led by a devil. Although…
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Royal Enclosure
It's hard not to notice Gonder's impressive Royal Enclosure, with its castles and high stone walls sitting streetside. The entire 70,000-sq-metre site (also known as Fasil Ghebbi) was declared a World Heritage site by Unesco in 1979.
Free 90-minute guided tours (a tip will be expected) are worthwhile and available weekdays. On weekends, you can hire a local licensed guide near the gate.
Almost completely restored with the help of Unesco, Fasiladas' Palace (in the compound's south) is the oldest and most impressive castle. It stands 32m tall and has a crenulated parapet and four domed towers. Made of roughly hewn stones, it's reputedly the work of an Indian architect, and…
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Tombs of Kings Kaleb & Gebre Meskel
Set on a small hill and offering views of the distant jagged mountains of Adwa are the monumental Tombs of Kings Kaleb & Gebre Meskel . According to local tradition, they're attributed to the 6th-century King Kaleb and his son, King Gebre Meskel. Kaleb was one of Aksum's most important rulers and succeeded in bringing southern Arabia under Aksumite rule.
Although the twin tombs' architecture resembles the Tomb of the False Door, they actually show more sophistication, using irregular-shaped self-locking stones that don't require iron clamps. The 19th-century British traveller Theodore Bent exclaimed magnanimously that the tombs were 'built with a regularity which if found…
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Rock-Hewn Churches
Lalibela's Rock-Hewn Churches are remarkable for three main reasons: because many are not carved into the rock, but freed entirely from it (unlike most of Petra); because the buildings are so refined; and because there are so many within such a small area.
The ticket office (;08:00-noon & 14:00-17:00) lies beside the path leading to the northern group of churches and Bet Medhane Alem. Tickets give access to all churches in town for the duration of your stay. Don't forget to bring your torch!
Although time has treated the churches with remarkably gentle gloves, Unesco has built rather hideous scaffolding and roofing over most churches to protect frescoes from water seepage.…
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Harari National Cultural Centre
Visiting a traditional Adare house is a must, but you'll probably need a guide to find one. The easiest house to find, not far from the Erer Gate (known locally as Argobari), houses the Harari National Cultural Centre. This typical Adare house contains examples of traditional arts and crafts.
Several Adare houses also double as family-run souvenir shops. If you don't buy anything, it's customary to tip the owner for the tour.
A distinct architectural feature in Harar, the gegar (traditional Adare house) is a rectangular, two-storey structure with a flat roof. The house is carefully constructed to remain cool whatever the outside temperature: clay reinforced with wooden…
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St Mary of Zion Churches
Opposite the Northern Stelae Field in a walled compound lie the two St Mary of Zion Churches .The rectangular old church is a remarkable example of traditional architecture and was built by the Emperor Fasiladas, the founder of Gonder, in 1665. It's thought that the old podium on which it sits may well belong to Africa's first church, which was erected by King Ezana or King Kaleb in the 4th or 6th century.
Unfortunately, the original church was destroyed during the incursions of Mohammed Gragn the Left-Handed in 1535. Inside there are fine murals, including a painting of the Nine Saints and a collection of ceremonial musical instruments.
A carefully guarded chapel in the…
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Hyena Feeding
Are you ready to sample the thrill of a lifetime? You came to the right place. Possibly Harar's greatest attraction is the hyena men of Harar. As night falls (from around 19:00), the last remaining hyena men (about four) set themselves up just outside the city walls. Sometimes the hyena men risk feeding the animals from their own mouths - you can have a go at this, too, if you like! We didn't… The hyena men know the animals as individuals and call them by the names they have given them.
Though the tradition of feeding spotted hyenas like this has existed for no more that 35 years, the ritual is less of a tourist show than some travellers imagine. The Hararis have long…
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Bet Golgotha & Bet Mikael
A tunnel at the southern end of the Bet Maryam courtyard connects it to the twin churches of Bet Golgotha & Bet Mikael .
Bet Mikael serves as an anteroom to the Selassie Chapel, one of Lalibela's holiest sanctuaries. It contains three monolithic altars. One is decorated with a beautiful relief of four winged creatures with their hands held up in prayer; it's thought to represent the four evangelists. Unfortunately, the chapel is very rarely open to the public.
Bet Golgotha is known for containing some of the best early examples of Ethiopian Christian art. On the so-called Tomb of Christ (an arched recess in the northeast of the church) a recumbent figure is carved in high…
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Bet Maryam
Connected to Bet Medhane Alem by a tunnel is a large courtyard containing three churches. The first, Bet Maryam , is small, yet designed and decorated to an exceptionally high standard. Dedicated to the Virgin, who's particularly venerated in Ethiopia, this is the most popular church among pilgrims. Some believe it may have been the first church built by Lalibela.
On its eastern wall you'll see two sets of three windows. According to scholars, the upper set is thought to represent the Holy Trinity, while the lower three, set below a small cross-shaped window, are believed to represent the crucifixion of Jesus and the two sinners. The lower right window has a small…
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Rome Stele
At 24.6m high, the Rome Stele - or Aksum Obelisk to those in Rome - is the second-largest stele ever produced at Aksum and the largest to have ever been successfully raised. Like the Great Stele, its ornate carvings of multistoried windows and doors adorn all four sides. Pillagers raiding the site are believed to have accidentally caused its collapse sometime between the 10th and 16th centuries.
In 1937 its broken remains were shipped to Italy on Mussolini's personal orders. There it was reassembled and raised once more, this time in Rome's Piazza di Porta Capena. It remained in Rome until 2005, when decades of negotiations finally overcame diplomatic feet-dragging.
After…
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Great Stele
Lying like a broken soldier, this massive 33m Great Stele is believed to be the largest single block of stone that humans have ever attempted to erect, and overshadows even the Egyptian obelisks in its conception and ambition. Scholars theorise that it fell during its erection sometime early in the 4th century.
Comparing the unworked 'root' to the sleek, carved base and the intricate walia ibex carvings near its top gives you a vivid idea of the precision, finesse and technical competence of Aksumite's stone workers.
As it toppled it collided with the massive 360-tonne stone sheltering the central chamber of Nefas Mawcha's tomb. This shattered the upper portion of stele…
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Fasiladas' Bath
Around 2km northwest of town centre lies Fasiladas' Bath, a shady, beautiful and historical spot attributed to both Fasiladas and Iyasu I.
The large, rectangular sunken pool is overlooked by a small but charming building, thought by some to be Fasiladas' second residence. Almost out of Cambodia's Angkor Thom, snakelike tree roots envelop, support and digest sections of the stone wall surrounding the pool.
Although the complex was used for bathing (royalty used to don inflated goatskin lifejackets for their refreshing dips!), it was likely constructed for religious celebrations, the likes of which still go on today. Once a year, Fasiladas' Bath is filled with water for…
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King Ezana's Stele
The Northern Stelae Field is Ethiopia's biggest and most important stelae field. It contains over 120 stelae, though the original number was higher - some have been removed, others probably lie buried. Although standing slightly off kilter, the magnificent 24m-high King Ezana's Stele at the field's entrance has done something no other stele of similar stature has - remained standing!
Henry Salt, the British traveller and first foreigner to describe it in 1805, proclaimed it 'the most admirable and perfect monument of its kind'.
It's considered by many as the most important of Aksum's stelae because it holds important religious significance. The stone platform at its base…
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Bet Amanuel
This freestanding, monolithic church is considered one of the Lalibela's most finely carved churches. Some have suggested Bet Amanuel was the royal family's private chapel.
It perfectly replicates the style of Aksumite buildings, with its projecting and recessed walls mimicking alternating layers of wood and stone. To appreciate this fully, you should make a day trip to Yemrehanna Kristos , which is one of Ethiopia's best-preserved Aksumite structures.
The most striking feature of the interior is the double Aksumite frieze in the nave. Although not accessible, there's even a spiral staircase connecting the four-pillared walls to an upper gallery. In the southern aisle, a…
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Aksum
Sprawling, dusty, and rural - Aksum is modest almost to a fault. On first sight, it's hard to imagine that the town was ever the site of a great civilisation. Yet Aksum is one of Ethiopia's star attractions.
Littered with massive teetering stelae, ruins of palaces, underground tombs (most still undiscovered) and inscriptions rivalling the Rosetta stone itself, the town once formed part of the Aksumite kingdom. It has a vibrancy, life and continuing national importance very rarely found at ancient sites. Pilgrims still journey to Aksum and the great majority of Ethiopians believe passionately that the Ark of the Covenant resides here.
Though no longer a wealthy metropolis,…
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Palace of Fasiladas
Almost completely restored with the help of Unesco, the Palace of Fasiladas is the Royal Enclosure's oldest and most impressive castle. It stands 32m tall and has a crenulated parapet and four domed towers. Made of roughly hewn stones, it's reputedly the work of an Indian architect, and shows an unusual synthesis of Indian, Portuguese, Moorish and Aksumite influences.
The main floor was used as a dining hall and formal reception area; note the recessed Star of David above several doorways, which trumpet Fasiladas' link to the Solomonic dynasty. The small room in the northern corner boasts its original beam ceiling and some faint frescoes.
On the 1st floor, Fasiladas'…
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Kuskuam
Although less preserved than the Royal Enclosure, this royal compound known as Kuskuam is equally captivating. It offers an impressive mix of views over the countryside, each dramatically framed by the complex's crumbling remnants. It was built in 1730 for the redoubtable Empress Mentewab, after the death of her husband (Emperor Bakaffa).
Like the Royal Enclosure, it's made up of a series of buildings including a long, castellated palace used for state receptions and to house the royal garrison. Its exterior is decorated with red volcanic tuff; spot the figures of crosses and Ethiopian characters and animals, such as St Samuel riding his lion.
The nearby smaller building…
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Bet Medhane Alem
Resembling a massive Greek temple more than a traditional Ethiopian church, Bet Medhane Alem is impressive for its size and majesty. Said to be the largest rock-hewn church in the world, it measures 33.5m by 23.5m and is over 11.5 high.
Some scholars have suggested that the church may have been a copy in rock of the original St Mary of Zion church in Aksum.
The building is surrounded by 34 large, rectangular columns (many actually replicas of the originals). The three jointed at each corner are thought to represent the Holy Trinity. There are a further 38 columns inside which support the gabled roof.
The church's interior consists of a barrel-vaulted nave and four aisles.…
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Markets
No visit to Harar would be complete without wading through the shambolic markets that sprawl outside Harar Gate and Shoa Gate. At first sight this minicity appears to be an impenetrable latticework of tiny streets and alleys; on closer inspection it reveals a careful organisation with different sections. It's a great place to ramble.
You could start with the Smugglers' Market, southeast of Canal Cafe; it's chock-full with goods from Asia. The adjoining Recycling Market is a stunner: witness the workmanship and watch men beating metal into every single useful utensil or spare part. Then elbow your way through the Asma'addin Bari Market (New Market; also known as the…
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Wolleka
Around 6km north of Gonder is the little village of Wolleka, once the home of a thriving population of Falashas or Ethiopian Jews. Before Christianity arrived, Judaism was the dominant religion of most of northwestern Ethiopia.
After the adoption of Christianity as the state religion, Falashas had their land confiscated for refusing to convert. To survive, many became skilled craftsmen. Recent research suggests Falashas may have provided the labour for the castle's construction and decoration.
From 1985 to 1991 many Falashas were airlifted to Israel, and today only a handful remain. Sadly, the pottery for which they were once famous has degenerated into clumsy,…
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Tomb of the False Door
In 1972 the unique Tomb of the False Door was discovered. Known locally as the Tomb of King Ramhai, it lies in the western extremity of the Northern Stelae Field and is thought to date between the 4th and 6th centuries AD. More complex in structure, its stone blocks are also larger and more finely dressed than those found in some other tombs. Comprising an antechamber and inner chamber, it's surrounded on three sides by a passage.
Above the tomb, at ground level, a rectangular, probably flat-roofed building would once have stood (measuring some 12 sq metres by 2.8m high). Above the stairs descending into the tomb's chamber was a stone slab carved with a false door almost…
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Enda Iyesus
For as long as 5000 years, monoliths have been used in northeast Africa as tombstones and monuments to local rulers. In Aksum, this tradition reached its apogee. Like Egypt's pyramids, Aksum's stelae were like great billboards announcing to the world the authority, power and greatness of the ruling families. Aksum's astonishing stelae are striking for their huge size, their incredible, almost pristine, state of preservation, and their curiously modern look.
Sculpted from single pieces of granite, some look more like Manhattan skyscrapers than 1800-year-old obelisks, complete with little windows, doors and sometimes even door handles and locks! Metal plates, perhaps in the…
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Bet Merkorios
Reached via a long, narrow and pitch-black tunnel that starts from Bet Gabriel-Rufael, this current church may have started as something altogether different. The discovery of ankle shackles among other objects has led scholars to believe that the building may have served as the town's prison, or house of justice.
Due to a large section of roof collapsing, the interior is a fraction of its former size. Don't miss the beautiful fresco thought to represent the three wise men. With their little flipper hands and eyes that look askance, they're delightfully depicted; it may date from the 15th century. The 12 apostles are also represented in a less attractive fresco, probably…
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