We took a branch road to reach an ancient pre-Aksumite temple dedicated to the South Arabian moon god Almaqah. The temple dates to around the 7th century BC and is known for its remarkably well-preserved, mortise-and-tenon construction using dressed stone blocks without mortar. The temple...
After challenging climbing in the morning, we visited the Maryam Papasetti Church in a valley south of Hawzen, in a serene spot below the cliff, surrounded by greenery. It is a semi-monolithic church (meaning the “Holy of Holies” is hewn from the rock, while the main sanctuary...
Abune Yemata Guh is a 5th-century rock-hewn church in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, famous for its perilous, steep climb up a cliff face and its well-preserved 5th-century frescoes and murals. These paintings depict religious scenes, saints, and biblical imagery, with colours that...
The Church of Abraha wa-Atsbeha (๐๏ธ1,000 ETB) is a 10th-century rock-hewn church in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, located in the Gheralta Mountains, approximately 15 kilometres west of the town of Wukro. Tradition says it was built in the 4th century by two kings, twin brothers Abreha...
Wukro Chirkos Church (๐๏ธ600 ETB, local guide 1,250 ETB) is a historic rock-hewn church in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, notable for being one of the country’s oldest, dating back to the 4th century. It has been in continuous use for over 1,600 years. It’s a semi-monolithic...
For centuries, the church was extremely remote, requiring a long and arduous journey on foot or by mule. We had no mule, so we took a car and drove through villages controlled by the Fano militia to reach the parking area, from which we still had to hike for 30 minutes up a steep path to...
In the morning, we paid a pretty adventurous entrance fee (๐๏ธ 100 USD / 15,000 ETB) to see the Lalibela rock churches. The complex was built in the late 12th and early 13th centuries under King Gebre Meskel Lalibela of the Zagwe dynasty to create a “New Jerusalem” in Ethiopia...
We took a short flight from Gondar to Lalibela due to the situation in the Amhara region, where the ethno-nationalist Amhara Fano militia controls the road between the two cities. Before it was known as Lalibela, the town was called Roha (or Warwar) and served as the capital of the Zagwe...
Today we hired a boat for 7,000 ETB and a local guide for 2,000 ETB to explore ancient Orthodox monasteries around Lake Tana. The history of the Lake Tana monasteries is rooted in the Ethiopian Christian faith, with their origins tracing back to the 13th century, though many structures...
After long preparations and in challenging times, we finally arrived in Addis Ababa, situated in the Ethiopian highlands at 2,300 meters, making it one of the world’s highest capitals. The city was founded in 1886 by Emperor Menelik II and Empress Taytu Betul, named “New...