Historic Route
ALL INCLUSIVE PRIVATE TOURS: LET US KNOW HOW MANY DAYS YOU HAVE TO TRAVEL AND WE WILL CUSTOMIZE YOUR ITINERARY.
THE CORE OF THE COUNTRY’S TOURIST INDUSTRY IS FORMED BY THE WELL-DEFINED ‘HISTORICAL CIRCUIT’ THROUGH NORTHERN ETHIOPIA. THERE IS NOTHING IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA THAT PREPARES THE VISITOR FOR THE WEALTH OF HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL TREASURES, BOTH ANCIENT AND LIVING, CONTAINED IN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA. THE CIRCUIT PIVOTS AROUND FOUR CITIES, ALL VERY DIFFERENT FROM EACH OTHER, BAHIR DAR, GONDAR, AXUM, AND LALIBELA.
WELCOME TO GONDER
IT’S NOT WHAT GONDER (ጎንደር) IS, BUT WHAT GONDER WAS THAT’S SO ENTHRALLING. THE CITY LIES IN A BOWL OF HILLS WHERE TALL TREES SHELTER TIN-ROOFED STONE HOUSES, BUT RISING ABOVE THESE, AND STANDING PROUD THROUGH THE CENTURIES, ARE THE WALLS OF CASTLES BATHED IN BLOOD AND PAINTED IN THE POMP OF ROYALTY. IT'S OFTEN CALLED THE 'CAMELOT OF AFRICA', A DESCRIPTION THAT DOES THE ROYAL CITY A DISSERVICE: CAMELOT IS LEGEND, WHEREAS GONDER IS REALITY.
TOP CHOICE:CASTLE IN GONDER ROYAL ENCLOSURE
THE GONDER OF YESTERYEAR WAS A CITY OF EXTREME BRUTALITY AND IMMENSE WEALTH. TODAY THE WEALTH AND BRUTALITY ARE GONE, BUT THE MEMORIES LINGER IN THIS AMAZING WORLD HERITAGE SITE. THE ENTIRE 70,000-SQ-METRE COMPOUND IS WELL PRESERVED>
TOP CHOICE: RELIGIOUS IN GONDER TIMKAT
THIS THREE-DAY CELEBRATION OF THE EPIPHANY (CHRIST'S BAPTISM), IS MARKED WITH SPECIAL FERVOUR IN GONDER. WHITE-ROBED FAITHFUL THRONG THE STREETS AND CHURCHES IN SOLEMN PROCESSIONS.
TOP CHOICE:RELIGIOUS IN GONDER MESKEL
GONDER IS A FINE PLACE TO BE FOR THIS IMPORTANT NATIONAL FESTIVAL THAT MARKS THE 'FINDING OF THE TRUE CROSS' BY THE EMPRESS HELENA IN THE 4TH CENTURY. EXPECT BONFIRES, PRIESTS IN FULL REGALIA AND MUCH PAGEANTRY.
TOP CHOICE:PALACE IN GONDER EMPRESS MENTEWAB KUSKUAM COMPLEX
IT MIGHT NOT BE AS WELL-PRESERVED AS THE ROYAL ENCLOSURE, OR AS SACRED AS DEBRE BERHAN SELASSIE, BUT WHAT THIS ROYAL COMPOUND, KNOWN AS KUSKUAM, LACKS IN ORDER AND HOLINESS IT MORE THAN MAKES UP FOR IN MELANCHOLY.
TOP CHOICE:HISTORIC SITE IN GONDER FASILADA'S BATH
AROUND 2KM NORTHWEST OF THE PIAZZA LIES FASILADAS’ BATH, WHICH HAS BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO BOTH FASILADAS AND IYASU I. THE LARGE RECTANGULAR POOL IS OVERLOOKED BY A CHARMING BUILDING, THOUGHT BY SOME TO BE A VACATION HOME
TOP CHOICE:MARKET IN GONDER SATURDAY MARKET
ORIGINALLY THE CITY’S WEEKLY MARKET, KIDAME GEBYA IS NOW PACKED THROUGHOUT THE WEEK, ALTHOUGH SATURDAY REMAINS THE BIGGEST DAY AND SUNDAY IS RATHER QUIET. TRADITIONAL CLOTHES VENDORS ARE RIGHT AT THE TOP.
TOP CHOICE: SHEWE BEYE
GONDER PRODUCES ETHIOPIA’S BEST AZMARIS (LOCAL MINSTRELS WHO PERFORM A MIX OF MUSIC AND HUMOUR). WHILE MANY END UP STARRING IN ADDIS ABABA, THERE ARE STILL SOME GOOD AZMARI BETS (BARS) HERE.
WELCOME TO BAHIR DAR
SOME PEOPLE LIKE TO DESCRIBE BAHIR DAR (ባህር ዳር) AS THE ETHIOPIAN RIVIERA. THE MONIKER SOUNDS STRANGE, BUT WHEN YOU PULL INTO TOWN AND SEE THE WIDE STREETS SHADED BY PALM TREES AND SWEEPING VIEWS ACROSS LAKE TANA’S SHIMMERING BLUE WATERS, YOU’LL PERHAPS UNDERSTAND.
THE MAIN REASON TO COME HERE IS TO LAUNCH A BOAT EXCURSION OUT ONTO LAKE TANA TO VISIT ITS MONASTERIES, AND TO SEE THE BLUE NILE FALLS. ON OUR ITINERARY WE INCLUDE A BAT RIDE TP THE MONASTERIES THAT ARE LOOKED AFTER BYTHE WHITE ROBED PRIESTS. THE PAINTED WALLS, BURNING INCENSE AND SOLEMN NATURE OF THESE 500 YEAR OLD EDIFICES IS AWE INSPIRING. WHEN IN BAHIR DAR HIKE THAT IS NOT STRENUOUS TAKES YOU TO THE ROARING BLUE NILE FALLS. A PICNIC LUNCH IS ALWAYS A TREAT WHILE GETTING THERE.
TOP CHOICE: MAIN MARKET
IF YOU CAN TEAR YOURSELF AWAY FROM THE LAKE, VISIT THE LARGE AND LIVELY MAIN MARKET. IT’S BUSIEST ON SATURDAY – MARKET DAY – WHEN PEOPLE STREAM INTO TOWN FROM NEARBY VILLAGES. THE DELIGHTFUL AGELGIL GOAT-SKIN LUNCH IS ALWAYS ON THE MENU.
BRIDGE IN BAHIR DAR TOP CHOICE :BLUE NILE BRIDGE
YOU CAN ONLY REACH THE FAMOUS OUTLET OF THE BLUE NILE BY BOAT, BUT YOU CAN GET PRETTY CLOSE ALONG THE GONDER ROAD, 2KM OUT OF TOWN, WHERE A BRIDGE SPANS THE RIVER. YOU CAN SEE THE DAM THAT HAS RUINED BLUE NILE FALLS.
WELCOME TO AKSUM
AKSUM (አክሱም) IS A RIDDLE WAITING TO BE SOLVED. DID THE QUEEN OF SHEBA REALLY CALL THE TOWN’S DUSTY STREETS HOME? DOES THE ARK OF THE COVENANT THAT HOLDS MOSES’ 10 COMMANDMENTS RESIDE IN A SMALL AKSUM CHAPEL? IS ONE OF THE THREE WISE MEN REALLY BURIED HERE? AND WHAT EXACTLY DO THOSE FAMOUS STELAE SIGNIFY?
DR NEVILLE CHITTICK ONCE DESCRIBED AKSUM (OFTEN INCORRECTLY SPELLED AXUM) AS ‘THE LAST OF THE GREAT CIVILISATIONS OF ANTIQUITY TO BE REVEALED TO MODERN KNOWLEDGE’. YET EVEN TODAY, DESPITE BEING ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ANCIENT SITES IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA, THIS UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE HAS REVEALED ONLY A TINY FRACTION OF ITS SECRETS.
TOP CHOICE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE IN AKSUM NORTHERN STELAE FIELD
DESPITE THE DIZZYING GRANDEUR OF THE NUMEROUS ROCK NEEDLES REACHING FOR THE STARS, IT’S WHAT’S UNDER YOUR FEET HERE THAT’S MOST IMPORTANT. AMAZINGLY, ABOUT 90% OF THE FIELD HASN’T YET BEEN DUG.
TOP CHOICE MONASTERY IN AKSUM ABBA PENTALEWON
HIGH ABOVE AKSUM, ON TOP OF A TALL, NARROW PEAK, IS ABBA PENTALEWON MONASTERY. TRADITION STATES IT WAS BUILT BY ABBA PENTALEWON, ONE OF THE NINE SAINTS AND A MAN WHO IS SAID TO HAVE PRAYED NONSTOP FOR 40 YEARS.
TOP CHOICE LANDMARK IN AKSUM ARK OF THE COVENANT CHAPEL
IN BETWEEN THE OLD AND NEW ST MARY OF ZION CHURCHES IS THE REAL REASON FOR MOST PEOPLE’S DEVOTION: A TINY, CAREFULLY GUARDED CHAPEL THAT HOUSES WHAT MOST ETHIOPIANS BELIEVE IS THE LEGENDARY ARK OF THE COVENANT.
TOP CHOICE CHURCH IN AKSUM ST MARY ZION CHURCH COMPLEX
THOUGH RELIGIONS HAVE COME AND GONE, AKSUM HAS ALWAYS REMAINED A HOLY CITY – WELCOME TO THE CENTRE OF THE UNIVERSE FOR CHRISTIAN ETHIOPIANS. A CHURCH OF SOME FORM HAS STOOD HERE SINCE THE EARLIEST DAYS OF ETHIOPIAN EXISTENCE.
TOP CHOICE CHURCH IN AKSUM ARABTU ENSESSA CHURCH
THE ‘FOUR BEASTS’ CHURCH, NAMED AFTER THE WRITERS OF THE BIBLICAL GOSPELS, WAS REBUILT IN THE 1950S AND IS WORTH A LOOK FOR THE WONDERFUL MURALS,MOST MODERN, BUT A FEW OLD. THEY COVER NEARLY EVERY CENTIMETRE OF THE CHURCH.
TOP CHOICE ARTS & CRAFTS IN AKSUM ST GEORGE GALLERY AXUM
ONE OF THE BEST SHOPS IN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA, ST GEORGE HAS THAT RARE COMBINATION OF SIMPLE TOURIST ITEMS AND FINE PIECES OF ART AND ANTIQUES, ALTHOUGH THE QUALITY TENDS TOWARDS THE LATTER. RELIGIOUS PAINTINGS.
WELCOME TO LALIBELA
ROCK-CUT CHURCHES OF LALIBELA THE SMALL TOWN OF LALIBELA IS HOME TO ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST ASTOUNDING SACRED SITES: ELEVEN ROCK HEWN CHURCHES, EACH CARVED ENTIRELY OUT OF A SINGLE BLOCK OF GRANITE WITH ITS ROOF AT GROUND LEVEL. WERE IT NOT FOR THESE EXTRAORDINARY CHURCHES, LALIBELA WOULD ALMOST CERTAINLY BE WELL OFF THE TOURIST RADAR. A DUSTY RURAL TOWN NESTLED INTO ROLLING COUNTRYSIDE, LALIBELA ONLY RECENTLY RECEIVED ELECTRICITY. IT HAS FEW MOTORIZED VEHICLES, NO GAS STATIONS AND NO PAVED STREETS. ISOLATED FROM THE MODERN WORLD, THE TOWN GOES ABOUT ITS BUSINESS MUCH AS IT HAS FOR SEVERAL HUNDRED YEARS. OF LALIBELA'S 8-10,000 PEOPLE, OVER 1,000 ARE PRIESTS. RELIGIOUS RITUAL IS CENTRAL TO THE LIFE OF THE TOWN, WITH REGULAR PROCESSIONS, EXTENSIVE FASTS, CROWDS OF SINGING AND DANCING PRIESTS. THIS, COMBINED WITH ITS EXTRAORDINARY RELIGIOUS ARCHITECTURE AND SIMPLICITY OF LIFE, GIVES THE CITY OF LALIBELA A DISTINCTIVELY TIMELESS, ALMOST BIBLICAL ATMOSPHERE.
TOP CHOICE CHURCH IN LALIBELA BET GIYORGIS
WHEN YOU THINK OF LALIBELA, YOU'RE THINKING OF BET GIYORGIS. RESTING OFF ON ITS OWN, ST GEORGE’S CHURCH IS LALIBELA’S MASTERPIECE. REPRESENTING THE APOGEE OF THE ROCK-HEWN TRADITION, IT'S THE MOST VISUALLY PERFECT CHURCH OF ALL, A 15M-HIGH THREE-TIERED PLINTH IN THE SHAPE OF A GREEK CROSS – A PERFECTLY PROPORTIONED SHAPE THAT REQUIRED NO INTERNAL PILLARS. DUE TO ITS EXCEPTIONAL PRESERVATION, IT ALSO LACKS THE OBTRUSIVE ROOFING SEEN OVER THE OTHER CHURCHES.
TOP CHOICE CHURCH IN LALIBELA YEMREHANNA KRISTOS
DESPITE YEMREHANNA KRISTOS BEING ONE OF ETHIOPIA’S BEST-PRESERVED LATE-AKSUMITE BUILDINGS, FEW PEOPLE REWARD THEMSELVES WITH A VISIT. AND A REWARD IT IS. THE CHURCH IS DIFFERENT BECAUSE IT’S BUILT RATHER THAN EXCAVATED.
TOP CHOICE CHURCH IN LALIBELA 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. IT’S ALSO THE ONLY CHURCH WITH WITH PORCHES EXTENDING OFF IT. 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 BUILT IN LALIBELA.
TOP CHOICE CHURCH IN LALIBELA 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 A…
TOP CHOICE CHURCH IN LALIBELA BET AMANUEL
FREE-STANDING AND MONOLITHIC, BET AMANUEL IS LALIBELA’S MOST FINELY CARVED CHURCH. SOME HAVE SUGGESTED IT 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
TOP CHOICE MONASTERY IN LALIBELA ASHETAN MARYAM
SET AT 3150M, ATOP ABUNE YOSEF MOUNTAIN, IS THIS MONASTERY WHERE THE LOCAL PRIESTS BELIEVE THEY’RE ‘CLOSER TO HEAVEN AND GOD’, AND IT’S EASY TO SEE WHY. THIS REQUIRES A 5 HOUR HIKE AND IS DIFFICULT FOR THOSE NOT IN EXCELLENT SHAPE.
TOP CHOICE CHURCH IN LALIBELA MEKINA MEDANE ALEM
TWO TO THREE HOURS’ WALK FROM GENETA MARYAM AND SIX HOURS’ WALK FROM LALIBELA, THIS REMOTE CHURCH WAS, ACCORDING TO ETHIOPIAN TRADITION, CONSTRUCTED BY THREE VIRGINS DURING THE REIGN OF KING GEBRE MESKEL IN AD 537.
TOP CHOICE EUROPEAN IN LALIBELA BEN ABEBA
EASILY ONE OF ETHIOPIA'S COOLEST RESTAURANTS, THIS ETHIO-SCOTTISH-OWNED, DALÍ-ESQUE JUMBLE OF WALKWAYS, PLATFORMS HAS EXCELLENT FOOD AND COLD BEER.
THE CORE OF THE COUNTRY’S TOURIST INDUSTRY IS FORMED BY THE WELL-DEFINED ‘HISTORICAL CIRCUIT’ THROUGH NORTHERN ETHIOPIA. THERE IS NOTHING IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA THAT PREPARES THE VISITOR FOR THE WEALTH OF HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL TREASURES, BOTH ANCIENT AND LIVING, CONTAINED IN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA. THE CIRCUIT PIVOTS AROUND FOUR CITIES, ALL VERY DIFFERENT FROM EACH OTHER, BAHIR DAR, GONDAR, AXUM, AND LALIBELA.
WELCOME TO GONDER
IT’S NOT WHAT GONDER (ጎንደር) IS, BUT WHAT GONDER WAS THAT’S SO ENTHRALLING. THE CITY LIES IN A BOWL OF HILLS WHERE TALL TREES SHELTER TIN-ROOFED STONE HOUSES, BUT RISING ABOVE THESE, AND STANDING PROUD THROUGH THE CENTURIES, ARE THE WALLS OF CASTLES BATHED IN BLOOD AND PAINTED IN THE POMP OF ROYALTY. IT'S OFTEN CALLED THE 'CAMELOT OF AFRICA', A DESCRIPTION THAT DOES THE ROYAL CITY A DISSERVICE: CAMELOT IS LEGEND, WHEREAS GONDER IS REALITY.
TOP CHOICE:CASTLE IN GONDER ROYAL ENCLOSURE
THE GONDER OF YESTERYEAR WAS A CITY OF EXTREME BRUTALITY AND IMMENSE WEALTH. TODAY THE WEALTH AND BRUTALITY ARE GONE, BUT THE MEMORIES LINGER IN THIS AMAZING WORLD HERITAGE SITE. THE ENTIRE 70,000-SQ-METRE COMPOUND IS WELL PRESERVED>
TOP CHOICE: RELIGIOUS IN GONDER TIMKAT
THIS THREE-DAY CELEBRATION OF THE EPIPHANY (CHRIST'S BAPTISM), IS MARKED WITH SPECIAL FERVOUR IN GONDER. WHITE-ROBED FAITHFUL THRONG THE STREETS AND CHURCHES IN SOLEMN PROCESSIONS.
TOP CHOICE:RELIGIOUS IN GONDER MESKEL
GONDER IS A FINE PLACE TO BE FOR THIS IMPORTANT NATIONAL FESTIVAL THAT MARKS THE 'FINDING OF THE TRUE CROSS' BY THE EMPRESS HELENA IN THE 4TH CENTURY. EXPECT BONFIRES, PRIESTS IN FULL REGALIA AND MUCH PAGEANTRY.
TOP CHOICE:PALACE IN GONDER EMPRESS MENTEWAB KUSKUAM COMPLEX
IT MIGHT NOT BE AS WELL-PRESERVED AS THE ROYAL ENCLOSURE, OR AS SACRED AS DEBRE BERHAN SELASSIE, BUT WHAT THIS ROYAL COMPOUND, KNOWN AS KUSKUAM, LACKS IN ORDER AND HOLINESS IT MORE THAN MAKES UP FOR IN MELANCHOLY.
TOP CHOICE:HISTORIC SITE IN GONDER FASILADA'S BATH
AROUND 2KM NORTHWEST OF THE PIAZZA LIES FASILADAS’ BATH, WHICH HAS BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO BOTH FASILADAS AND IYASU I. THE LARGE RECTANGULAR POOL IS OVERLOOKED BY A CHARMING BUILDING, THOUGHT BY SOME TO BE A VACATION HOME
TOP CHOICE:MARKET IN GONDER SATURDAY MARKET
ORIGINALLY THE CITY’S WEEKLY MARKET, KIDAME GEBYA IS NOW PACKED THROUGHOUT THE WEEK, ALTHOUGH SATURDAY REMAINS THE BIGGEST DAY AND SUNDAY IS RATHER QUIET. TRADITIONAL CLOTHES VENDORS ARE RIGHT AT THE TOP.
TOP CHOICE: SHEWE BEYE
GONDER PRODUCES ETHIOPIA’S BEST AZMARIS (LOCAL MINSTRELS WHO PERFORM A MIX OF MUSIC AND HUMOUR). WHILE MANY END UP STARRING IN ADDIS ABABA, THERE ARE STILL SOME GOOD AZMARI BETS (BARS) HERE.
WELCOME TO BAHIR DAR
SOME PEOPLE LIKE TO DESCRIBE BAHIR DAR (ባህር ዳር) AS THE ETHIOPIAN RIVIERA. THE MONIKER SOUNDS STRANGE, BUT WHEN YOU PULL INTO TOWN AND SEE THE WIDE STREETS SHADED BY PALM TREES AND SWEEPING VIEWS ACROSS LAKE TANA’S SHIMMERING BLUE WATERS, YOU’LL PERHAPS UNDERSTAND.
THE MAIN REASON TO COME HERE IS TO LAUNCH A BOAT EXCURSION OUT ONTO LAKE TANA TO VISIT ITS MONASTERIES, AND TO SEE THE BLUE NILE FALLS. ON OUR ITINERARY WE INCLUDE A BAT RIDE TP THE MONASTERIES THAT ARE LOOKED AFTER BYTHE WHITE ROBED PRIESTS. THE PAINTED WALLS, BURNING INCENSE AND SOLEMN NATURE OF THESE 500 YEAR OLD EDIFICES IS AWE INSPIRING. WHEN IN BAHIR DAR HIKE THAT IS NOT STRENUOUS TAKES YOU TO THE ROARING BLUE NILE FALLS. A PICNIC LUNCH IS ALWAYS A TREAT WHILE GETTING THERE.
TOP CHOICE: MAIN MARKET
IF YOU CAN TEAR YOURSELF AWAY FROM THE LAKE, VISIT THE LARGE AND LIVELY MAIN MARKET. IT’S BUSIEST ON SATURDAY – MARKET DAY – WHEN PEOPLE STREAM INTO TOWN FROM NEARBY VILLAGES. THE DELIGHTFUL AGELGIL GOAT-SKIN LUNCH IS ALWAYS ON THE MENU.
BRIDGE IN BAHIR DAR TOP CHOICE :BLUE NILE BRIDGE
YOU CAN ONLY REACH THE FAMOUS OUTLET OF THE BLUE NILE BY BOAT, BUT YOU CAN GET PRETTY CLOSE ALONG THE GONDER ROAD, 2KM OUT OF TOWN, WHERE A BRIDGE SPANS THE RIVER. YOU CAN SEE THE DAM THAT HAS RUINED BLUE NILE FALLS.
WELCOME TO AKSUM
AKSUM (አክሱም) IS A RIDDLE WAITING TO BE SOLVED. DID THE QUEEN OF SHEBA REALLY CALL THE TOWN’S DUSTY STREETS HOME? DOES THE ARK OF THE COVENANT THAT HOLDS MOSES’ 10 COMMANDMENTS RESIDE IN A SMALL AKSUM CHAPEL? IS ONE OF THE THREE WISE MEN REALLY BURIED HERE? AND WHAT EXACTLY DO THOSE FAMOUS STELAE SIGNIFY?
DR NEVILLE CHITTICK ONCE DESCRIBED AKSUM (OFTEN INCORRECTLY SPELLED AXUM) AS ‘THE LAST OF THE GREAT CIVILISATIONS OF ANTIQUITY TO BE REVEALED TO MODERN KNOWLEDGE’. YET EVEN TODAY, DESPITE BEING ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ANCIENT SITES IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA, THIS UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE HAS REVEALED ONLY A TINY FRACTION OF ITS SECRETS.
TOP CHOICE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE IN AKSUM NORTHERN STELAE FIELD
DESPITE THE DIZZYING GRANDEUR OF THE NUMEROUS ROCK NEEDLES REACHING FOR THE STARS, IT’S WHAT’S UNDER YOUR FEET HERE THAT’S MOST IMPORTANT. AMAZINGLY, ABOUT 90% OF THE FIELD HASN’T YET BEEN DUG.
TOP CHOICE MONASTERY IN AKSUM ABBA PENTALEWON
HIGH ABOVE AKSUM, ON TOP OF A TALL, NARROW PEAK, IS ABBA PENTALEWON MONASTERY. TRADITION STATES IT WAS BUILT BY ABBA PENTALEWON, ONE OF THE NINE SAINTS AND A MAN WHO IS SAID TO HAVE PRAYED NONSTOP FOR 40 YEARS.
TOP CHOICE LANDMARK IN AKSUM ARK OF THE COVENANT CHAPEL
IN BETWEEN THE OLD AND NEW ST MARY OF ZION CHURCHES IS THE REAL REASON FOR MOST PEOPLE’S DEVOTION: A TINY, CAREFULLY GUARDED CHAPEL THAT HOUSES WHAT MOST ETHIOPIANS BELIEVE IS THE LEGENDARY ARK OF THE COVENANT.
TOP CHOICE CHURCH IN AKSUM ST MARY ZION CHURCH COMPLEX
THOUGH RELIGIONS HAVE COME AND GONE, AKSUM HAS ALWAYS REMAINED A HOLY CITY – WELCOME TO THE CENTRE OF THE UNIVERSE FOR CHRISTIAN ETHIOPIANS. A CHURCH OF SOME FORM HAS STOOD HERE SINCE THE EARLIEST DAYS OF ETHIOPIAN EXISTENCE.
TOP CHOICE CHURCH IN AKSUM ARABTU ENSESSA CHURCH
THE ‘FOUR BEASTS’ CHURCH, NAMED AFTER THE WRITERS OF THE BIBLICAL GOSPELS, WAS REBUILT IN THE 1950S AND IS WORTH A LOOK FOR THE WONDERFUL MURALS,MOST MODERN, BUT A FEW OLD. THEY COVER NEARLY EVERY CENTIMETRE OF THE CHURCH.
TOP CHOICE ARTS & CRAFTS IN AKSUM ST GEORGE GALLERY AXUM
ONE OF THE BEST SHOPS IN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA, ST GEORGE HAS THAT RARE COMBINATION OF SIMPLE TOURIST ITEMS AND FINE PIECES OF ART AND ANTIQUES, ALTHOUGH THE QUALITY TENDS TOWARDS THE LATTER. RELIGIOUS PAINTINGS.
WELCOME TO LALIBELA
ROCK-CUT CHURCHES OF LALIBELA THE SMALL TOWN OF LALIBELA IS HOME TO ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST ASTOUNDING SACRED SITES: ELEVEN ROCK HEWN CHURCHES, EACH CARVED ENTIRELY OUT OF A SINGLE BLOCK OF GRANITE WITH ITS ROOF AT GROUND LEVEL. WERE IT NOT FOR THESE EXTRAORDINARY CHURCHES, LALIBELA WOULD ALMOST CERTAINLY BE WELL OFF THE TOURIST RADAR. A DUSTY RURAL TOWN NESTLED INTO ROLLING COUNTRYSIDE, LALIBELA ONLY RECENTLY RECEIVED ELECTRICITY. IT HAS FEW MOTORIZED VEHICLES, NO GAS STATIONS AND NO PAVED STREETS. ISOLATED FROM THE MODERN WORLD, THE TOWN GOES ABOUT ITS BUSINESS MUCH AS IT HAS FOR SEVERAL HUNDRED YEARS. OF LALIBELA'S 8-10,000 PEOPLE, OVER 1,000 ARE PRIESTS. RELIGIOUS RITUAL IS CENTRAL TO THE LIFE OF THE TOWN, WITH REGULAR PROCESSIONS, EXTENSIVE FASTS, CROWDS OF SINGING AND DANCING PRIESTS. THIS, COMBINED WITH ITS EXTRAORDINARY RELIGIOUS ARCHITECTURE AND SIMPLICITY OF LIFE, GIVES THE CITY OF LALIBELA A DISTINCTIVELY TIMELESS, ALMOST BIBLICAL ATMOSPHERE.
TOP CHOICE CHURCH IN LALIBELA BET GIYORGIS
WHEN YOU THINK OF LALIBELA, YOU'RE THINKING OF BET GIYORGIS. RESTING OFF ON ITS OWN, ST GEORGE’S CHURCH IS LALIBELA’S MASTERPIECE. REPRESENTING THE APOGEE OF THE ROCK-HEWN TRADITION, IT'S THE MOST VISUALLY PERFECT CHURCH OF ALL, A 15M-HIGH THREE-TIERED PLINTH IN THE SHAPE OF A GREEK CROSS – A PERFECTLY PROPORTIONED SHAPE THAT REQUIRED NO INTERNAL PILLARS. DUE TO ITS EXCEPTIONAL PRESERVATION, IT ALSO LACKS THE OBTRUSIVE ROOFING SEEN OVER THE OTHER CHURCHES.
TOP CHOICE CHURCH IN LALIBELA YEMREHANNA KRISTOS
DESPITE YEMREHANNA KRISTOS BEING ONE OF ETHIOPIA’S BEST-PRESERVED LATE-AKSUMITE BUILDINGS, FEW PEOPLE REWARD THEMSELVES WITH A VISIT. AND A REWARD IT IS. THE CHURCH IS DIFFERENT BECAUSE IT’S BUILT RATHER THAN EXCAVATED.
TOP CHOICE CHURCH IN LALIBELA 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. IT’S ALSO THE ONLY CHURCH WITH WITH PORCHES EXTENDING OFF IT. 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 BUILT IN LALIBELA.
TOP CHOICE CHURCH IN LALIBELA 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 A…
TOP CHOICE CHURCH IN LALIBELA BET AMANUEL
FREE-STANDING AND MONOLITHIC, BET AMANUEL IS LALIBELA’S MOST FINELY CARVED CHURCH. SOME HAVE SUGGESTED IT 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
TOP CHOICE MONASTERY IN LALIBELA ASHETAN MARYAM
SET AT 3150M, ATOP ABUNE YOSEF MOUNTAIN, IS THIS MONASTERY WHERE THE LOCAL PRIESTS BELIEVE THEY’RE ‘CLOSER TO HEAVEN AND GOD’, AND IT’S EASY TO SEE WHY. THIS REQUIRES A 5 HOUR HIKE AND IS DIFFICULT FOR THOSE NOT IN EXCELLENT SHAPE.
TOP CHOICE CHURCH IN LALIBELA MEKINA MEDANE ALEM
TWO TO THREE HOURS’ WALK FROM GENETA MARYAM AND SIX HOURS’ WALK FROM LALIBELA, THIS REMOTE CHURCH WAS, ACCORDING TO ETHIOPIAN TRADITION, CONSTRUCTED BY THREE VIRGINS DURING THE REIGN OF KING GEBRE MESKEL IN AD 537.
TOP CHOICE EUROPEAN IN LALIBELA BEN ABEBA
EASILY ONE OF ETHIOPIA'S COOLEST RESTAURANTS, THIS ETHIO-SCOTTISH-OWNED, DALÍ-ESQUE JUMBLE OF WALKWAYS, PLATFORMS HAS EXCELLENT FOOD AND COLD BEER.
