Ethiopia is full of surprises and promises a warm welcome to any traveller who wants to explore its fascinating history. Welcome to the Land of Origins! Ethiopia is the cradle of Mankind where our hominid ancestors first walked the earth. The Rift Valley of Africa has proved a rich source of fossil remains that tell the story of our evolution – and “Lucy” our famous common ancestor was discovered in Ethiopia in the Awash Lower Valley. In addition, finds of the earliest stone tools provide the first evidence of industry known to man.
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One of the earliest great empires in history was ruled by the Queen of Sheba and originated in Axum in Ethiopia. She travelled to Jerusalem to visit King Solomon and their son, Melenik I was the start of a Solomonic dynasty that ran unbroken through 3,000 years, ending with the death of Emperor Haile Selassie in 1975. Incidentally, legend also has it that Menelik visited his father in Jerusalem and returned to Ethiopia with the original Ark of the Covenant. Believers point to Aksum's Chapel of the Tablet as its true resting place.
For Victorian explorers their goal was to discover the source of the Nile. Well the origin of the Blue Nile is also here in Ethiopia in Lake Tana. The lake has many picturesque island monasteries, most of which date to mediaeval times, as well as the stupendous Blue Nile Falls south of Bahir Dar. In June 2015, Lake Tana became the centrepiece of a 5,000 km² UNESCO biosphere reserve.
Ethiopia is also the origin of coffee – drinking coffee is part of Ethiopians’ everyday way of life, and has been for centuries. Coffee was discovered growing wild in forests, and eventually cultivated for household use and commercial sale.
Ethiopia is easy to reach with direct flights from Toronto to Addis Ababa year round on Ethiopian Airlines. There are also plentiful and affordable connections to other destinations within Ethiopia and throughout Africa, thanks to Ethiopian Airlines’ comprehensive network. Ethiopian Airlines operate ultra-modern and environmentally friendly aircraft such as Airbus A350, Boeing 787, Boeing 777, Bombardier Q-400 and the average age of their fleet is only five years old.
Addis Ababa is a fast developing city. Founded in the 1880’s and dubbed “new Flower”, today the capital of Ethiopia is Africa’s fourth-largest city and its diplomatic capital. Selassie (Trinity) Cathedral, with its Arabesque facade, is where Emperor Haile Selassie is buried. The highlight of a visit to the National Museum in Addis Ababa is the paleontological exhibition, which includes many fascinating fossilized hominid remains, including the famous 3.2 million years old Lucy.
Ethiopia is an ancient country whose unique cultural heritage, rich history and remarkable biodiversity is reflected in its nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Ethiopia has more UNESCO designated sites than any other country in Africa. Harar is the world's fourth-holiest Islamic city. And compelling antiquities include the mediaeval rock-hewn churches of Lalibela and Gheralta, ruined palaces and temples dating back 3,000 years, the magnificent 17th century castles of Gondar, and the oldest human fossils unearthed anywhere on the planet.
Especially in the south of the country you can visit tribes practicing an unbroken way of live that dates back millennia. A visit to the Konso people and the terraced agriculture of the UNESCO Konso Cultural Landscape demonstrates a lifestyle that is an interwoven blend of landscape design, engineering and natural conservation.
Add to this the beautiful Simien and Bale Mountains, the spectacular volcanic landscapes of the Danakil Depression, and a wealth of mammals and birds found nowhere else in the world, - and it's little wonder that Ethiopia is on its way to becoming an attractive and popular tourist destination in Africa.
Ethiopia historical riches are perhaps not well known; nevertheless, they are on a par with some of the greatest sites in world such as Petra, Machu Picchu or Angor Wat. With more UNECSO World Heritage sites than any other country in Africa, Ethiopia provides a treasure trove for history buffs from 2,000-year-old obelisks, to 12th century rock hewn churches, to 16th century castles and more!
Here are three “must see” sites in Ethiopia.
Axum
A pre-Christian Stelae Field incorporates the tallest blocks of solid stone ever erected in ancient times. The largest of the giant stelae, a 33-metre tall granite megalith attributed to the 3rd-century King Remhai, toppled over and shattered whilst it was being erected. Alongside it, the two tallest standing stelae are each equivalent to a ten-storey building, standing 25 and 23 metres high.
Established shortly after Aksum's leaders converted to Christianity, the 4th-century Cathedral of Tsion Maryam (Mary of Zion) is Ethiopia's oldest church. The original church, modelled on Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem, fell victim to the warrior queen Gudit in the 10th century, but the foundations of one of the original 12 temples is still visible.
The rock-hewn Tomb of King Basen is the burial site of a monarch best known to us as Balthazar, who is said to be one of the Biblical Three Wise Men who visited Jesus in his manger.
Lalibella
Lalibela has been described as the "Eighth Wonder of the World”. Comprising eleven churches and two chapels, Ethiopia's labyrinthine ‘New Jerusalem’ was excavated by King Lalibela in the 12th century - and it is still in active use today. Hand-carved into the volcanic rock with hand held chisels, the process would have required around 40,000 man-years to complete. Many Ethiopians believe that the construction was facilitated by angels.
Lalibela’s churches are subterranean monoliths, excavated into a massive freestanding central block enclosed by the artificial trenches. The church of Bete Medhane Alem, set in one such subterranean courtyard, is the world's largest rock-hewn excavation, supported by 36 internal and 36 external pillars.
The most iconic church at Lalibela, Bete Giyorgis or the Church of Saint George, is a free-standing monolith carved in the shape of a cross. Legend has it that Saint George was so delighted when he saw his church that he rode his horse right over the entrance tunnel, leaving behind hoof prints that are still visible today.
Gondar
Dubbed the “Camelot of Africa”, the city of Gondar was the capital of Ethiopia from 1636 until the mid-19th century when it was moved to Addis Ababa. The city's physical and architectural centrepiece is Fasil Ghebbi, a stone-walled Royal Compound containing half a dozen fairytale castles. The most striking is Emperor Fasil’s three-storey castle built in the 1630’s which stands 32 metres high, and displays a blend of Portuguese, Indian, Moorish and indigenous Aksumite influences. Each Emperor built his own castle, partly to provide a legacy of his greatness and partly to confuse any approaching enemy, who would not know which castle the current Emperor occupied!
The Fasil Ghebbi UNESCO World Heritage Site also includes the 17th Church of Debre Berhan Selassie, with its beautifully painted interior. The ceiling has rows and rows of 123 winged cherubs and the visitor is drawn to their eyes, all of which look the same way. This is to remind us of the one true path to God and the fact that he is always watching us.
While you might expect Ethiopia to be a very hot country, this is not the case in the centre and north of the country, which rises to around 4,600 ft. It’s varied landscape encompasses Lake Tana, source of the Blue Nile, The Simian Mountains in the North and the Rift Valley.
Lake Tana
The source of the Blue Nile, Tana was known to the ancient Egyptians as Coloe, while the ancient Greeks extolled it as the ‘copper-tinted... jewel of Ethiopia’. Located in Amhara Region in the northwestern Ethiopian Highlands, the lake is approximately 84 kilometers long and 66 kilometers wide, making it the largest lake in Ethiopia.
Lake Tana is used for fishing, farming and transportation, and has a thriving tourist industry centred on the more than 30 islands on the Lake, home to numerous Ethiopian Orthodox Church monasteries dating back more than five centuries.
The Blue Nile runs from Lake Tana's southeast corner, flowing south over a lava dam to form the Tisisat Falls - the name in Ethiopian means 'the water that smokes' - then flowing northwest to merge with the White Nile and form the full-fledged Nile itself. The Blue Nile contributes two thirds of all the Nile discharge, along with most of the sediment carried along 4,750 kilometres through to Egypt and the Mediterranean.
The lake produces a rich harvest of fish and is well known for birdlife – flotillas of white pelicans are a common sight – while hippos frequent the shallows.
Simien Mountains
Ethiopia’s premier trekking and walking destination, the 412 square kilometre Simien Mountains National Park was inscribed as a Natural World Heritage Site in 1979, whereupon UNESCO lauded it as “one of the world’s most spectacular landscapes, with jagged mountain peaks deep valleys and sharp precipices dropping some 1,500m”. In addition to the splendid scenery and hiking opportunities, the meadows and moorlands of the upper Simiens form one of Ethiopia's most important biodiversity hotspots, populated by a wealth of endemic plants and animals including Walia ibex, gelada baboon and Ethiopian wolf.
The bedrock of the Simien Mountains comprises a vast and ancient basaltic dome moulded into a series of jagged pinnacles and buttresses by glacial activity and precipitation. More than a dozen of its peaks top the 4,000m mark, including the 4,533m Ras Dejen, which is Ethiopia's tallest mountain.
The Afromontane vegetation of the Simien Mountains includes more than 1,200 plant species, some of which are endemic to the national park. Above 3,700m, the dominant vegetation type is open grassland punctuated by spectacular giant lobelias that stand up to 10m high. Giant heather trees and other ericaceous plants are the main vegetation type between the 3,000m and 3,700m contour.
Simien protects an amazing selection of endemic wildlife. It is the last remaining stronghold of the impressively horned Walia ibex, the only goat indigenous to sub-Saharan Africa.
Large troops of gelada baboon are unmistakable by the male’s flowing lion-like mane and heart-shaped red chest patch. Gelada baboons, the last surviving species of a once numerous genus of grazing primates, live only in the high mountain meadows of north-central Ethiopia. Though somewhat protected by the remoteness of their location, they are facing pressure from humans as hunters and farmers encroach. Only about 100,000 to 200,000 geladas remain.
A population of around 50 Ethiopian wolves is the world’s second largest after Bale Mountains National Park. Other large mammals include Anubis baboon, Hamadryas baboon, grivet monkey, Menelik’s bushbuck, klipspringer, common jackal, spotted hyena and leopard.
Simien Mountains National Park is one of northern Ethiopia’s key birding sites, with a checklist of 180 species that includes five Ethiopian endemics and 12 near-endemics. However, many would say the true avian star of the Simien is the magnificent lammergeyer, a cliff-loving vulture with a 2-metre wingspan and the only bird in the world with a specialised diet of bone marrow
Rift Valley
Misty highland meadows and tall escarpment forests make up much of Southern Ethiopia, but the region is also incised by the gaping, kilometre-deep, tectonic scar that we know as the Great Rift Valley. Its acacia-swathed floor dotted with beautiful lakes renowned for their diverse profusion of birds.
Lake Chamo, is just one of a string of wildlife-rich lakes in the Rift Valley and is part of Nech Sar National Park. The wildly beautiful and diverse landscapes of Nech Sar National Park include a dense swathe of groundwater forest bordering the town of Arba Minch, the twin lakes Chamo and Abaya, the spiky acacia scrub of the mountainous “Bridge of God” that divides them, and the wide open Nech Sar (‘White Grass’) Plains.
A popular excursion is a boat trip to Lake Chamo’s so-called crocodile market, a stretch of reed-lined sand flats populated by some truly gigantic crocodiles as well as a few pods of hippo and a wealth of aquatic birds.
Monkeys are common in the groundwater forest, while the guided walks on the Nech Sar Plains offer a good chance of seeing Burchell’s zebra, Grant’s gazelle, Swayne’s hartebeest, greater kudu and other large ungulates. Star attraction on the park’s avian checklist of 275 species is the Nechisar nightjar, Caprimulgus solala, which many regard to be the world’s rarest bird. This was first described in 1993 based on the discovery of a single dead bird's wing in Nech Sar a year earlier, and the live bird went unseen until 2009, when it was finally observed by an ornithological expedition to the park.
The South Omo region of Ethiopia supports 16 different ethnic groups who all staunchly keep to their unique traditional costumes, customs and beliefs. The Mursi, inhabitants of South Omo are remarkable for their body art. Hamer women are notable for their long-fringed, henna-dyed dreadlocked hairdo, while the men must perform a unique bull-jumping ritual as an initiation into adulthood. The Karo are celebrated for their colourful ritual body painting. Tourists can visit authentic villages and meet people whose way of life dates from antiquity.
Hamer
All Omo Valley tribes wear traditional attire and adornments, but the Hamer are by far the most elaborately turned out, often sporting multiple beaded necklaces, armfuls of metal bracelets, and elaborate, sculptured hairstyles. They are a very handsome people and tourists love to photograph them. The Hamer tribe grow crops and keep livestock, but they place particularly high value on cattle. The families live in tents arranged in a circle, and the cattle are brought into the centre of the camp at night. The structures are covered with thatch during the dry season and canvas mats during the rainy season.
Konso
The fortified hilltop settlements, terraced fields and anthropomorphic grave-markers of the Konso Cultural Landscape have led to its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Konso Cultural Landscape is characterized by extensive dry stone terraces bearing witness to the persistent human struggle to use and harness the hard, dry and rocky environment. The terraces protect the soil from erosion, collect a maximum of water, discharge the excess, and create terraced fields that are used for agriculture. The terraces are the main features of the Konso landscape and the hills are contoured with the dry stone walls, which at places reach up to 5 meters in height.
The Konso people traditionally live in settlements situated on top of a hill, enclosed by stone walls. Coupled with the very narrow streets within the compound, this made the village easily defensible. The elders in the village direct religious ceremonies, maintain oral traditions and administer justice. Each family compound consists of 3 to 5 circular thatched huts and each village consists of a number of sub communities centred upon a mora or community house.
A village will initiate a new generation every 18 years. Traditionally young men between 8 – 25 years old constitute a generation. The highlight of this ceremony is to erect a olahita or “generation pole” next to the mora community house. These poles are harvested from the sacred forest – and if you count the number of poles and multiply by 18 you will know how old the village is.
Dorze
The Dorze people are known for their remarkable “bee-hive on steroids” homes. These people are weavers, and their huts are made by weaving bamboo and false banana leaves. The unique homes rise to up to 6ms tall and these enduring structures generally serve one married couple for a lifetime. If the base is attacked by termites then the tall hut can tolerate to “shrink down” a fair way - or the whole structure can be lifted up and relocated. The huts are crafted to resemble an elephant’s head – a reminder of the time when elephants roamed widely in Ethiopia.
The women of the village spin and the men are accomplished weavers – the shama cloth produced by the Dorze is considered to be the finest in Ethiopia. Traditionally every Dorze compound will contain at least one weaving loom.
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