Axum
Home to the world’s famous relic, the Ark of the Covenant!
It is the center of Africa’s unique civilization which once was home to a powerful kingdom, dating back to 100.BC to the 7th C.AD, traded with the ancient world beyond the Red Sea, produced its Coinage for both international and local circulation, engraved its cross for the first time on its coin, invented its own alphabet, and achieved greatly in the field of Engineering, had strong farming economy. Axum is home to the great Stelae, the finest engineering work of the Axumite empire. The tallest of all is 33m in height and 520 tons, remains in pieces since the time of erection. Stelae were transported from 4km away at the quarry site called Gobdurra, still, it is mind-boggling how they transported these gigantic single blocks of granite stones. Royal dwellings, storied castles, tombs, and archaeological sites are some of the few to be seen. It is the center of Christianity made to be the state religion in the 4th c.AD. during the time of King Ezana the Great. Africa’s oldest Church Axum Zion Mary dated back to the 4th C.AD built on a pre-Christian site is located here. The oldest St. Mary church now is a monastery and access is only for the men, was subsequently refurbished by King Gelawdious and King Fasildes. The Original Ark of the Covenant is believed to be housed in the Small Chappel. King Haileselassie built a modern church inaugurated during the state visit of Queen Elizabeth II GB in 1965.
An excursion can be made through the historical Adwa to the oldest pre-Axumite settlement of Yeha to visit the Temple of Yeha. This is the only surviving monument in this part of the Red Sea and dated back to 700 BC. The temple used for worshiping the South Arabian imported moon god Almuqha but later transferred into a church that owns its state of preservation and becomes the only remarkable monument surviving in Ethiopia. Within the compound of the Temple, is the 6th c.AD. rectangular church dedicated to one of the 9 saints, Aba Afese. Some 150 m (about 492.13 ft) west of the Temple is another great archaeological site the Grat Be’al Gebri palace which has been under study by German archaeologists and is said to be contemporary to the Temple.
The 6th C.AD monastery of Debre Damo, the first of its kind in the Country is the center of monasticism and access to it is just by leather rope. The remote Geraltha Churches in Tigray, older than the famous Lalibela Churches further to the south, are home to a well-documented religious tradition.
Lalibela
The 8th wonder of the world
It is the epicenter of the Ethiopian religion and was founded in the 12th C.AD. by the Zagwe monarchs as their religious and political establishment. Located in the raged mountains of Lasta, Lalibela has been the African Jerusalem and for this, every year, the faithful come across the country to attend the Ethiopian Genna (Christmas) on January 07th for it is equal to a journey to Jerusalem. It is home to the 11 Rock Hewn Churches which were not built in the usual sense but excavated from the rock in such a precise manner with the help of Angles at Night. The churches remain not only a symbol of great religious dedication, and precise workmanship but also a living repository of their unfading architecture!
Gondar
The Camelot of Africa.
A medieval city was established, after a long hiatus of a Permanent political center, by King Fasiledes (1632-1667). It is home to the fairy-tale Castles, situated at the southern foot of the Simien Mountains and within a short distance north of Lake Tana. As the seat for the Gondar Royals, it was the center for the development of Commerce, art, unique religious teaching and tradition, politics, and administration. The Royal enclosure with its dozens of crenelated castles, round turrets, ruins, and lion cages reminds the city’s past splendor. The Felasha Village, the former Ethiopian Jewish and their only Synagogue and the Star of David in it, and the Debre Berihan Selassie Church, embellished with paintings that narrate from the life of Christ to Biblical stories and Traditions, both represent the flourishing Judaic and Christian Tradition. Gondar is the epicenter of one of the most unique religious festivals in the church calendar, the Ethiopian Epiphany.
Lake Tana, Bahirdar
The Source of the Nile.
The largest highland lake in Ethiopia (lies in a deep volcanic trough), with a total surface area of 3,600 Sqkm, but only 9m deep. This copper-tilted lake is dotted with 37 islands and most of them are churches and monasteries of the Ethiopian medieval period. These churches and monasteries remain for the teaching of the Ethiopian Iconography Culture and unique religious tradition. The round Debressina Mariam church, at Gorgora, is the only church that displays the First Gonderian Painting style. The Dek/Deq Island is the largest island on Lake Tana where ancient Judaic worship was practiced in the very church of Tana Kirkos. In this church, tradition has it that the original Ark of Mosses was housed for several hundred years. Narga Selassie, on the same island, built by Empress Mentiwab, is such a beautiful round stone masonry work and is the repository of the 2nd Gondarian painting style. Azewa Mariam and Ura Kidanmheret Churches, located on the Zegie Peninsula, surrounded by a natural forest and Coffee Robusta, are said to be painting houses for the other Lake Tana Churches. Kibran Gebriel Monastery is the principal monastery of Lake Tana, a strong monastic tradition and practice has been going on for centuries. It is here that the largest collection of religious books and parchments has been found in the country. The monastery is open for men only and the adjacent women’s monastery Entose is open for women. The Tankwa (Papyrus Boat) is a classical means of transportation for the local and monastic community and bears a striking similarity with that of the Egyptians.
The Blue Nile River locally called Abay, the longest river in the world 1,460km (about 907.2 mi) originates from Lake Tana. Through a deep volcanic trough, the river departs from the lake 35 km (21.75 mi) south of the town Bahirdar where it becomes one of Africa’s beautiful falls (Tis- Isat water that smokes), which used to be 400m (1312.34 ft) wide. After the fall, the river starts its journey again to Sudan where it joins the White Nile in Karthum now it depends on the season mainly after the construction of the hydroelectric Dum. The fall would be in good size from September to December.
Harer
The 4th holiest city in the Islamic World.
The British explorer, Richard Burton (1885) managed to enter the city, totally forbidden for the infidels, disguised as an Arab merchant who entered the Erer Gate as the first European to pass through the gate.
Tradition has it that Harer was a Christian city before the arrival of the patron Saint Sheik Abadir Gey, in the 10th c.AD named the city Harer and established his Islamic administration. But at times, other accounts claim that it was founded in the 7th C.AD. by the contemporary followers of the Prophet Muhamed. But it is only in the 14th Century Arabic manuscript Harer was mentioned for the first time, whose oldest mosque dated back to the 12th C.AD. Harer enjoyed being a trading center because of its proximity to the ancient ports of Zeila and Berbera and its commercial influence reached to India, Yemen, Iraq and even to China.it is the first City that issued its coins after the downfall of the Axumite Empire. Its 90 mosques and hundreds of shrines, being an epicenter for the teaching and development of Islamic religion and Culture makes Harer the 4th most holy place for the Muslims next to that of Jerusalem, Mecca, and Medina.
Jegol is a 3.5 km long rampart built in the 1550s by Emir Nur to protect the identity of the Hareri people and the wall is pierced with Five Portals which used to be locked at night and opened in the daytime. It is in this protective wall that the glorious Harerie peoples’ Culture, unique ways of life, Language, and their Gey gar “house of the city” have all been preserved to this time. So jegol is divided into five sections corresponding to each porta.
The Duke (Emperor Haile Selassie made his son the Duke of Harer) is a modern gate added during the time of the Italians in 1933 and enlarged in 1968 and 78 to link the modern city to Frese Megala” Central square”.
Assum Mei Beri (Fellana)- located in the north and in front of this gate there used to be a Paper Market for the name Assum stands for. It was through this gate that the caravan came and went from this direction in search of the port to northwest Massawa. Argo Beri (Erer Beri)- stands in the east through which the local Argoba People come through the city and are the former native of Ifat now they are confined in villages like Kormi south of Harer. It is through this gate that the British Richard Berton came through. Today the local Oromo and Argoba People put up a market in front of it mainly Kat/ Chat and wood. Suqutat Beri- it is in the Southeast and owes its name to an old Harari farm. The Badro Beri- it is in the South and dedicated to the remembrance of the victory of Bedr at the time when the Prophet, in 624 crushed the Meccans who were impermeable to the Quranic revelation. The Amharic name for this gate is Buda Ber “the gate of the evil eye” for it is here the Black smithers and potters gather. These black smithers and potters are the outcast just because their professions are traditionally scorned, owing to their alleged “dubious” dealing with the demon. The last is Asmaddin Beri- which is in the west and for some this is the gate of the personage; for others, it is the gate of the missionary hence this door belonged to those who spread the religion here and there.
The Hareri House –the Gay gar- these are the symbol of the city with a rectangular structure, as much as possible faces east. The interior wall of the house is fully decorated with basketry, dishes, and other things which are still in use in day-to-day life. It is not customary for anyone to sit anywhere, for there are places reserved for elderly or literate people. The Emir Nedeba is a particular seat for the head of the Family where he could easily see a visitor coming into the house through the door. If the latter seam to him ill-intentioned, the Emir will have time to grab one of his spears, set very close to him. The inferior level is called tit nedeba” small sit” reserved for the young ones or for the less-ranking- people. There is a place called gebti eher nedeba where the Emir, young, and the illiterate can sit, talk and share chat together. There are niches on the wall in-purpose to hold books; just above the main gate, one can see there is a rug suspended on protruded wood posts which shows if there is a girl ready for marriage. On the other side of the house, there are two sections or rooms. The first one is a room where the newly wedded spend their honeymoon and anything that they may need would be passed on to them from the family. The second one is used for storage of coffee and cereals, but nowadays this is a place for an additional bedroom. The above floor seems the later addition for the original Hareri houses were made from earthen roofs, the wall from stone, mud, and beams. This little addition is probably from the later Indian influence.
The Medahinyalem Church was built in 1888 by Menilik II following the defeat of Harer’s last Emir Abdulahi at the battle of Chellenko 1882 and appointed his nephew Ras Mekonnen as the governor of Harer. It occupies the central ground of Feres Megalla and stands on the site where the Egyptians built the Jami Mosque.
The Grand Mosque is standing a little further behind Medahinyalem church and is reached via the former Arthur Rimbaud Street. This mosque is dedicated to Imam Ahimed Iben Algazi the one who was in war with the central Christian Kingdom from 1529-1543.
The Arthur Rimbaud house – it was built at the beginning of the 20th C. by an Indian merchant and the poet never lived in the house. This three-storied house has become the Arthur Rimbaud Cultural House in which all his poetry works have been on display. This cultural house can be reached along the Mekina Girgir- a narrow, sloppy, but bustling street where the tailors are seen working and the clinking sound that comes out from the machines is something that will never be forgotten and this street links both the Ferese Megala and the Gider Megala the two beautiful markets with the wall where people come to buy meet mainly from Camel and also Chat the green leaf.
Most of the markets in Harer are held both in the morning and late afternoon just in front of the gates, the whole ambiance mainly in the afternoon with the fragrance of the incense burning brings a spitting image of Arabian Night. Harer is known for the best incense called ‘etan’ in Amharic, brought from Somalia or Somaliland the best quality is the Luban and it is identified by its whiteness, the Yemeni call it the lubanjia and because of the etymology it is called the Incense of Java.
The Hareri Cultural Museum, the modern part of the city just outside the wall, the big Christian market, the Italian presence viewed in the architectural influence, and the Ras Mekonnen Statue dominate this part of the city
Harer is also called the city of the Hyena where you can see at night the Hyena Feeding ritual by a certain family. The beast will be summoned one by one at the spot just outside the wall near a big Ficus tree, with a back-and-forth dash in and away, the animal comes closer to take a piece of meat placed at the tip of a stick from the master’s mouth. This ritual was an old practice in hare (giving them an oil-drenched porridge) for there was a belief in the old time that the animal would forecast what will happen in the year to come
The Marvel Valley and the Babile Elephant Sanctuary- for anyone having two full days in Harer, driving eastwards out of Harer along a very fertile countryside, one can arrive at the small Babile Town 40 km away known for its colorful Monday, and Saturday Camel market, and past it, there is a valley of marvel where one can see an interesting rock formation. These gravity-defying balanced rocks made to have such shapes are due to erosion as the basalt rock from the top has vanished, and the granite and the Genesis started pelting through time from top to bottom. The Babile Elephant Sanctuary 40km from Babile Town is another spot for a day excursion from Harer to the last remaining species of the African forest Elephant (Loxodonta Africana Oleansis) with a population of nearly 200-300 individuals living in the western section of the sanctuary. This 6,982km (about 4338.41 mi) Sq protected sanctuary also has other mammals like lion, both the greater and Lesser kudus, Soemmerring’s Gazelle, stripes and spotted Hayan, Black Backed Jackal, Leopard, white-tailed Mongoose, Dwarf Mongoose, Elephant Shrew, Horseshoe Bat, Naked Mole Rate, Rusty Spotted Ganet. 227 different species of birds were also recorded including the endemic Salvadori’s Seedeater (Crithagra Xantolaema).
The Awoday Chat market, just 7km on the way to Dire Dawa is the largest chat market in Ethiopia and it is from here that the best quality of the product is transported or exported to Somaliland, Djibouti, and Yemen. The local consumption is very high and in this part of Ethiopia chewing chat is part of daily life.
Dire Dawa- located 50 Km from Harer established along the railway line between Addis Ababa and Djibouti by the French who took the railway project in 1902. This colonial time architectural influence can be felt as soon as anyone arrives. The Kezira Market and the railway station are some of the attractions in Dire Dawa. Now it is the second biggest City in Ethiopia and the most commercial town following almost all export and import commodities pass through this town. The city is connected by Ethiopian Airlines twice every other day, which makes getting to Harer easy for anyone who would like to get to Harer by surface it is just a 1 and half-day drive through Nazareth, with a stopover in the Awash National Park.
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