Historic Attractions of Ethiopia
Yeha
Yaha is located in the northern mountainous region of Tigray. However today this small settlement exists as a shanty town, it was once of a great pre-Axumite civilization and it is believed to be Ethiopia’s first capital. Yaha was first uncovered in a complex archeological excavation around a courtyard at the beginning of the 20th century. The first settlers of this area, the Sabian, where the founder of the Axumite kingdom. The temple of yaha, with one side of its walls in ruin, is otherwise still intact and shows to the advanced of the people of those time. There is no trace of mortar being used to build the temple of which the inside of the wall was believed to be have paved with Gold. The archeological excavation made in 1909,1947 and 1973 respectively reveal that this beautiful temple was destroyed by fire. Treasures such as Gold ring, golden lions, stone carved animals like the waliya ibex (one of Ethiopian endemic mammal), pottery works and others were uncovered. some of these findings are displayed at national museum in Addis Ababa.
Axum
Axum, Ethiopia’s oldest capital, is believed to have been founded over 3,000 years ago by the legendary Queen of Sheba (Makeda or Nigist Azeb). The Axumite Kingdom once spanned present-day Eritrea, Yemen, northeastern Sudan (Nubia), and southern Ethiopia up to the Blue Nile Gorge. It played a crucial role in Arabian Peninsula politics, even conquering the Himyarite Kingdom in Yemen. Axum controlled the lucrative Red Sea trade route through its port, Adulis, making it one of the world’s four great ancient powers alongside Persia, Rome, and China. It was among the first African states to mint gold, silver, and bronze coins inscribed in Ge’ez and Greek. The Axumite kings erected massive granite obelisks, marking graves and symbolizing their power.
Axum is central to Ethiopian heritage as the seat of the Queen of Sheba’s dynasty. According to the Kebra Negast, she bore King Solomon a son, Menelik I, who founded the Solomonic dynasty. This lineage lasted nearly 3,000 years until Emperor Haile Selassie’s reign ended in 1974. The city is also a religious landmark. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church claims the Ark of the Covenant rests in St. Mary of Zion Church, brought by Menelik I from Israel. Christianity became Ethiopia’s state religion in 333 AD, making it the second-oldest Christian nation after Armenia. However, biblical accounts (Acts 8:26) suggest Christianity reached Ethiopia even earlier. Axum remains a symbol of Ethiopia’s ancient civilization and enduring faith.
Rock-Hewn Churches of Tigray
Northern Ethiopia is the cradle of ancient Ethiopian civilization, with sites like Yeha Temple and Axum’s monolithic stelae attesting to its rich history. The region, home to the world’s first Christian state in the 4th century, boasts remarkable rock-hewn churches, particularly in Tigray and Lalibela.
Hidden in Ethiopia’s highlands, these centuries-old churches and monasteries house invaluable relics and mysteries. Most are easily accessible, though some require strenuous climbs, rewarding visitors with breathtaking landscapes. The majority lie in the Geralta range, carved into caves or semi-monolithic structures. Local tradition credits their construction to the reigns of Abraha and Atsbeha (4th century) or the Nine Saints (6th century). Some resemble cathedrals, while others are simple cave-like sanctuaries.
Built in remote locations for protection and monastic solitude, many churches survived destruction attempts by Queen Judith (10th century) and Ahmad Gragn (16th century), with visible scars of past attacks. For those seeking a blend of trekking, history, and sacred art, Tigray’s rock-hewn churches offer an unparalleled journey through Ethiopia’s ancient Christian heritage.
Lalibela
Four hundrd years after the dawn fall of Axum shifted its political and religios center to Roha, located in the isolated mountainous region of the former last province. Its former name called Roha until king Lalibela curved out the famous 11 rock hewn churches at the second half of 12th century. The eighth wonder of the rock hewn churches of Lalibela
Most rock hewn churches at Roha is attributed to King Lalibela who set out to construct in the 12th century a ‘New Jerusalem’, after Muslim conquests halted Christian pilgrimages to the holy Land, that could be one reason, king Lalibela to build the wonderful rock hewn churches, known as “second Jerusalem” at Roha and he named all the place after the holy land such as: mount Sinai, Golgotha, river Jordan and the symbolic tomb of Adam and christ.Due to its unique monolithic and semi monolithic rock hewn churches, Lalibela is well known as one of wonders and top tourist destination in the world. Tourists from all part of the world are travelling to admire the wonderful rock hewn churches of Lalibela and experience the strong living religion. Many travelers have been visiting and assured, the rock hewn churches of Lalibela are a wonderful achievements of human being in the past. Alewarez, a portugies priest and explorer was the first traveler from Europe to visit the rock hewn church of Lalibela in the sixteenth century and he described them as super human achievement work.
Gondar
Gondar was the third permanent capital city in the history of Ethiopia after Axum and Lalibela. About more than two hundrd years after the dawn fall of Zagwe daynasty untill the establishment of Gondar as a permanent capital city by emperor fasiledes, the Ethiopian chrstian kings had no a fixed place for settlement. They had a mobile royal court to administer over the large territories and to escape from the restless war between the lowland Muslims sultanets. This long tradition came to an end when Emperor Fasiledes declare, Gondar as his permanent capital city in 1636. Gondar grew faster and become an important political and commercial center to attract the long distance Arebian traders.The imperial castel in Gondar.
Many Ethiopian medieval kings ruled out of Gondar and built their own beautiful castles, churches and monasteries. Some of the prominent Gondarian kings are: Fasildes, Yohanes Iyasu, David and Bekafa. Gondar became once a very powerful Christian kingdom and played a big role for the growth of Ethiopian art and literature until the end of nineteenth century, but when Emperor Teodros ll. came to power in 1855, he shifted its political center to Mekdela, which was a temporarily capital center before the establishment of Addis Ababa.
Lake Tana and Its Monasteries
Lake Tana is Ethiopia’s first largest lake and is the source of the Blue Nile River. Located in the north-western Ethiopian Highlands, the lake is approximately 84 kilometers long and 66 kilometers wide, with a maximum depth of 15 meters, and an elevation of 1,788 meters. Its surface area ranges from 3,000 to 3,500 km, ² depending on season and rainfall. The lake was originally much larger than it is today. There are more than 30 islands on the lake and most of which are churches and monasteries. They were founded during the reign of king Amde Zion in the first half of fourteenth century. However, some of the monasteries on the islands such as Tana qirkos were used even much earleier. This island is belied to be hosting the Ark of the covenant (Ark of Moses) for about 800 years after minilik l brought from Israel before it was taken to Axum. Another unique feature of this islands monasteries built after the designs of regular round houses form with conical thatched roofs and decorated the inteiror part of churche with beautiful wall paintings. These island monasteries are stuffed with percious Ethiopian treasures such as royal crowns, ancient bibles, historical art, sacred relics, including the remains of royals, etc.
Flora and Funa
The Lake was formed about 5 million years ago when lava blocked more than 60 streams and rivers. Since there are no upstream waters that link the lake to other waterways, the lake became ecologically isolated when it was obstructed, causing the evolution of the fish fauna of the lake and its tributaries to go its own independent way. As a result, 19 species of endemic fish, live in the lake.
Among the mammals, the Hippopotamus is the most eye-catching species, often seen in the wetlands of the discharge into the Blue Nile River. Obviously, numerous wetland birds, such as the great white pelican and African darter, reside at Lake Tana. It is also an important wintering ground for many migrant waterbirds. There are no crocodiles, but the African softshell turtle has been recorded near the Blue Nile outflow from the lake. There are fifteen species of molluscs, including one endemic as well as an endemic freshwater sponge.