NORTHERN ETHIOPIA think it’stimeyoudothesame? adventure, buildings andenchantinglegends. ancientcivilisations,marvellous Don’tyou hopping aplaneorasdifficultwedging yourbigtoeintoaprecarious cliffside crevice. est, hottest andmostinhospitableplacesonEarth. molten lavafeel more athomethanyou.At over 100mbelowsealevel it’soneofthelow- Simien Mountains. You’llalsobeabletoexperiencesomeofEthiopia’sendemicwildlife. high plateaus covers there’s nobetter mostof thenorth, the waytoabsorbitthantrekking scale andbeauty.Althoughtheamazingbackdropofendlesscanyons, chasms,gorges and The waters lake’s hostcenturies-oldislandmonasteries andcountlessreligious artefacts. where grand17th-centurycastlesoverlook thecelebrated Tana. sourceof the BlueNile,Lake eval maze ofrock-hewn churchesliesfrozen instone. The wealthofhistorycontinuesinGon der, Egypt’s. tombsunderlieancientobelisks;inLalibela amedi- InAksum,elaborate pre-Christian The bountyof Ethiopia’shistorical African treasuresnorthern isonlyrivalledbythatof Ethiopia Northern 108 © LonelyPlanetPublications Intrepid travellers have beenreturning fromhere forcenturies withincredible talesof Ethiopiacanbeaseasy Depending onyourmoodandbudget,gettingaroundnorthern Depression,Nature where onhostiletones intheDanakil takes harshconditionsmake Ethiopia’slandscapeisequallycaptivatingand isunparalleledinAfrica inboth Northern
HIGHLIGHTS
Catch the sun’s last light kissing the Catch thesun’slastlight kissing Descendintothedarkness ofancientAk- Flirt withgravityand reach newheights at Flirt Share Exercise the your eyeswhiletrekking Questiontime,historyand reality while Abuna Yemata Guh monasteries pelicans andcenturies-old island panoramas ofendless Abyssinianabysses to magnificentwildlife andunparalleled sublime hewn maze ofchurchesin wandering dumbfoundedthroughthe rock- Gonder abled remains of‘Africa’s Camelot’ in year-old stelae skywardat sumite tombsorletyoureyesfollow1800- Lake Tana (p118) Simien Mountains ( p115 ) withpatrolling ( p149 ), oneoftherock-hewn churchesofTigray Aksum Lalibela 15) home (p125), (p131) (p155) Lake Tana Mountains Gonder Simien Aksum Lalibela Tigray www.lonelyplanet.com tional Park would truly beon the world Na- ing historical finds,Simien Mountains ofIf northern Ethiopiawasdevoid astound- National Parks 50°C. surpasses regularly level, cracking 116mbelow sea July andAugust. are drier,onlyreceiving significantrainin ray andpartsof northeastern Amharaland August beingthe wettest. Theregion of Tig- Maybetween withJulyand andSeptember, tures of 18°C.The bulk of therain falls fairly mildwithaverage daytime tempera- areThe centralandnorthernhighlands
Climate Climate (24km) To Metema S UDAN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA The DanakilDepression, withelevations Nekemte Durbete Om-hajer Humero Dangla Chomen Bahir Dar Lake Bure
Tana Lake Mt Choke e k o h C (4100m) Gorgora Gonder Ὀ Debark Mota Tis Isat Adi Arkay
Markos
NORTHERN ETHIOPIA •• Climate ETHIOPIA NORTHERN Debre M o u u o M Addis Zemen (Tis Isat) Blue NileFalls
Badme
Abay
n t n Simien Mountains
Muger a n s n a (Inda Selassie) National Park Muger River Debre Tabor
Gorge
Dejen
Shire
River River Ras Dashen Blue Nile (4543m) Battle Site Gorge Durba Chancho Escarpment Fiche
Tekeze Adi Quala Meskel Gundo Filakit Mesket Aksum Amba Farit Abi Addi
(3975m) River Lalibela Enticcio Sekota Maqdala Hagere Salem ADDIS ABABA Adwa Libanos Debre Jemma Valley Yeha Shano Tigray Gashema Battle Site (4190m) Hawsien Maychew Ajibara Mekele Abune Yosef Plateau Guassa Berhan Debre Tenta Dessie Wukro Agula Dilb Ankober Debre Damo amas fromits4000m plateaus andpeaks. and someof Africa’s mostastoundingpanor- baboon, andoffers Ethiopia’sbesttrekking large populationsof theintriguinggelada walia ibexandEthiopianwolf,as wellas map. It’shometorare endemics,like the bela, Aksum,Shire, Mekele andDessie. Addis Ababa Dar,Gonder, Lali- withBahir Ababa–Bahir Dar roadfrom the western possible, few people access the Addis bottom of thehistorical circuit.Although Addis Ababa, which sitsconveniently at the opia overland are travelling bybus from Getting There &Away There Getting Ehoin Airlines Ethiopian Escarpment Senafe Mezezo Adigrat (4000m) Most peoplewho enter northernEthi- Woldia Abuye Meda Sinkata Hayk Edaga Hamus Negash Debre Sina ὈὈ ὈὈ Kombolcha Lake Hayk Aliyu Amba Atsbi Ruins Awash Danakil Desert Berahile E RITA Bati Selassie
Inda D a n a k i l D e p r e s s i o n o i s s e r p e D l i k a n a D Hamd Ela
(www.flyethiopian.com) Dallol Mille Logiya Yangudi-Rassa National Park 60miles 100km 0 0 Semera (613m) Irta'ale The Ethiopia–Eritreaborderawaits this mapserveasindicationsonly. The internationalboundarieson Afera Lake Lake Gamarri formal UNdemarcation. Asaita (Lac Abbé) Lake Abbe Scenic Route connects DJIBOUTI Dire Dawa Galafi
Harar
109 NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA for last–lovely Lalibela. wards. Thisleaves what’sarguably thebest and Aksum,before loopingbacksouth- Dar,Gonder tion, travelling Bahir through Depression. like andDanakil theSimienMountains provides accesstonatural attractions covers allthemajor historical sites and entire breadth of northernEthiopiaand The historical circuitstretches over the THE HISTORICALCIRCUIT have travel byprivate orrented 4WD. hewn churches of Tigray. regular public transportisaroundtherock- 2500km-long historicalcircuit. solid daysof busjourneystocomplete the beingcovered.distances atleast10 Expect journeys are stilllengthyduetothemassive the extensive busnetwork’stravel times, hauled. Whilefresh roadshave reduced Ababa toWoldiaiscurrently beingover- roadconnectingAddis dia. Theoldsealed now allbutlinkAdigrat,Mekele andWol- road ofIn theeast,newsections sealed still expectafew olderpotholed sections!). Ababa DarandGonder(though withBahir of sections roadnowconnectAddis sealed alsolinkMekeleFlights withAksum. ing Ba andAksum. hir Dar,Gonder,Lalibela interconnect- Ethiopian Airlineshasflights Around Getting tema crossing( p275 ). overland optionisfrom SudanattheMe- townofhighland Nekemte. Theonlyother 110 dula and the men carrying theirindispensable women in theirpleated skirts, highland reeddelightful ‘raincoats’, the Amhara keep aneye outfortheshepherds intheir Dar.to Bahir wishingto breakthose upthelongjourney fers for some historicalandnaturalsights The roadnorthto theBlueNileGorge of- NILE GORGE ADDIS ABABATO THEBLUE Most visitors move direc- inaclockwise To visittheDanakilDepression, you’ll The onlyarea you’llhave troublefinding Road constructionisboomingandfreshly Even ifyoudon’t plan onstopping, THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••AddisAbabatotheBlueNileGorge THE HISTORICALCIRCUIT (see right ). right (see
served astheprincipalmonastery of theold served is apeacefulplacetowander. ontheedge of acliff beneath agorge and Christian wars), thesite isimpressively set astery remains (acasualtyof theMuslim– revered theboxed (see saints text, p49 ). Tekla Haimanot, todayoneof Ethiopia’smost of theSolomonicline of kings.Thepriestwas butalsowiththerestorationthe highlands, with thespread of Christianitythroughout 13th centurybyapriestcredited notonly The monastery of road, isoneof Ethiopia’smostholysites. the mainAddisAbaba–Debreoff Markos Lying 104kmnorthof AddisAbaba, 4.2km XD@ Libanos&Fiche Debre Dar.and Bahir AddisAbaba runningbetween the buses or southfromChancho, youcanhopon more runonSaturday.Tocontinuenorth Chancho (Birr5,45to60minutes), though couple dailyshare-taxis linkingDurbaand Addis Ababa–Bahir Darroad.There are a which sits17kmwestof Chancho andthe are agoodvarietyof birds. demic gelada baboonisoften here, as seen of ramblingandwildlife-watching. Theen- of AddisAbaba, isagoodspotforbit The Muger River Gorge, some50kmnorth WB [SF@ Gorge River Muger personal videocamerasBirr50) Since the saint’s time,DebreSince thesaint’s Libanoshas notraceofAlthough theancientmon- Access isfromthevillage of Durba, defend oneselfwhenneeded. and to ing never-ending churchservices, the shouldersonlong treks, toleanondur- tobrace to carryloadsand frommarket, avarietyofpurposes: hardwood staffserves of almostevery Amhara man.The 1m-long The THE DEADLY DULA mon use isfending offunfriendly dogs. as tating consequences. Todayitsmostcom- adversary’s cranium –sometimes withdev - arm brought the ashield, andtheright the leftarmtomake its use. The In the past, every Amhara was skilled in In thepast,every Amharawasskilled dula isthechosentravelling companion gabi dula (toga)wasspunaround Debre Libanos Debre crashingdown onthe wasfoundedinthe www.lonelyplanet.com
(admission Birr50, evil spiritsandstomach disorders!evil curative holywaters to begoodfor –said outthearea’sgrimages andsomestillseek ligious schools are foundhere. largest Today,five andmostimportant. re- Shoa region, andremains oneof Ethiopia’s www.lonelyplanet.com below. the bottom of the Blue Nile Gorge, 1000m matic stretches of to road.Itserpentines Ababa, beginsoneof Ethiopia’smost dra- North of Fiche, around200km fromAddis Gorge Nile Blue (r withshowerBirr35) Addis Ababa–Bahir Darroute. Fiche, there are plyingthe numerousbuses Markos road,isstillthebestbet.From so-called by theFascists theboxed (see text, right ). executedthe carparkisdedicated tothose Thecross-shapedtomb near matic setting. vellous viewof themonastery initsdra- the sourceof themonastery’s holywater. tohaveis said doneallhispraying.It’salso tery is Tekla Haimanot’s literature claims. paintings aren’t byAfewerk Tekle, aschurch windowsand mural ing. Thestained-glass tomb, thechurch interior isn’ttoointerest- andprettystyle: monumental hideous. reign. It’sbuiltintheemperor’speculiar that anewchurch wouldensure along after apriestapparentlySelassie prophesied sion of structures, wasbuiltin1961byHaile three daily). orfourminibuses 16.5km tothesouth(Birr3,30 minutes, connectFiche tothemonastery,Minibuses nearby townof Fiche (Birr10,2½hours). Another optionistotake abustothe to Debre Libanos(Birr10,twoto2½hours). and soaring lammergeyer vultures. which are often here, asare seen thehuge remains. Lookoutforthe gelada baboons, make upforthelack of historical tangible Debre Libanos,thesceneryandatmosphere Menelik’s Darge. uncle,Ras like However, built atthe19thcentury’sendby Emperor The present Many Ethiopianscontinuetomake pil- tothemonastery the turn-off Near isthe If youclimbpastthecave, there’s amar- Five minutes upthehillfrommonas- tobethesaint’s what’sbelieved Besides If youget stuckin Fiche, the rundailyfromAddisAbabaTwo buses 16th-century Portuguese Bridge 16th-century Portuguese church , ontheAddisAbaba–Debre P F@ THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT •• North To Bahir Dar ToBahir ••North THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT , thelatest inasucces- cave , where thesaint Alem Hotel , infact
lurks behindanunnamedpetrolstation. before onaprice).Thehoteltaps settling Running water isinshortsupply(check the bathroom Birr30,s/dBirr70/80) the gorge’s thermals. up –lammergeyer vultures regularly soar to thebridge andgorge, don’tforget tolook eyes willundoubtedly bedrawndownward inces of Shoa andGojam. your Although Nile River thehistorical prov- separated flair,theBlue their usualcivilengineering ers. offer Someeven balconieswithviews andboast newcarpetsandhotshow- bright Dar. Dangla’s inDangla, 78kmsouthofthe night Bahir Markos route willusually endupspending slightly potholed section of road. potholedsection sealed slightly or viaDebre Markos (100kmlonger) alonga road; along theshorter butbumpierunsealed Dar fromtheBlueNileGorge: viaMota, There are nowtwowaysof reaching Bahir TOBAHIRDAR NORTH six hours to link Addis and Bahir Dar.six hours tolink Addis andBahir backside willthank youanditonlytakes should travel viaDebre Markos –your reach Darinoneday.Private ve Bahir hicles asitsavesMota fuelandallowsthemto ney, Debre Markos’ d Birr30) bright, butpricesarebright, seriously and eatingoption.Theroomsare cleanand gorge’s northernrim,isthe nearest sleeping s/d Birr50/80) Before the Italians builtthebridge theItalians with Before The Those on abustravellingThose theDebre Most AddisAbaba travel buses through If you’re drivingandwant tosplitthejour- closed –definitively’. he wrote toMussolini,‘The monastery is 129 youngdeaconsaswell.Satisfiedatlast, Graziani ordered theexecution ofallthe –weredistinction’ executed; aweeklater, rebel was singledoutforreprisal. activity, monastery, longsuspected asahotbedof the life oftheinfamousviceroyGraziani, Fascist brutality.Following theattempt on witnessed someoftheworstexcesses During the Italian occupation,Debre Liban os DEATH AT DEBRELIBANOS On 20May1937,267monks–‘allwithout has comfortable rooms with clean roomswith clean has comfortable Alem Hotel isthebestoption. Mostroomsare Ha-Hu Hotel
( % Shebel Hotel 0587 760010;swithshared inDejen,onthe
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111 NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA cash (USdollarsandeuros). this istheonlyonethat changestravellerschequesand Dar’sthree Commercial Bankbranches, Bahir noon Sat)Of Fri, 8am-noon Sat)Changescashandtravellerscheques. Fri, Gamby Higher Clinic&Pharmacy Higher Gamby MEDICAL SERVICES Global Computer Ghion eDrums ACCESSINTERNET Information idea of moving here. hiscapital in thecompoundof StGeorge’s church. missionary Pero Pais, today canstillbeseen which wasbuiltbythewell-knownSpanish on theEthiopianpeople. OneJesuit building, Catholicism –toimpose trous consequences here where Jesuits attempted –withdisas- lished inthevicinityof Tana. Lake Itwas temporary were Ethiopiancapitals estab- ofIt’s alsocapital theAmharalandregion. is aboomingbusinesscentre initsownright. monasteries. on thedoorstep of Tana’s Lake mystical aroundtown,you’re somesights Besides you’ll narylookover yourshoulder. Tana’sLake gorgeous shore andoncethere, to down thewidepalm-linedboulevards the rest of us,you’llhelplesslygravitate time notturningyourbackonit.Justlike most attractive towns,you’llhave ahard Despite Darbeingoneof Ethiopia’s Bahir 1880m pop 166,928/elev DAR BAHIR rol station. Mart pet- bathrooms. It’sbehindtheNOC 112 office. byits obligatory post Darisserved Bahir POST Wegagen Bank Dashen Bank Commercial Bank MONEY burn images to CD using USB connection (Birr15). burn imagestoCDusingUSBconnection 4pm Sat)Only changesUSdollarsand euroscash. inthewaiting room. complete withsatelliteTV % In the1960sHaile toyedwiththe Selassie In the16thand17thcenturies,various geared Dar Although uptotourism,Bahir It’s agreat placetospendafew days. 0582 202017; THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT •• Bahir Dar ••Bahir THE HISTORICALCIRCUIT (Map (Map p113 ; (Map (Map p113 ; perhrBirr18) (Map (Map p113 ; h (Map (Map p113 ; perhrBirr18)Canalso (Map (Map p113 ; 24hr) Town’sbestmedicalfacility, h h 8am-noon &1-4pmMon- h 8am-5pm Mon-Fri, to 8am-5pm Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm Mon-Fri, to 8am-4pm Mon-Fri, Mp p113; (Map lively and love dusty action, visit thelarge and Catering to well-heeled travellers. It’s northeast oftown. towell-heeledtravellers. It’snortheast Catering brochures onthearea (Birr3). tohelp,itoffersAlthough staffarelittlemore keen than 201686; Standard rates( p267 ). 8am-noonSat)Internationalcalls. & 2-6pmMon-Fri, town to the littlevillage of west of them beingmade, head like tosee Peninsula;Zege have alookout.Ifyou’d many bringcharcoal andfirewood fromthe huge includingoxen! loads, OnThursday, Made fromwoven papyrus, theycantake the flimsy,yetunsinkable ing waytopasstime. You mayalsoglimpse bethemostrelax-skirting thesurface might Lounging lakeside andwatching pelicans Sights &Activities solve theproblem,butitisn’t essential. Peninsula.the Zege Taking aguidewould hassle fromchildren atthemarket andon operators –thankfullyyouknowbetter. orthe‘cheapest’the bestplacetostay boat Most‘know’ pecially aroundthebusstation. more information). adequate preventive measures (see p373 for tomid-October.from mid-September Take Malaria isendemic,particularly inMay and Dangers &Annoyances Tis Agency Abay Tour&Travel Ghion Hotel Dib AnbessaHotel Exodus BoatTourAgent Tana.boat tripsontoLake The followagencies are noted forarranging TRAVEL AGENCIES Commission ANRS Tourism TOURIST INFORMATION Telecommunications office Telecenter TELEPHONE in either25HPor40HPboats. 208541, 0918762307;Papyrus qualityservice Hotel)Offers toshare costs. but bestforbudgettravellerslooking ably soundinginternationalcalls. lacks asign,butonlychargesBirr15perminuteforreason- pushy saleswise,butreliable enough. If youare allergic toscenic lakesides Some travellers have alsocomplained of Tourist hustlers canbeaproblemhere, es- main market h Mp p113; (Map 8.30am-12.30pm & 1.30-5.30pm Mon-Fri) 8.30am-12.30pm &1.30-5.30pmMon-Fri) (Map (Map p113 ; (Map (Map p113 ; (Map p113 ) in thetown’s h % ( 8am-9pm) This outdoor kiosk 8am-9pm) Thisoutdoorkiosk % 0582 200111)Less polished Mp p113; (Map (Map (Map p113 ; www.lonelyplanet.com 0918 760056;Tana Hotel) % (Map (Map p113 ; Weyto 0582 201436)Abit tankwa % h . % 0582 8am-noon canoe. 0582 down totheBlueNile. cascading It’s quite itsfountain thesight, we couldn’tconfirmthis.Doletusknow! but hostamuseum, told itmayeventually theDergwho diedfighting ( p37 ). Wewere war memorial p117. see information ontheoutletof theBlueNile, out forhipposandcrocodiles.Formore Nile bridge. Alongtheriver, keep aneye town, around1kmnorthfromtheBlue p116 ) islocated some5kmoutsidethe goatskin. funky andfurry,thankstobeingmadefrom Dar’sversionsism Commission.Bahir are by streetside kiosksneartheANRS Tour- no longer soldinthemarket. They’re sold lunch boxes bylocaltravellers) used are delightful totell youthe ing, we’llbekindenough quickly, butisn’tgetting losthalfthefun? a guidewouldhelpyoufindthingsmore southwest. It’sbusiestonSaturday.Sure www.lonelyplanet.com Cultural Centre To BlueNileFalls 10 Ababa (575km) 1 3 2 BAHIR DAR (32km); Addis Mulualem Just southof the bridge isamassive new The famous Just tosave youadayof unfruitful look- Mosque 1 (25km) Airport (8km);ZegePeninsula Dar ResortHotel(4km); Weyto Village(2km);Bahir To EnkutatashHotel(200m); 12 18 2 agelgil AC Main Market 14 8 (Map p116 ) dedicated tothose 11 St Mikael ult f h Bu Nile Blue the of outlet Church (ingenious leather-bound 31 22 23 4 9 26 THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT •• Bahir Dar ••Bahir THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT 19 Marine AuthorityBoat Entrance to Bus Station Monasteries 3 20 To Island & FerryLaunch 28 17 7 15 21 Lake Tana 25 30 St George's Church 24 5 B 29 Ὀ 13 (Map Gamby HigherClinic& Agency...... (see 15) Tis AbayTour&Travel Ghion Hotel...... (see 14) Ghion eDrums...... (see 14) Pharmacy...... Dib AnbessaHotel...... (see 13) Dashen Bank...... Commercial Bank...... ANRS TourismCommission...... Main Market...... Agelgil Kiosks...... Wegagen Bank...... Telecommunications Office...... Telecenter...... Post Office...... Global Computer...... SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION 16 To TanaHotel(1.4km);Exodus Boat TourAgent(1.4km);War Haile Selassie(6km);Gonder Memorial (3.5km);Outletof (183km); Lalibela(261km) Blue Nile(5km);Palaceof to visitors. Nile River. Thepalaceisn’tcurrently open and offers panoramicviews over theBlue former zawit Hill,thesummitof which hoststhe the BlueNileFalls isfoundon p118 . have heardabout,see p115 . Informationon Just westof town, thisplacehasroomsset net.et; campingBirr33,d&twBirr75-125; Ghion Hotel BUDGET Sleeping are free. casionally available) andairportpick-ups It’s agreat placetocamp(free tents are oc- are problematichere –bringamossienet. the smarmymanager tells you.Mosquitos prices are entirely negotiable,despite what Roomsvary,andsize side setting. there’s nodenyingGhion’sbeautifullake- worn asyourfavourite pairof travel socks, theroomsherethough are astired and Council Building Government 27 Further southof thememorialisBe- For those Lake Tana Lake For those monasteries youmay Enkutatash Hotel Enkutatash 6 Palace ofHaileSelassie
(Map p113; (Map 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 A2 B2 A3 A1 A3 A1 A2 A1 B2 C2 B2 400m 0.2miles 0 0 TRANSPORT ENTERTAINMENT DRINKING EATING SLEEPING Galaxy Café...... Delicious JuiceCenter...... Cloud NineCafé...... Blue BirdCafé...... Araki Bars...... Tana Pastry...... (see17) Summerland Hotel...... (see16) Hajj AdgoyBakery...... Ghion Hotel...... (see14) Enkutatash Restaurant...... Dib AnbessaRestaurant...... (see13) Bahir DarHotel...... (see12) B2 Tana Pension...... Summerland Hotel...... Papyrus Hotel...... Ghion Hotel...... Dib AnbessaHotel...... Bahir DarHotel...... Marine AuthorityOffice...... Ethiopian Airlines...... Bus Station...... Bike Rental...... Balageru CulturalClub...... Paradise Café...... Mango Park......
( % % (Some MinorRoadsNotDepicted) 0582 204435;d/twBirr40/50) 0582 200111;ghionbd@ethio (Map p116 ) D i 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 ) Al- B2 A3 A2 B2 B2 A2 A2 B2 B3 A1 B2 A1 A1 B2 B3 B2 C2 A2 B1 113
NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA satellite TVs. which includeembroidered beddingand the somewhatstylishaccommodations, over Tana. Lake Triangularpartitionsdivide of town,thishotel’s roomsoffer views sunset .enjoybahirdar.com; s/d/twBirr238/361/375) only thesuites offer satellite TV. land’s polishedfeel andTana’s location,and erald waters. itlacksSummer- However, boast balconiesoverlooking thepool’sem- wardrobes, desksandmosquitonets. Some mattresses,furnished withcomfortable Rooms here are reasonably sizedandwell balconies allupforgrabs. mosquito nets,theoddbitof marbleand floors, gleamingbathrooms,satellite TVs, The SummerlandHotel hassparklingtile makes upforincomfortandcleanliness. this newishplacelacksincharacter, it ste US$38/50/75; Summerland Hotel MIDRANGE ers andtiny‘verandas’. sport rugs,mosquitonets,cold-water show- apint-sizedquaintcourtyard. Theyoff 114 points. the smellyshared bathroomsare itsweak Annered carpetsand Raggedy stained andboastcleansheets. Theand bright shared bathroomBirr40,dBirr50) a problemonweekends. yard restaurant, maybe which meansnoise Rooms surroundtheever-so-popular court- showers are hot,thecommononesnotso. offers simpleandcleanrooms.Theprivate the telecommunications office, thisplace breath. open forover halfa decade. Don’t holdyour lakeside ‘almost’ready place that’sbeen to off around Birr50. covered face. Craftynegotiationscanknock more water ontheceiling thanoursoap- shower wascold and theshowerheadthrew aren’t ageing our‘hot’ well.For instance, rooms here are butthey comfyand clean, fax 0582201818;d/tw Birr165/180) shared bathroomBirr20) 0582 208543;s/dBirr215/269,steBirr322-537; Papyrus Hotel Dib AnbessaHotel Tana Hotel Bahir DarHotel Bahir Tana Pension Bahar DarResort Hotel isabehemoth Bahar THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT •• Bahir Dar ••Bahir THE HISTORICALCIRCUIT
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Mp p113; (Map % % % Hiddenbehind % 0582 201302;dwith Thecarpeted 0582 200788;dwith 0582 206566;www 0582 205100;fax % 0582 201436; What is ) station. araki your feet,you off visitthehole-in-the-wall great coffee.Bird, which all serve like CloudNine,Paradise, Galaxy andBlue duce somefresh juice to yourinsides. intoitsstreetside chairsCollapse andintro- just followyournose. ing busjourneys.ThesignisinAmharic, so Town’s bestbread –perfect forearlymorn- (foreigner, especiallyWestern) food. preparedoes someof town’sbest ofern butisdevoid character. it However, Like andmod- itsrooms,thisplaceisbright Tana Hotel Drinking 20) 24) DarHotel Bahir Eating with localstudents, familiesandpelicans. a coolspotfor drink. It’susuallypacked tiered terrace alsooverlooks the lake andis it lacksTana dramatics, this Hotel’s sunset prepared. The tilapia(afreshwater fish)isusuallywell spotforameal. front terrace isapleasant dine forpennies. the music(andbonfires onweekends) and hotel’s courtyard.Situnderthestars, enjoy pian fare, there’s nowhere better thanthis want localatmosphere andgreat Ethio- drink. gardens are the bestplaceforcheap fresh fish. place forapastryoromelette. it’s Localssay little ambience. food isstillgood,buttherestaurant has cutlets, thepriceshere have doubled.The surprised. pleasantly theIndiancurryandwereloaf. Wechose Hungarian goulashandAmericanmeat- stew toppedwithahard-boiled to egg) from Sincegainingareputation forfinefish Awide-rangingmenu,witheverything If youwant somethingthat willknock There are numerouscafés (Map p113 ), Tana Pastry Delicious Juice Center Delicious JuiceCenter Enkutatash Restaurant Enkutatash Dib AnbessaRestaurant Mango Park Mango Hajj AdgoyBakery Summerland Hotel Ghion Hotel (a grain spirit) bars nearthe bus minchet abesh
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www.lonelyplanet.com
Mp p1 jie Birr3) juices p113; (Map Mp p1 mis Birr12- mains p113; (Map Mp p1 mis Birr13- mains p113; (Map h Although Although Itslake- Agood 5am-8pm) Ifyou faranji
8am-noon Sat) % route. therethough are stops atrestaurants en hotel. Gonder (Birr30,three hours); ask atyour Ababa (Birr120toBirr150,six hours) and main station. (Birr46, 10hours). leave Allbuses fromthe toLalibela also theoddunscheduled service 45 minutes) fortheBlueNileFalls. There’s a daytrundletoandfromTis (Birr4.20, Isat buses Several bytwomorningbuses. served Tabor (Birr12.70,three hours) are each Gonder (Birr22.15,fourhours) and Debre routevia theMota (Birr56.60,12hours). departs service 6am), whileasimultaneous Debre Markos route (Birr60.35,1½days, One busdepartsforAddisAbaba viathe BUS &MINIBUS Ethiopian Airlines AIR &Away There Getting do yourthing,you’llwinlotsof friends. locals. Ifyou’re brave todanceand enough p53 ) dotheirthingtotherapturousjoyof place. Various visitthis tural experienceandagoodlaugh, Club Balageru Cultural Entertainment www.lonelyplanet.com set you backBirr40. set to the Tana Hotel. The 8km airporttrip will They cost Birr10forshort hopsorBirr20 south of Tana Pension (Birr3per hour). Bikes are Dar;hire perfect forBahir onejust Around Getting before atthe in Konzola(Map p116 ). Buytickets theday shore of Tana. Lake Ittypicallyovernights gora (Birr104.50,1½days),onthe northern A ferry Sundayat6amforGor- every sails FERRY Aksum (US$86,twotothree hours). (US$61,1¼hours) and minutes), Lalibela and oneortwotoGonder(US$37,17 daily toAddisAbaba (US$78,30minutes), beers Birr6) 11.45am &2-5.45pm) There’s norestaurant orcaféonboard, Private minibuses alsooperatePrivate toAddis minibuses If you’re ina hurry, flagapassing taxi. 0582 200730; If you’dlike cul- anentertaining . Marine Authority office Authority Marine h azmari
Mp p113; (Map hastwoorthree flights 8am-noon & 1.30-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-noon &1.30-5.30pmMon-Fri, THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT •• Lake Tana ••Lake THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT &itsMonasteries
Mp p1 amsin free; admission p113; (Map (see theboxed (see text, % 0582 200020;
Mp p113; (Map h 8- may be. priests after stepping ontotheislandsjust withremarkablemeetings cross-wielding but athrowbacktoancienttimes,yourfirst While theboatengine’sbuzzisanything MONASTERIES offers someprimebirdhabitats. arelights themonasteries, thelake also theobvioushigh- it isenjoyable. Although A tripoutontothelake isasobligatory Sights &Activities lurking onsome20of its37islands. discover famouscenturies-oldmonasteries surface. Explore abitfurtherandyou’ll and squadronsof pelicansflirtingwithits shores, horizon islandsdottingitsdistant is obvious;itsbluewaters lappingonlush Upon first observation, Tana’sLake beauty [ LAKE TANA MONASTERIES &ITS have thesite of been pre-Christian shrines. were foundedmuch earlierandmayeven most 16th orearly17thcentury,though 5223km northtotheMediterranean Sea. the sourceof theBlueNile,which flows ing over 3500sqkm,anditswaters are Know YourEthiopianSaintson p49 . adorning themonasteries’ walls,check out Tana CherkosandUraKidaneMeret. DagaEstefanos,Gabriel, Narga Selassie, gems: Kebrancould conceivablyvisitthese priests whoare quickwiththekeys, you If youhave 11hours a40HPspeedboat, and possible tohave toomuch of agoodthing. have yourfillafter onefullday.Yes, itis asteries over longdays,you’lllikely several ditional Birr50per monastery Toting asmallvideo cameracostsanad- Birr1 andBirr10 notes fortipsandfees. Priests rarely have change, sobringlotsof each monastery iscollected by thepriests. among themost interesting. Admissionto number these monasteries, although tain etiquette, see theboxedetiquette, see text on p44 . speedboat (addabout 30% morespeedboat time fora Dar ina40HP one-way trip fromBahir Many monasteries date fromthelate The lake isEthiopia’slargest, cover- If youwanthelpdecipheringthe murals Although it’s possible to see allthemon- it’spossibletosee Although Note thatwomencanvisitonlycer- For important information onchurchFor important All the stated journeytimes areAll the stated fora
115 NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA walk through coffee, mangoandfigtrees.walk through treasures. It’s30minutes byboatandashort old manuscriptsandacollectionof church beautiful ros inthe19thcentury.Itcontains Maryam walk fromthelandingstage. andashort It’s halfanhourawaybyboat Spot thedepictionof Iyasubefore Christ. paintings onthe It features a12-columnedporticoandgood pheric monasteries, for boat-hire information. Around( Getting See 25HP boat). opposite ) 116 land, most souvenir sellersandhustlers. the most-visited monastery, itattractsthe (despite whatwould-be guidestell you).As 15-minuteand it’sastraightforward walk Dar.Bahir Turnleftfromthelanding stage The peninsulais35minutes byboatfrom andcrowns. 16th- and18th-centurycrosses collection ofphy, itholdsanimportant pendium of Ethiopian religious iconogra- maqdas Peninsula’s mostfamousmonastery andits ior, as are fine18th-century paintings and Bruce are engraved on thechurch’s exter- of Mentewabcastles. Effigies andJames mid-18th century,itresembles Gonder’s atmospheric andlittlevisited. Builtinthe Birr20, menonly) 1 2 LAKE TANA&ITSMONASTERIES Ua Kdn Meret Kidane Ura The original14th-centurychurch at One of themost beautifulandatmos- Set inthemiddleof thelakeSet onDekIs- THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT •• Lake Tana ••Lake THE HISTORICALCIRCUIT &itsMonasteries Narga Selassie Selassie Narga Konzola
Deber Essey (admission Birr20) isvery beautifullypainted. Acom- Delgi A
dates fromthe17thcentury. Little
(Tinish Nile maqdas
Dek Island (admission Birr20) Ferry Ferry (admission Birr20) Addis Ababa(555km) Riv 12 13 To Dangla(65km); Abay) wasrebuilt byTewod-
Kebran Gabriel Kebran er Mota (90km); Bahir Dar Gorgora Airport (inner sanctuary). (innersanctuary). 6 Zege Lake Tana 8 2 4 15 17 1 5 16 is the Zege istheZege ispeaceful, 14 3 Bahir Dar BC 10
(admission 11 Tis Isat 9 Korata (48km); Aksum Debre Debre 7 To Gonder (408km) Wereta Kristos Samra Blue NileRiver
(Abay River)
Blue NileFalls(TisIsat) Gum
Addis Zemen ara plants. lemon treesing stage through and coffee later. They’re ashortwalkfrom theland- probably datingfromthe 19thcenturyor interesting paintings inthemonasteries, (attributed to Yohannes‘museum’ IV)and collection ofimportant crowns inalittle Peninsula,found ontheZege There’s an short walkfrom the landing. island justsouth of Tana Cherkosandisa old church’s foundationsremain. It’sonan isattractivethe vicinity.Thesetting andthe 1990s, it’sstillworthvisitingif you’re in Fasiladas 45-minute walkuphill. Darbyboat.From thelandingit’sa Bahir modest. Tana Cherkosis2½hours from The present 19th-centurychurch israther asteries, minute walkfromthelandingstage. It’s2½hours andatwo- byboat crosses. sion Birr20) Cherkos hidden atmysterious andhistoric ofone way.Theislandiseast DekIsland. nearly 100mabove thelake, 35minutes’ walk onahill (13th to17thcenturies).It’sset ofcoffins five formerEthiopianemperors donna, andmummifiedremains inglass a16th-centurypaintingofhouses theMa- was rebuilt inthemid-19thcenturyand Like UraKidaneMeret, mostofThough thetreasures of One of thelake’s mostsacred mon- It’s said theArkofIt’s said theCovenant was (10km); Gashema
(115km); Lalibela Reb
To DebreTabor
River River
(admission Birr50,menonly) (160km)
Dega Estefanos and (admission Birr20) Beta Maryam Monastery ofKebranGabriel...... Monastery ofDegaEstefanos...... Monastery ofDebreMaryam...... Monastery ofBirgidaMaryam...... Church ofDebreSinaMaryam...... Lake TanaTransportFerryLaunch.... Gorgora FerryLaunch...... Maryam&UraKidaneMeret)...... War Memorial...... Susenyos' OldPalace...... Portugese Cathedral...... Palace ofHaileSelassie...... Outlet oftheBlueNile...... Monastery ofNargaSelassie...... Monastery ofMitseleFasiladas...... Alem...... Maryam,BetaGiorgis, Zege PeninsulaMonasteries(Azuwa B2 Monastery ofTanaCherkos...... Monastery ofMendabaMedhane TRANSPORT SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES 40km 20miles 0 0
(admission Birr50,menonly) were stoleninthe www.lonelyplanet.com
(admission Birr20) Beta Giorgis Beta Giorgis for800years. D 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 Mitsele Mitsele 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (admis- B2 B1 B2 B2 A1 A1 B2 B2 B1 B2 B1 B2 B1 B2 B1 B1 Tana are
let by road, see let byroad,see p113 . Forinfoaboutreachingspeedboat. theout- ahippoortwo. see ranean. Youmayeven well onits5223kmjourneytotheMediter- Tana’sgoodbye toLake water andwishit hellototheriver.to say Youvisitittosay You don’tvisittheoutletof theBlueNile OFTHEBLUEOUTLET NILE eastern shore. Tana’sNile’s outlet,DekIslandandLake for wetlandbirds),Debre Maryam, theBlue FasiladasMitsel (popular breeding ground fishers andvariousparrots. flycatchers,nia, hornbills,paradise king- kestrels,lesser wattledcranes,bushpetro- thelikesmay glimpse of flamingos, lesser theheraldedwhite pelicans,you Besides offervarious habitats upnumerous species. withaneyeforbirds, For those Tana’sLake BIRD-WATCHING (admission Birr20) www.lonelyplanet.com five minutes’ walkfromthelanding stage. It’s century paintingsandasmallmuseum. Also on Zege Peninsula,Also onZege It’s about 30 minutes from Bahir Darby It’s about30minutes fromBahir includetheareasSpots toperuse around earlier byaSpanish Jesuit,Pero Pais. Not onlythat,but he’d beenbeaten tohis‘discovery’ –ashevery wellknew–over 150years III, andreturned home tonationalacclaim. he declared themystery oftheNile’ssourcesolved. Hededicated hisdiscovery George to King Gonder, where hebecameclose friendswithEmpress Mentewab. puzzle thathadpreoccupied peoplesincethetimeofEgyptian Pharaohs. sionate aboutunknownlands. One ofthefirstEuropean ofAfrica explorers wasaScot, inthispart James Bruce,who waspas- JAMES BRUCE:INSEARCH OFTHESOURCE Given hisearlier claims, nowonder. toms. contemporaries His considered muchofitasgross exaggeration,or even aspure fiction. published in1790.Itremains avery useful sourceofinformation onEthiopia’s historyandcus- Of greaterOf interest wasthe accountofhisjourney, Brucehad tracedonlythesourceof In fact, In 1770hereached thesourceofAbay, themainriver Tana. that emptiesintoLake There of After andsplendidcourt landinginMassawa,Eritrea, hemadehiswaytothe powerful asconsul generalinAlgiers,After hesetoffin1768 insearchoftheNile’ssource–a serving moderns, forthecourseofnearthree thousand years. ing inthespotwhichhadbaffled genius,industryandenquiryofbothancients …It iseasiertoguessthandescribe thesituationofmymindatthatmoment–stand- hill towardsthelittleislandofgreen sods,which wasabouttwohundred yardsdistant. Half undressed asIwas by thelossofmysash,andthrowingshoesoff,Irandown James Bruce, hasinteresting 19th-or20th- THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT •• Lake Tana ••Lake THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT &itsMonasteries Travels toDiscover theSourceofNile Azuwa Maryam Azuwa
noon & 1.30-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-noonSat) noon &1.30-5.30pmMon-Fri, also bereached byroad(25km). the monasteries there. Peninsula Zege can gives time(two hours) youenough tovisit Dar at6.30amandreturns at10am,which Peninsula (Birr44return). ItdepartsBahir totheZege Dar offers adailyferry service lurk everywhere. Dar,andshiftycommissionagents Bahir There’s noshortage of boatoperators in Around Getting boats through thetravelboats through agencies on p112 . range thingsthedaybefore. arrangements are possible,it’sbesttoar- last-minute cluded inthecost.Although Birr330. Alwaysensure thataguideis in- PeninsulaZege Birr250and costsbetween tripto the Ahalf-day a 40HPspeedboat. (one tofive people)foran11-hourtripin Blue Nileoutletina25HPboattoBirr1000 90-minute triptoDebre Maryam andthe from Birr120(onetofive people) fora raincoat orumbrella andsomethingwarm. jackets andspare tobringa fuel.It’swise Blue People who’ve happiesthave been booked Prices are alwaysnegotiableandrange Before leaving,Before ensure haslife yourboat The NileRiver, themaintributaryof Nile. Travels toDiscover theSo Marine Authority Marine (1790;Gregg, Godstone,1971)
( % 0582 200730; u rce oftheNile, in Bahir inBahir h
8am- 117
NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA Maryam. and trytohire a cameras Birr100; settlement towards thefalls. settlement turning westandclimbinguppast thelittle bridge beforea 17th-centuryPortuguese the so-calledeastern route, which crosses footpaths down (onyourleft).Theylead acoupleofand after rocky 400myou’llsee sign atasmalljunction.Goleft (north) atiny waterfalls about 1kmuntilyousee the ticket office. Fromthere, walkeastfor necessary. ficial guides(Birr30),buttheyaren’t really The Dar,justbeyondTisof village. Bahir Isat eaters monkeys. andvervet lovebirds, touracos,white-throated seed- parrots,bee-eaters, spot andyoumaysee It’saprettyticularly inwetseason. picnic Africa, avisithere isstillworthwhile,par- once oneof fallsin themostspectacular in thesunandbegforwater. that were oncecooledbytheflownowbake Theremaininghigh). maficvolcanic rocks (29m theshallowestsection as 4mwide)off below, nowthere isonlyastream (aslittle ing over chasm tothe rocks37m asheer inAmharic? with emphysema’ aged chain smoker. ‘Nile Howdoyousay fallshavethe oncemighty withered like an project,Today, thankstoahydroelectric Smokes) orTis Abay (NilethatSmokes). led localsto name it ing fromthedepths of the Tis (Water Isat that Blue NileFalls The impressive plumesof mistbellow- ] !" ISAT) BLUE NILEFALLS (TIS 118 (30km) To Bahir Dar BLUE NILEFALLS (TISISAT) The adventurous cantrolltheshoreline The path to the falls starts 50mwestofThe pathtothefallsstarts The fallsare located 32kmsoutheast If youcanmanage toforget thatitwas Instead of theriver’s 400mwidthcascad- THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••BlueNile Falls Isat) THE HISTORICALCIRCUIT (Tis
ticket office ticket Blue Nile River Nile Blue h 7am-5.30pm)
(admission Birr15,personalvideo tankwa canarrange of- tovisitDebre (Tis Abay) Tis Isat Village Waiting Point Bus Office Ticket
Hydroelectric Falls Plant more than 90minutes. The ern route). Theentire walkshouldn’ttake motorboat (followingtheso-calledwest- above thefallsandcrossingitsbanksby by windingupalongthepathtoriver before of backtrackingtothebase thefalls. overa paththatleads River thenarrowAlata falls on the less steep westernfalls onthelesssteep route. may wanttoapproach andreturn fromthe ing, watch forcrocs. forbidden. Ifyou’re here inthemorn- early 6.30am to6pm.Tripsinlocal castles, slid into a classic Italian ArtDeco castles, slidinto a classicItalian the shadowsof grand17th-centuryAfrican thatyouslippedbeneathfriends believe It really whetheryour isn’timportant 2210m pop 158,019/elev GONDER the bus. Dar(Birr8toBirr10) ifyou’ve missed Bahir it forus. topaythem tohold bus back,we’dneed rival inTis thattoensure onthe Isat aseat we discovered wasmentelling usupon ar- ing themBirr100foraride. Anotherscam travellers missthelastbusandthencharg- We’ve heardof sadly localstryingtomake Darleaves 3pmand4pm. between to Bahir hour), which isalsoknownasTis Abay. for Tis village Isat (Birr4.20,onebumpy Darleave fromBahir few every Buses hours &Away There Getting way/return Birr10/20) portation andguide(upto10people). portation falls. Itcharges Birr300pergroupfortrans- runs twodailytours (8amand3pm) tothe Alata River From here youcancomplete thecircuit From themainviewpoint,continuealong Less energeticLess andlessmobilepeople The It’s usuallypretty easytohitch backto From Tis thelastbustravelling Isat, back Main point View- Ghion Hotel Souvenir Stalls & Village Portuguese X Bridge usuallyoperates dailyfrom
( % 0582 200111) 0.3miles 500m 0 0 www.lonelyplanet.com Approximate Scale boat service in Bahir Dar inBahir tankwas Western Route Eastern Route
are (one the leapinto Simien Mountains. few daysand isaconvenient tomake base away! Dervishes by simplychasing thedevastating opia’s mostcolourfulandfamouschurches, oneof Ethi- saved Selassie, Debre Berhan local legends state atimelyswarmof bees moststructures fromrubblyfates, served intact. 1941, much of Gonderremains amazingly bombs duringtheliberationcampaign of this andthedamaged byBritish sustained Despite Dervishes. looted by theSudanese what remained of Gonderwasextensively and Fall of Gonderon p31 ). Inthe1880s TheRiseweakened thekingdom (see over acenturybefore severely infighting and intriguethatwentonhere. imagine thecourtlypageantry, ceremony to and formergardens,it’snotdifficult theoldpalaces,banquetinghalls through splendour hadbecomelegendary. Drifting already 65,000andits wealthand exceeded and Egypt. andtothenorthwestlaySudan the RedSea, to thenortheastlayMassawa andaccessto rich sourcesof gold, civet, ivoryandslaves, in1636.Tothesouthwestlay his capital peror Fasiladas (r1632–67)madeGonder it’s justaseasytounderstand whyEm- crossroads of three major caravan routes, rounded byfertile landandthatitwasatthe earned themoniker ‘Africa’sCamelot’. howGonderrightfully aces, it’seasytosee sical centuries-oldstonecastlesandpal- experience. thatyousavour thesurrealjust important tos café andsippedearly-morning www.lonelyplanet.com ies of restaurants and hotels. north isdottedthe road leading witha ser- Royal Enclosure andallitstreasures, while Just southof the piazzaisthe and services. of town andisladenwith themostshops by bicycle. Thepiazza marksthecentre still agreat placeto navigate onfootor GonderisfairlyspreadAlthough out,it’s Orientation Today, Gonderisagreat placetospend a While luckandstrongconstruction pre- forwellThe cityflourishedascapital By Fasiladas’ death,Gonder’s population And knowingthatitis(andwas)sur- complexesWith several ladenwithclas- whilewanderingGonderoneday.It’s THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Gonder THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT macchia- [email protected]) [email protected]; QuaraHotel) [email protected]; tions butalwaysopen. town’s fastestconnections. Changes cashandtravellerscheques. Sat) Changescashandtravellerscheques. but onlychargesBirr15perminuteforinternational calls. (Birr15). burn imagestoyourCDusingUSBconnection Explore SimienTours Explore AbyssiniaTravel Explore ways inorder. treks. Pricesrange andnegotiationsare al- thing fromcitytours toSimien Mountain reliableThese agencies canarrange every- TRAVEL AGENCIES informationcentre Tourist TOURIST INFORMATION Telecenter calls. the postofficenolonger offers international Oddly, thetelecommunications officeabove TELEPHONE Post office POST BankS.C. United Commercial Bank MONEY Goha Pharmacy TesfaBirhan Clinic MEDICAL SERVICES Star Internet Computer Proxy Cafe Circle Internet ACCESSINTERNET Information ( p157 ) isa popularploy. A really good probable ‘sob stories’. TheNotebook Scam children hasslingthem formoneywith im- travellersSeveral have complained about Dangers &Annoyances NTO Services Express Galaxy out-of-city 4WD tours (Simien Mountain day trips etc). out-of-city 4WDtours(SimienMountaindaytrips tion andlicensedcityguides(Birr150perday). Canarrange 8.30am-12.30pm Sat) Helpfulinforma- 5.30pm Mon-Fri, [email protected]; Gonder’s bestmedicalfacilities. well stocked. ( % 0581 110379,0918775948) ( ( h h (per hr Birr15) Decent connections andwill (perhrBirr15)Decentconnections 8am-9pm) This outdoor kiosk lacksasign, 8am-9pm) Thisoutdoorkiosk 8.30am-12.30pm &2-5.30pmMon-Fri) ( (perhrBirr15; ( h ( h ( h h (CircleHotel;perhrBirr15)Someof % 8am-9pm Mon-Sat)Helpfuland ( 8am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, to3.30pm 8am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, % 8am-4pm Mon-Fri, tonoonSat) 8am-4pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-12.30pm &1.30- 0581 115943; ( ( % % 0581 116690,0918770280; ( % 0581 111546;GohaHotel) h 0581 115311;explore 0581 110022; 24hr) Slowconnec- h 24hr)
119 NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA 120 water –do yourbest toconserve. left lathered atthe time,is Gonder’s lackof including Habesha Kitfo. fromvarious hotelsbought andrestaurants, of Mindfoodtokens (Birr5for10)canbe (which helpsthegenuinely hungry).Peace local initiative isthePeace of Mind project Metema &Sudan(215km) (327km); Shihedi(175km); Bahir Dar(183km);Woldia Airport (20km);Gorgora(66km); Zobel's Mausoleum(1km); To Fasiladas'Bath(1km); 4 1 3 2 5 GONDER Another annoyance,especially ifyou’re THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Gonder THE HISTORICALCIRCUIT Complex (2.5km) Mentewab's Kuskuam To Empress United BankSC...... Telecenter...... Star Internet...... (see26) Proxy Computer...... Post office...... NTO...... Goha Pharmacy...... Galaxy ExpressServices...... (see17) Explore SimienTours...... Explore AbyssinaTravel...... (see14) Commercial Bank...... Circle InternetCafe...... (see14) Birhan TesfaClinic...... INFORMATION ors nomto ete..... C3 Tourist InformationCentre...... 34 AC 33 32 St Mikael's Church Mosque National Park(115km);Shire (101km); SimienMountains To Wolleka(6km);Debark (301km); Aksum(360km) Ὀ Ὀ Ὀ Ὀ See RoyalEnclosuremap(p121) 2 10 27 37 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 B3 B3 B3 B3 C2 B3 B3 B4 B3 7 17 35 23 B 26 14 Garden Public New Misrak Pension...... Humera Pension...... Guday Hotel...... Goha Hotel...... Fogera Hotel...... Fasil Hotel...... Circle Hotel...... Belegez Pension...... Royal Enclosure...... Ras MikaelSehul'sPalace...... ia oe...... C2 Yimam Hotel...... SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES 8 1 39 28 6 18 12 4 30 Ὀ 38 10 Piazza 3 Church Iyasus 19 21 9 31 36 15 70,000-sq-metre site (also known asFasil stone wallssitting streetside. The entire impressive It ispretty hardnotto noticeGonder’s ENCLOSURE ROYAL Sights 1.30-5.30pm) personal video camerasBirr75; Church Haimonot's Tekla 22 5 29 11 24 13 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 , withits regal castles andhigh C2 B1 B2 B1 C2 C2 B3 C3 B4 C3 Royal Enclosure Taxis &Minibuses...... NTO...... (see 5) Galaxy ExpressServices...... (see 17) Ethiopian Airlines...... Bus Station...... Bicycle Hire...... Pottery...... Pottery Stalls...... Merkato...... Basket Stalls...... Bru Box...... Bar Balageru...... (see15) Sofa Juice...... Hill TopBar...... B3 Goha Hotel...... (see17) Abyssinia Café...... Abkeilish TejBeat...... Ras DashenSupermarket...... Mini Fogera...... Hash-Baz Café...... Habesha Kitfo...... Goha Hotel...... (see17) Circle Hotel...... (see14) Affinity Bar&Restaurant...... Project PloughshareWomen's TRANSPORT SHOPPING ENTERTAINMENT DRINKING EATING 25 400m 0.2miles 0 0 16 20 W$E @XI (Some MinorRoadsNotDepicted) www.lonelyplanet.com h
8.30am-12.30pm & (admission Birr50, D To DebreBerhan Selassie Church 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 B3 B3 B5 C3 B4 A5 A5 A5 C2 B3 C2 B4 B3 C2 C2 B3 C2 (1km) was sadly renovatedwas sadly and plastered over by das’ son, Yohannes I(r1667–82), which west isthe quadrangular its and roof, itsskeletal shellreeks of history. the 1940shave doneawaywiththeinterior a 1704earthquake andBritishbombing in Although beautiful thanSolomon’s house’. travellers described thepalaceas‘more ful paintingsadorning thewalls.Visiting and chairs, ivoryand beauti- andgoldleaf, decorated withgildedVenetian mirrors tobesumptuously ceiling. Thepalaceused Iyasu’s Palace wasunusualforitsvaulted greatest rulerof theGonderineperiod. I, IyasuI(r1682–1706)isconsidered the shaped tern the of ious ruinedbuildings,includingthe remains Tana. allthewaytoLake possible tosee room wasthewatchtower, fromwhere it’s his people. Above Fasiladas’ 2nd-floor bed- it wasfromhere thattheemperoraddressed the roof, religious ceremonies were held,and churches.looking Gonder’simportant On has windowsinfourdirections, each over- ceiling andsomefaintfrescoes. northern cornerboastsitsoriginalbeam Solomonic dynasty.Thesmallroominthe ways, which trumpetFasiladas’ linktothe ofrecessed Star David above door- several hall andformalreception area; note the Moorish andAksumite influences. an unusualsynthesisof Indian,Portuguese, the workof anIndianarchitect, andshows Made of hewnstones,it’sreputedly roughly crenulated parapetandfourdomedtowers. pressive and hasa 32mtall castle. Itstands pound’s south)istheoldestandmostim- Unesco, locations. for thefollowingsight theRoyalEnclosure MapBirr30. See ( p121 ) the gate guidenear forabout local licensed Ontheweekend, youcanhireweekdays. a be expected) are worthwhileandavailable by Unescoin1979. Ghebbi) wasdeclared aWorldHeritage site www.lonelyplanet.com North of Iyasu’sPlace are therelics of To thepalace’snortheastissaddle- thecastle’seastern cornerareBehind var- On the1stfloor,Fasiladas’ prayerroom asadiningThe mainfloorwasused Almost completely restored withtheaid of Free 90-minute guidedtours (atipwill banquet hall (thought bysometobeapool). (thought kitchen palace of Iyasu I Fasiladas’ Palace (domedceiling)and and storage facilities THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Gonder THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT . Thesonof Yohannes (foundinthecom- library of Fasila- water cis- water . Tothe walls remain of onlythetowerand Although the Italians. with ivory. It wasonceanimpressive palacedecorated large arched doors andwindowsremains. northwest of thelibrary,beautyof the until 1992. where AbyssinianSelassie) lionswere kept tiges of Emperor pressive built thehuge (r 1721–30)tookupthereins of powerand was poisonedin1721),theEmperorBakaffa of two place. Dawit(r1716-21)alsobuiltthe first ceremonies andlavish took entertainments Song pit andtheceiling’ssteam vents. thefire walls. Atthesouthernendyou’llsee horn clotheshooksstillprotrudefromthe syphilis! Inside,someof theoriginalcow- worked from wonders suffering forthose the Gemjabet Maryam ROYAL ENCLOSURE Gate The compound’snorthernhalfholdsves- When Dawitcametoastickyend(he Between the stables andDawit’sHall thestables is Between Turkish bath Turkish (Visitors' Entranceand , inwhich manyreligious andsecular Princess Inkoi'sGate Plowden's Ticket Office) Walter Tomb Lion Houses Banqueting stables Hall Auditorium Fasiladas' Maryam Church Gemjabet Fasiladas' Ruins of Archive Bakaffa's House of Palace Main Guards' Gate (closed)
. (wesheba) Song banqueting hall Fasiladas’ archive (the second wasbuiltby (thesecond Library Dawit’s Stables Mentewab's Houses Fasiladas' 100m 0 Turkish Lion Castle Palace Bath Judges' Gate (closed) , which apparently
Facilities Banquet Ruins of Storage Hall & Hall Dawit's Chamberlain's Gate (closed) Hall Church Mikael Atatami Cistern Water Ras' Gate and andtheim- Funerary Gate Palace of , which sits Iyasu I (closed) Kitchen Giyorgis Church Ilfign House of Spinners'
(closed)
Gate 121 NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA cross being used asadecorativecross beingused motif. cultural heritage project. Note theGonder structure that’snowpartof anEthiopian last castle, an important renewalan important of faith. as baptism intheJordanRiver, and isseen jumps in.Theceremony replicates Christ’s ing water, asthecrowd shoutsandlaughter a priest,thepoolbecomesriot of spray- the Timkat ( p261 by ). After beingblessed year, Fasiladas’ isfilledwithwater for Bath the likes of which stillgoontoday.Once a likely constructed forreligious celebrations, lifejackets fortheirrefreshing dips!),itwas todoninflated goatskin ing (royaltyused wall surroundingthepool. ofsupport anddigest sections thestone Angkor Thom,snakelike tree rootsenvelop, cond residence. Almostoutof Cambodia’s bysometobeFasiladas’ing, thought se- overlooked byasmallbutcharming build- it’sstillworthavisit. said, 2008, we’llstopcallingitpeacefultoo. That at acostof Birr6.4million)iscompleted in (financed bytheNorwegiangovernment year project tofullyrestore thecomplex both Fasiladas andIyasu I.Untilthefive- beautiful andhistoricalspotattributed to Lisa’s mysteriousLisa’s smile andmultiply it 104 most visitors’ imaginations. Think of Mona in thenation, it’stheceiling thatcaptures ing themost vibrantecclesiastical artwork lies Around 2kmnorthwestof towncentre BATH FASILADAS’ 122 (admission Birr25; Despite thewallsof XD +EIK.KY CHURCH SELASSIE BERHAN DEBRE ticket; ticket; Enclosure before visitingFasiladas’ Bath. pass here. (Birr0.85) leaving fromnear the piazza Sudan after hisfather’sdeath. Iyasu(Yohannis’brought son)backfrom after Yohannis which I’shorse, heroically Mausoleum Bakaffa’s consortwasresponsible forthe Bakaffa’s Just eastof themaincompoundis forbath- thecomplexwasused Although The large, rectangular sunken poolis You must obtain yourticketYou mustobtain atthe Royal If youdon’twanttowalk,minibuses Fasiladas’ Bath THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Gonder THE HISTORICALCIRCUIT h 8.30am-12.30pm &1.30-5.30pm) . Locallegend states it’snamed Mentewab’s Castle Mentewab’s h 6am-noon & 1.30-5.30pm)
(admission inclinRoyalEnclosure $E (B* Debre Berhan Selassie Berhan Debre , atwo-storeyed , ashady, host- Zobel’s
the RoyalEnclosure. afterwards. contribution forthechurch shouldbeleft forbidden. Priestsoffer tours butasmall of Ethiopia’smostremarkable churches. lassie or‘TrinityattheMountof isone Light’ the Arkof theCovenant here fromAksum. theemperorplannedtobring is evidence thesymbolicarchitectureians hypothesise in thewallwestof thechurch. Somehistor- keen eye,you’llbeabletospotthelion’stail to resemble theLionof Judah.Ifyouhave a Christandisshaped trance gate) symbolises the 12apostles.Thelarger 13thtower(en- surrounds thecompoundandrepresents was created inthe1690sbyIyasuI. cular (itsfoundationsare stillvisible)and 18th century.Theoriginalchurch wascir- church of todayonlydates backtothelate theremarkable because rectangularthe case century artistHaile Meskel, this can’t be torically andhappilyattributed tothe17th- most paintingswithinthechurch are his- Although atop acamelbeingledbydevil. istheProphetMohammed second A close depiction of Hell hastobeourfavourite. martyrs andlore. Bosch-like Thedevilish provide acompendiumof Ethiopiansaints, manity of Ethiopianartatitsbest,thewalls equally quizzicalexpressions. tohave different,ceiling seem slightly but Ethiopian cherubs dottingthebeamed times over! Yes, each of the104winged to house the royal garrison. Its exterior is to house receptions for state lated palace used and ofa series buildingsincluding along,castel- her husband (EmperorBakaffa). able Empress Mentewab, after thedeathof nants. Itwasbuilt in1730fortheredoubt- framed bythecomplex’s crumblingrem- over the countryside,each dramatically tivating. Itoffers animpressive mixof views h Kuskuam Enclosure, thisroyalcompoundknown as thantheRoyal lesspreserved Although COMPLEX EMPRESS MENTEWAB’SKUSKUAM The church liesaround2kmnortheastof Flash photographyinsidethechurch is Se- Theories aside,it’sclearDebre Berhan A large stonewallwith12rounded towers Full of allthecolour,life, witandhu- Like theRoyal Enclosure, it’smade upof 8.30am-12.30pm &1.30-5.30pm)
(admission Birr25,personal videocamerasBirr75; G2G
4X www.lonelyplanet.com isequallycap- this. should befinallyopenbythetime youread the site of andtorture. untoldbrutality the ruleof theDerg, tohave andissaid been –moreused chillingly –asaprisonduring thebuildingwas tent Later, andineffectual. the monarchy becameincreasingly impo- usurped poweratthe18th-century’send,as residence who Mikael,thedictator of Ras boding air. Perhaps itwasthe it’sbecause fore-siladas’ palace,thisplacehasaslightly simplyasmallerversionAlthough of Fa- 5 6P("(IKB PALACE SEHUL’S MIKAEL RAS should costaboutBirr25return. northwest of fromthepiazza town. Ataxi Emperors IyasuIIandIyo’as. the empress, hersonandgrandson,the the skeletons initscryptcontains coffin of ing, ithadtoberebuilt. Atinyglass-roofed afterHowever, damage fromBritishbomb- the residence’s tobe afinechurch. westused have theempress’ been private residence. To animals, such asStSamuelridinghislion. ures of andEthiopiancharacters crosses and decorated withred spotthefig- volcanictuff; www.lonelyplanet.com can be visited, but aspecial trip can’tbe women learn acraft,isworth supporting. which helpsdisadvantaged Training Center, the Project Ploughshare Women’sCrafts However, affairs. into clumsy,half-hearted they were oncefamous hasdegenerated ful remain. Sadly,the pottery forwhich airlifted toIsrael,and todayonlyahand- decoration. the labourfor castle’sconstructionand suggests Falashassearch mayhave provided many becameskilledcraftsmen.Recent re- fiscated forrefusing toconvert. Tosurvive, religion,state Falashas hadtheirlandcon- northwestern Ethiopia. da ism wasthedominant religion of mostof opian Jews. Christianityarrived, Before Ju- a thrivingpopulationof Falashas orEthi- tle village of Wolleka, oncethehomeof Around 6kmnorthof Gonderisthelit- VILLAGE) (FALASHA WOLLEKA After long being closed tothepublic,it After longbeingclosed The complexliesinthehills3.5km toThe nearbysmallerbuildingissaid The old synagogue and Falasha homes From 1985to1991 manyFalashas were After theadoptionof Christianityasthe THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Gonder THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT S@7 (horse-drawn cart;Birr10return). bathroom Birr50) are allcold. sadly (squat) are asclean theycome. Showers small anddarkside, buttheshared toilets option. The roomsareis aclose onthe you can take a taxi (Birr40return)you cantake ataxi ora called worthwhile. Toget here fromGonder, room Birr50/60) room Birr60,s/dBirr70/80) Reservations are wise. Reservations bad thepillowsare exactlytheopposite! budget-hotel towels–huge andsoft! Too and hotshowers. Theyhave Ethiopia’sbest rooms are andclean,asare bright thetoilets perfect forparkingyourtired truck. The surround apaved private courtyardthat’s clean. It’soccasionallyalittlenoisy. The shared showers are hotandusually Ask foronethatopens ontothebalcony. airyandhave feel. bright, Italian aslight are better than others, so check a few. pets and occasional cockroach. Some rooms greenwon’t miss spottingthestained car- hotel meansyou intown. Sadly,allthatlight some nice viewsandiseasily thebrightest offersglass exterior walls,this high-rise Belegez Pension BUDGET Sleeping of festivals, these see p261 . and Timkat. Formore information onboth during thefestivals of (Christmas) Leddet Particularly goodtimestovisitGonderare Festivals &Events the day(aroundBirr30perhour). orcharterhop onlocalminibuses for ataxi day, andyoucaneitherwalk,ridebikes, tion centre. GuidescostBirr150perfull are easilyarranged atthetouristinforma- City tours, which take inallthemajor sites, Tours see Planning( see p127 ). are entirely off asimplegarden. off The tinybathroomsare oh It’sset soclean. spotless andthemattresses are comfortable. Circle Hotel Fasil Hotel Misrak Pension Misrak For Simien Mountains toursFor SimienMountains andtreks, Yimam Hotel Yimam
Thetop-floor roomsare huge,
( faranji ( Ifnext-doorFasil isfull,this % %
( ( % %
( 0581 110221;d/twwithshared bath- 0581 111991;s/twBirr92/115) % 0581 110470;d&twwithshared 0581 114356;dwithshared bath- -fied buttheroomsare 0581 110069;dBirr100) Simplesmallishrooms Prices With gari 123
NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA Humera Pension fare winyourstomach’s. justmight win yourbottom’sapproval, itsEthiopian place’s cushion- covered won’t cementstalls ceilingsandhot-water showers.high are quite attractive has Each andcomfortable. (conical thatched huts)have aged welland are forrenovations, begging thegarden building While theroomsinoldItalian up on Simien Mountain supplies here.up on Simien Mountain Ghion Hotels. tition, isidenticaltoallothergovernment The roomlayout,withniftytriangularpar- from rooms201to209thatsteal theshow. bedding are nicetouches, it’stheviews hangings, stonewallsandembroidered ily Gonder’snicesthotel. Whilewool wall terrace overlooking thetown,thisiseas- balcony andboastingagorgeous garden Habesha Kitfo Eating Goha Hotel MIDRANGE &TOPEND Guday Hotel 124 breakfast. cakessants, and pastries,it’sa finespotfor tarian fastingfoodisavailabletarian daily. good placeforgreat Ethiopianfood.Vege- cowhide stoolsandleatherchairs, thisisa itionally decked outwithwoven matfloor, on theparking-lot-looking patio. an Ethiopianmeal atlunch. Dineinsideor place ispopularwith localbusinessmenfor ste US$38/50/75) happily hitagood burger. fingers – ontherooftopself restaurant andcrossyour your wayupthespirallingstairs, plantyour- round andround,round…’asyou make onthebusgoround andround,wheels sure it’sopenedatthetable. diningroom.Ifyouorderwine,en- bright ern favourites inthishotel’s massive and lamb, fishcutlet,lentilsouporother West- bathroom Birr50/70) Other options: Goha Hotel Fogera Hotel Ras Dashen Supermarket Ras Mini Fogera Mini Hash-Baz Café Affinity Bar&Restaurant Affinity Circle Hotel THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Gonder THE HISTORICALCIRCUIT faranji
( ( % %
(mains Birr17-35)
(mains Birr20-30) Perched natural onahigh
(mains Birr16-23) ( ( 0581 110634;[email protected];s/tw/ (mains Birr8-12) %
0581 110959;d/twwithshared % (snacks Birr2) fare here ishitormiss.We 0581 110405;s/tw/trUS$20/25/35) 0581 110959;twBirr80)
Lovingly andtrad-
Withgreat crois- After singing‘the ( (mains Birr7-15) h Dineonroast Although this Although 8am-9pm) Load tukuls This
less potent, winediluted withCoca-Cola! marked opposite stall theRoyalEnclosure. buying pottery inWollekaorattheun- tery andclothstalls. surrounding streets you’llfindbasket, pot- for shoppers. Withinthemarket andon vitamin andfruityfixatthisjuicehaven.vitamin ing fordrinksof variety,get ahealthy your (US$73, 1¾ hours). (US$51,30minutes) andAksum Lalibela Dar(US$37,17minutes),two hours), Bahir twice dailytoAddis Ababa (US$102,1½to the best place to delve into some stiff the bestplacetodelve intosome stiff known the beats fromablockaway.It’sgood funbut two days, 6am), Bahir Dar (Birr 22, four two days, 6am), Bahir leaveBuses forAddis Ababa (Birr82.50, BUS Ethiopian Airlines AIR p275. see For informationaboutreaching Sudan, &Away There Getting Merkato Shopping hasagoodtime.dance andeverybody masenkos the boxed text, p53 ) singalongtotheir bars have openedinGonder. traditionallageru CulturalClub,several Dar’sBa- Mimicking thesuccessof Bahir Entertainment Goha Hotel Drinking dare, a but insuppressibly Ethiopian.Try,if you lofty gardenterrace. drinkthanthe hotel’s in townforasunset and mostpacked. Aglassof fee isgreat ischeap. andthebeer true throwbacktothedaysof old.Thecof- of caféintheheart thepiazzaisa Italian Sofa Juice You cansupportProject Ploughshare by Hill TopBar Hill Bar Balageru Abyssinia Café Bru box Abkeilish TejAbkeilish Beat faranji gin fir fir fir gin
tej beat ( h
(single-stringed fiddle),women (admission free)
drinkpricesare stupidlysteep. (beer Birr7)
(juices Birr3) (juices sunrise-sunset)
( h (purveyor of honeywine)is (purveyor
(admission free)
(drinks Birr1.50-4.50) (drinks ( 6pm-1am) (ginmixed or, withbeer), %
(bottles oftejBirr5) There’s nowhere better 0581 110129) Ifyourinsidesare call- You’llhearthedrum- Theobviouschoice www.lonelyplanet.com American-inspired Themostfun tej fliesonceor Azmaris Thisclassic isBirr5. Thiswell- tej (see (see . palace St Mary’. chromatic frescoes. Ask the‘Egyptian tosee it’s decorated withvivid 17th-centurypoly- son onthesite of a14th-centurymonastery, Birr25) fill upwhenyoucan. more thanBirr900withdriver and fuel. shouldcostno ber intheSimienMountains willdothetrick.DaytripstoSanka- Cruiser On shortnotice, with drivers; thisshould be prearranged. Birr1.75 forhopsaroundtown; congregateand minibuses the piazza. near you’ll have tonegotiate hardforthis.Taxis costsaboutBirr30perhour,butsights Gonder’s Birr40. Chartering tosee ataxi Birr30and 21km fromtown,costsbetween toorfromtheairport,whichA taxi is Around Getting ( NTO CAR &4WD journeys, buytickets adayinadvance. Shire (Birr40.60,11hours, 6am).Forlonger ForAksum,gofirstdays, twiceweekly). to hours, twodaily)andWoldia(Birr53.35, hours, twodaily),Gorgora (Birr9.10,1½ hours, three daily),Debark(Birr14.10,3½ www.lonelyplanet.com tractive former daysasatemporary istheat- capital The mostinteresting relic of Gorgora’s SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES travellers interested inbirds(see p117 ). withtime,particularly for sion forthose south of Gonder, makes excur- apleasant The littlelakeshore townof Gorgora, 67km 1880m pop 3100/elev Gorgora AROUND GONDER 770386; [email protected]) to Gonder, it’s inshambles but historical in 30 minutes by roador boat.Compared 10km west of Gorgora, which canbereached corner. outside theRoyalEnclosure’s northeast around Birr1toBirr5. % Emperor Susenyos (r1607–32) builta Emperor Susenyos There are occasionally fuelshortages, so Minibuses chargeMinibuses Birr0.50and between Bicycles canbehired (Birr5perhour)
0581 111546;GohaHotel) ( % . Builtin1608by Emperor Susenyos’
(Map (Map p116 ; admissionfree) 0581 110379) Church of Debre Sina Church ofDebre 5 and Abraham Tigabu Abraham THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••AroundGonder THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT Galaxy Express Services Express Galaxy rent outvehicles and his trusty Land andhistrustyLand
onapeninsula Mp p1 admission p116; (Map garis
( % cost 0918
tw Birr80,3-bedroomsteBirr180) tempt to force Catholicism onhispeople.tempt toforceCatholicism decrepit of state isevidence hisfailedat- Medhane Alem Medhane visit Tana’s northernmonasteries. while some of Ethiopia’smostdedicated priests, hosts ancientbiblicalmanuscriptsand Birr16) is good and specialises infish. Birr16) isgoodandspecialises and 10pm.Therestaurant (mainsBirr7to from shore. 6pm Electricityrunsbetween are andclean,butare alsobright further Thesmalltwins to putyousoundlysleep. shore, allowingthesoundsof lappingwaves are alittleworn,butsitmere feet fromthe suites scream BradyBunch, ooze1970sand men only) reliable option. ally foundattheGorgora PortHotel, isa Also inthearea isthe architecture shouldmake thetrip. buffs WE K589A5Y;. SIMIEN MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK 8am-noon Sat) 1½ hours). runtoGonder(Birr9.10, Two dailybuses THERE&AROUND GETTING Hotel Port Gorgora SLEEPING &EATING (Map p116 ; admissionfree) Enterprise office Enterprise hotels. Buytickets atthe where there’s foodandacoupleof cheap The ferry typicallyovernights inKonzola, Thursdayevery at6am(Birr104.50,1½ days). vocabulary. For everyone witha heartbeat, vocabulary. For everyone group of 100 gelada baboons thatzaps their it willbe thetrepidation of sitting amonga a scree slope at4200m.For animal-lovers, of their lungsscreaming after up slogging trekkers, thelackof words willbetheresult willleaveien Mountains youspeechless.For No matter howyou lookatthem,theSim- trips tothemonasteries andlocalruins. (Birr112 perhourforonetosixpeople) for from Gorgora byboat. ing of Mary. Bothare around30minutes Tesfaye Mekonnen alocalguidetofindmostof need thesights. If thelake’s waters are calling,youcan A ferry sails from Gorgora for Bahir Dar A ferry fromGorgora sails forBahir With theexceptionof Debre Sina,you’ll Birgida Maryam Birgida isknownforits16th-centurypaint- . The same officerents. Thesame speedboats
(Map (Map p116 ; admissionBirr20,menonly)
( h
( ( % % 8am-11.30am & 2-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-11.30am &2-5.30pmMon-Fri, built by Susenyos. It’s builtbySusenyos.
0581 117732) 0581 117732;campingBirr25, (Map (Map p116 ; admissionBirr20, Portuguese Cathedral Portuguese Thetwomassive Lake Tana Transport TanaLake Transport , who’susu- Mendaba Mendaba 125
NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA Tanzania’s MtMeru (4566m)! (4717m) andMtLuigi(4626m),as wellas (4844m), MtEmin(4792m), Gessi MtSpeke (4890m),MtBakerRange’s to have happilyforgotten theRuwenzori inAfrica. Theyseem mountain highest by Ethiopiantourismofficials asthefourth- which touted –incorrectly ishighly so– Dashen(4543m), 4000m, includingRas river valleys.Anumberof above peaksrise up of plateaus, bybroad separated several massifs,theSimiensaremountain made &Geology Geography Comprising oneof Africa’sprincipal Africa’s mostbeautifulranges. –theyundoubtedly rankamongmissed can bequicklyorganised. are easilyaccessibleandtreks nevertheless ally oneof itsattractions),themountains of state (the undeveloped theparkisactu- wildlife, theparkisaWorldHeritage site. massively hornedwaliaibex.Thankstoits birds andplants,includingthebeautiful also hometoavarietyof endemicmammals, theboxedical baboons(see text, p128 ), it’s themyth- monument-bashing.stant Besides great break fromthehistoricalcircuit’scon- trek,week make theSimienMountains a ian abyssthattakes theirbreath away. precipice andlookingoutover theAbyssin- atopapanoramic it willsimplybestanding 126 Debark SIMIEN MOUNTAINSNATIONAL PARK (250km) (65km); Aksum To AdiArkay The Simien Mountains aren’tThe SimienMountains tobe facilitiesfortrekkersAlthough are few Whether youcomeforastrollortwo- (97km) Gonder To THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••SimienMountains NationalParkTHE HISTORICALCIRCUIT ὈὈὈὈ ὈὈὈὈ ὈὈὈὈ
Lamna
River
Buyit N o r t h e r n E s c a r p m e n t Ras
Buyit Ras Campsite
ba River Ango Simien Lodge Adebabay Michibi Michibiny Flasha Debir Sankaber
Wazla Nariya Mender Felasha River Belegez Geech Abyss Michotis Agidamya Tsion Gidir Got (3428m) Abergina Muchila
River Barangeb Village Geech Shiwa
Serekawa Geech Kadavit Amba Ambaras 4543m elevation. 1900mand‘Afro-alpine’ zone,between plumbing of theerodedancientvolcanoes. scape are volcanicnecks,thesolidified fromthesurroundingland- abruptly rise today. landscapesseen spectacular jagged and sion producedthemountains’ a thicknessof ero- 3000m.Thesubsequent of molten lava waspoured untilitreached some 40millionyears ago; layerupon matic. Itwasformedbycountlesseruptions, Jinbar rose. Abyssinian endemic Sankaber, lookoutfortheivory-coloured, sounds!) isthelammergeyer soaringlow. mon, oneof (and themostmemorablesights com- Though orserin. Ankober seedeater breasted plover, white-backed blacktitand white-billed wattledibis,spot- starling, black-headed siskin,white-collared pigeon, thick-billed raven, andtheless common jackals, bushbucks andklipspringers. are rockhyraxes,mammals sometimesseen 45and70).Other wolf (estimated between around 6000)andtheelusive Ethiopian the gelada baboon(estimated tonumber ibex (numbers estimated at515in2005), opia’s larger endemicmammals:the walia areThe mountains hometothree of Ethi- Wildlife Saha The 179-sq-kmparklieswithinthe The famouspinnaclesthatsharplyand The Simiens’landscapeisincredibly dra- Along theroadsideonapproach to Endemic birds includetheoften-seen Simien Mountains Ber National Park River Barna River Dirni Antola (3926m) Gogo Imet
Innatiye Ansiya Tiya Truwata
Dihwara Argin
To AdiArkay Timirk River (50km) Chenek Korbete Amiwalka Metia
(4430m) Sona Bwahit Derena Derena River Arkwasiye www.lonelyplanet.com Mesarerya (4353m)
Lori
Sakba E s c a r p m e n t n e m p r a c s E
Bahramba E a s t e r n r e t s a E (3973m) Digowa (4272m) Beroch Wuha Chiro Leba (1km) To Silki Debirichwa Mendar
Selam
Dildiy
Mesheba Ayteter River Kilil Mewa Berje Simien Mountains National Park bad weather or acclimatisation difficulties), difficulties), oracclimatisation bad weather ofguides andscoutsaren’t (because used ifmules,cooks, funded oncepaid.However, time temperatures candipbelowfreezing. OctobertoDecembernight- cal atnight. 11.5°Cand18°C,while3°Cistypi- between to comeinshort,sharpdownpours. forwalking; theraintendsclear, dryweather But, you’re stillassured of hours of several views andtrailscanbeslipperyunderfoot. mistoftenJune andSeptember, obscures the greenest andthewildflowers are out. inOctober,thesceneryis the rainyseason December toMarch isthedriesttime;after WHEN TOGO may enduppayingmore trip. forthesame Gonder andAddisAbaba iseasy,butyou before yourtrek. youplanonstarting best toarrive atheadquarters the afternoon ward, itstilltakes twohours tocomplete. It’s park headquarters inDebarkisstraightfor- organisingAlthough trekking yourself at Planning www.lonelyplanet.com able atthe All fees are goodfor48hours andare pay- FEES PARK noon &2-5pmSatSun) h admission Birr50,campingBirr20,5-seatvehicle Birr10; Ambikwa Kiddus Yared Mikana Azmari (4435m) Entrance andcampingfees won’tbere- Daytime temperatures are consistently between During themainrainyseason, Organising treks agencies through in 8.30am-12.30pm & 1.30-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am- 8.30am-12.30pm &1.30-5.30pmMon-Fri, Menta Ber Mizma Bashaye
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.
River
Koray Weynobar River Abare THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••SimienMountainsNationalPark THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT (4465m)
( % View Points & Scenery Main Animal Hiking Path 4WD Track Route Main Trekking 0581 113482; 6 miles 10 km clear before off. setting their fees canberefunded; make sure thisis camp, itmayattract alammergeyer. too. If youleave thecarcassalittle wayfrom iftheycantuckin kill, skinandroast asheep negotiate prices.Mule handlers willgladly villages.from mountain Yourguidewill (Birr80toBirr150)to Birr20)andsheep (three Birr1),chickensbuy eggs eggs (Birr15 Outside Debark,there are noshops;youcan SUPPLIES kerosene. headquarters. sells Debark’spetrolstation stoves (Birr30 perday)canbehired atpark per day)andcookingequipment andgas (Birr10 perday),two-person tents (Birr25 Mattresses bags (Birr10perday),sleeping EQUIPMENT ( p130 ; Birr200toBirr215). Gonder orinDebark’sSimienPark Hotel home. Itcanalsooccasionallybefoundin own copy,it’sbesttoget itbefore leaving sion forBirr20perday.Ifyouwantyour 1:100,000). Theparkrents alaminated ver- Simen phy, University Switzerland:the of Berne, by thewell-respected Institute of Geogra- trekkingThe mostuseful mapisproduced MAPS should be bought in AddisAbaba.should bebought such as packetthing ‘specialised’, soups, are(paraffin) also available in Gonder. Any- vegetables. Stoves, lanterns andkerosene milk powder, plussome fresh fruitand and tomatosauce tin cans,biscuits, pasta, Debark’s foodsupplies are limited toafew Gonder isabetter place tostockupas boxed text, p184 ). the BaleMountainstosouth(see the endemicanimalisfaringfarbetter in Fortunately, threat tothespecies’ survival. in traps. Hybridisationwithdogsisanother soned byvillagerstoprotect theircrops,or dogs, othershave diedafter eatingratspoi- have diedfromdiseasescaughtlocal inthearea.wolf isclosetoextinction Many fox) fromthesemountains,the Ethiopian Though itderived itsoriginal name (Simien VANISHING WOLVES [sic] Mountains Trekking Map (2003;
127 NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA shawl orcushion. which makes agreat blanket, pillow, sheet, depending onthesize)atDebark market, the localsdo:buya from indigenous trees isstrictlyforbidden. it’s besttobringastove. Burning wood ers ispermitted forfires, onthemountain) you have one,boilsthewater sufficiently. should betreated. Make sure thecook,if and not-too-costly luxury for some. (cooking for one tofive people), a welcome make upfor inwillingnessto help. lish, but what theylackin conversation they pulsory (Birr30per day).Few speakEng- the decision.See p260 formore. cial guidesoffthe street endupregretting happy withtheone assignedtoyou. not beafraidtoask foranotherifyou’re not less so. butyoushould Guidesworkbyrota, Austrian team. Mostare excellent, a few are byan national parkoncourses established freelancers,Although they’re trained bythe mended andhelptranslate whileinvillages. atparkheadquarters. organised Cooks, scouts,mulesandguides are all GUIDES, SCOUTS, COOKS &MULES 128 If you’re worriedaboutwarmth,doas eucalyptuswood(soldbyvillag- Though Water isavailable duringthetrek but Cooks can behired forBirr50 perday ‘Scouts’ (armedpark rangers) are com- Most peoplewho’ve hired cheaper unoffi- guides(Birr75perday)areOfficial recom- also theboxed text, p61 . don’t chaseortrytofeed thegelada. See in doubt,blamethegelada! 1.5km before shoving himoffacliffface!If bursting intoahousetodraganadultman rapes andeven murders–inonecase are responsible forlocalthefts,burglaries, geladababoons ing tolocalpolicereports, for more sinister goings-on,too. Accord- and pasture, ithasbecomethescapegoat Resented foritsallegeddamagetocrops dinary animalislittleappreciated bylocals. sight amongvisitors. However, theextraor- choppers!), gelada baboonsare afavourite scary whentheyyawn(thoseare serious Astoundingly beautiful,andever soslightly MONKEY TROUBLE THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••SimienMountains NationalParkTHE HISTORICALCIRCUIT Unless youwanttotest locals’ theories, gabi (Birr45toBirr90 team doublefortheday. of trekking inone,you’ll have topayyour ets of riceetc. that theyhave orbringextrapack- enough look toyouforsustenance. Eithercheck offerings ornothingatallandwillthen bring theirownfood.Many bringtoken ask foranother. down) andsignsof sores. saddle Ifindoubt, (ask theownertowalkmuleupand and provisions. Checkmulesfortender feet least onemuleforcarryingtheirblankets be hired. Theguideandscoutwillexpectat per day)withhandlers (Birr20perday)can Trekking Trekking best fromtravellers. for you,butmostreceive mixed reviews at ‘agents’ inGonderoffering to organise treks Around ( p131 costs. ) fortransportation ThereGetting &Away( p131 ) andGetting cies’ quotes andnegotiate accordingly.See cooks andmulesetc)tojudge the agen- fees, equipment,supplies, guides,scouts, thecostsmentionedpreviously (park use you’d get iforganising ityourself, youcan fromparkheadquarters that services same food. Sincetheagencies are justhiringthe transport,guides,equipmentrentalise and eral more inGonder( p119 ) thatcanorgan- agencies inAddisAbaba (see p282 ) andsev- There are numerous touroperators ortravel ORGANISED TREKS ing and gradients aren’t too steep. isgenerallythe walking itself not challeng- lands. They make terrific trekking routes; slopes and connectvillages with pasture- ing centuries-old paths thatcrisscross the Adi Arkay,75km northof Debark. doubling back,you couldfinishyourtrek at If youhave time, stronglegsandahatred of hike anywhere DebarkandChenek. between orendyour 4WDs tostart possible touse Most treks beginandend inDebark,butit’s See See p264 forpost-trek tippingadvice. If youplanoncovering twodays’worth Guides, cooksandmulehandlers should Porters aren’t available, butmules(Birr20 a turd. The footthatisrestless, willtread on There are alsonumerousfreelance Once on the mountains you’llbefollow- Once onthemountains Ethiopian proverb www.lonelyplanet.com Responsible Trekking ( p255 ) boxed texts. Safety GuidelinesforTrekking ( p254 ) and the Dashen.Review you’re aimingforRas when planningyourroutes, particularlyif vised in consultation withlocal guides. inconsultation vised following routes andtimeshave de- been on whetherexactroutes are followed.The vary fromperson toperson, andalso depend usingavehicle.camps canbebypassed Times Sankaber willsave atleasttwodays. usingavehiclein themountains, toaccess yourtime on timeandwanttomaximise return journeytoDebark).Ifyou’re short timesincludethe Dashen(these bag Ras hit; andwitharound10daysyoucould could get inMtBwa- toChenek,taking days youcouldreach withfive Geech; you Debark toSankaberandback.Withfour musing the‘oneover there’ is higher! their guidesuppeakafter peak,repeatedly This hasleddisgruntledtrekkers todrag peaksactually lookhigher.summit, nearby And thankstoanoddperspective fromits of it’. deal beyondthesatisfaction ‘bagging lammergeyer, headtoChenek. andChenekisgood.For Geech between either. walking,thestretch Forpleasant aren’tSankaber; ChenekandGeech bad and baboons are Buyit Ras bestbetween to get here nolater than9am).Gelada For isgood(besurewalia ibex,Chenek scenery,headforGeech. For spectacular CHOOSING ATREKKINGROUTE www.lonelyplanet.com Sankaber, but thescenic route along the toThe dirt road will take you straight SANKABER (25KM,SEVEN TOEIGHTHOURS) BUYIT RAS TO GEECH CAMP VIA other 13km(around three tofourhours). 2006. Ifyoupush ontoSankaber,it’san- the area withanew resort thatopenedin you’llhavebeautiful views,though toshare baboons. There’s also acampingspotwith where there’sRas, anabundanceof gelada but manytrekkers prefer tobreak atBuyit Sankaber canbereached inasingleday, HOURS) FOUR DEBARK TO BUYIT RAS(10KM,THREETO DashenTrek Debark toRas Be sure toallowtimeforacclimatisation Be The followingisaclassicroute; thelower With twodaysyoucouldwalkfrom offer agreat Dashen,frankly,doesn’t Ras THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••SimienMountainsNationalPark THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT Sankaber. Lookoutforgelada baboons. Michibi and ticularly goodviewsbetween Thereescarpment isn’ttobemissed. are par- four andfive hours’ walk. takes 1½totwohours oneway. Gogo, around5kmnortheastof It Geech. hours, butyou’dbecrazynottotake inImet Geech to Chenek takes aboutfive tosix (20KM, SEVENTONINEHOURS) GEECH CAMP GOGO TOCHENEKVIAIMET return tocamp. at Kadavit (2.5km,30to40minutes), then From Saha,youcanheadfortheviewpoint continue totheviewpointknownas Saha. TomakeMountains. adayof it,youcould of viewsof themostspectacular theSimien hours). Sahaliesaround3kmfromGeech. tonine point(eight using Sahaasastarting edge southallthewaytoChenek. but more scenic,istofollowtheescarpment Chenek. Thealternative, which isharder thedirtroad that leadsto meet eventually across theJinbarRiver towhere you’ll ward route, directly thenhead south,back the first istoreturn byyourout- toGeech you can see a tiny piece of Ras Dashen. atinypiece of Ras you can see the southeastof thecamp.From thetop, The summitof Mt Bwahit(4430m)liesto TWO TOTHREEHOURS) CHENEK TOMT (6KM, BWAHIT&RETURN forwildlife.Simien Mountains mergeyers are often here. seen place where skinwasthrowndown’.Lam- Korbete Metia translates loosely to‘the that someregional were officials executed. ning spotwithasinister side. Itwashere at long range (around 300mto 400m), the one of thebest opportunities forglimpsing, wards Mt Bwahit,there’s aspot thataffords foothills of MtBwahit. fords goodviews of theescarpment andthe lage of Argin canbefollowed.Thetrailaf- thevil- local trailuptoAmbarasthrough but avoid mostof thedirtroad,ascenic hours) toeight ber fromChenek(seven From Sankaber to Geech it’sbetween From SankabertoGeech The promontory, at 3926m, affords some The promontory,at3926m,affords You canalsotrek viaImetGogo toChenek From ImetGogoyouhave two choices: Near ChenekisKorbete Metia, astun- Around 20 minutes fromthe campto- whowanttoreturnFor those toSanka- Chenek isprobablyth e bestspotinthe
129 NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA the oddtruckthatpliesroute. you maybeabletohitch alift(Birr30)with Sankaber. Ifyou’re tired orhave hadenough, route viaChenekand bark alongthesame Most trekkers return fromAmbikwa to De- AMBIKWA TODEBARK(77KM,THREE DAYS) Routes Return routesame takes aboutthree tofourhours. three hours foreach one. Returningbythe theothers,want toknockoff addtwoto summit isaboutfive tosixhours. Ifyou walkfromAmbikwatoreachthe total one true summit.Whichever peakyougofor, points, andmuch debate aboutwhich isthe at first light. It’sagoodideatostart the dayinbetween. Dashenon and gouptothesummitof Ras Most trekkers atAmbikwa twonights stay (17KM, EIGHTTO10HOURS) AMBIKWA TORASDASHEN&RETURN Dashen. bulk of Ras ley of theMesheba the River, youcansee Mt Bwahit.Totheeast,acrossvastval- on theeastern escarpment,tothenorthof southeastward uptowardsagoodviewpoint then From Chenek,atrackleadseastward HOURS) NINE CHENEK TO AMBIKWA (22KM, EIGHTTO echoing thecrispair. through slope, withthecrashesof theircollisions males goingheadtoonaprecarious two last tripwewere tosee luckyenough noon (after 4pm)withbinoculars. Onour early inthemorningorlate intheafter- escarpmentabovesteep 3000m. Comevery family,liveswild goat onthecragsof the walia ibex.Thisanimal,amemberof the 130 Aksum. of Debark, youcan continue northward to Arkwasiye). ous walking, viaSona(three hours from take anothertwotothree days of strenu- roch Wuha(4272m)and Silki (4420m). inthenearbypeaksofChenek, taking Be- Ambikwa toArkwasiye, tothenortheastof One alternative return route istotrek from THREE TOFIVEDAYS) AMBIKWA TO ADI ARKAY (ABOUT 65KM, At Dashenthere areRas three distinct From Adi Arkay,which lies75km north From Arkwasiye toAdiArkaywill THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••SimienMountains NationalParkTHE HISTORICALCIRCUIT bathroom Birr25/35/45) faranji January. localand Itsbar/restaurant serves are particularlyin advised, hot. Reservations blue, andshowers (shared andprivate) are and reasonably clean.Roomscome inbaby of parkheadquarters, thisplaceissimple Camping ON THEMOUNTAINS main street. are ablockwest of It’sset the ratherrough. not thecleanestandshared bathrooms initsbar,but it’s rooms andasatellite TV option ifSimienPark Hotel isfull.Ithasbig Simien Park Hotel DEBARK Sleeping &Eating extra fee. from AdiArkay,youmustpaytwodays’ rage twofurtherdaystoreturn toDebark other members of yourtrekking entou- that, sinceittakes theguides,mulesand should take around nineto10days.Note Sona (climbingSilkiat4420m).Theroute Wuhaat 4272m) and (climbing Beroch (climbing MtBwahitat4430m),Arkwasiye Chenek to AdiArkayviaSankaber,Geech, Dashen),isfromDebark than climbingRas on theway(andismuch more interesting well asthelowlands,andbagssome4000m will give youataste of as thehighlands River. the eastandnorthsidesof theMesheba Dashen backtoAmbikwaandChenek,via trekkers, such asareturn route fromRas There are endlessalternatives forkeen Routes Other bathroom Birr30/40/50,twBirr70) expect luxuries. Afloor orwooden platform Don’t contribute aboutBirr10 per night). with locals(youshould the guides do:stay (and don’t wanttorent it)you candoas toilets are ratherfilthy. block of toiletsjustsouthof Sankaber,most thenew as welllongdrop loos.Besides camps have huts foryourguidesandscouts, convenient to dropyourtent there. These it’smore and Chenek) (Sankaber, Geech you’re inthevicinity of antheofficial camp for trekkers. It’spossible anywhere, butif Red Fox Hotel Fox Red One slightly moreOne slightly challenging route that If youdon’t have camping equipment food(Birr8toBirr13)anddrink.
(per 48hrBirr20)
( ( % % Thisshouldonlybean 0581 117807;s/d/twwithshared 0581 113481;s/d/twwithshared Theobviouschoice www.lonelyplanet.com About 600mnorth bed linenandpossiblytheoddflea. more thanarickety bed, blanket, someold couple of nine-bed dorms.Don’texpect there lodge, isthisspartan which hasa will beyourroommates. mals, children, chickens andespeciallyfleas room; anynumberandcombinationof ani- covered asyourbed- withagoatskinserves www.lonelyplanet.com around 6amand returning day). thesame road dailyto Chenek (leaving Debark at negotiations). Sankaber (oneway/return Birr400/800 after quarters todropyouoff andpickyouupat It’s possibletoarrange a4WDatparkhead- Around Getting a localtruckheading toShire. in had noluck,sopaid Birr50foracabseat ontheGonder–Shireto get aseat bus.We details. tact & 4WDon Car See the same. p125 forcon- they canalsopickyouup.Return costsare Chenek (Birr1000,five hours). Ifarranged, hours), Sankaber(Birr850,3½hours) or atDebark(Birr450, two to dropyouoff ask tobedroppedatDebark. Shire, take theGonder bus(Birr40.60)and back toGonderorhitch aliftnorth.From 10am, butisusuallyfull.Ifso,either head cally arrives 9amand inDebarkbetween (Birr35,7½hours). Ittypi- Gonder service running northtoShire (forAksum)isthe Gonder (Birr14.10,3½hours). Theonlybus runfromDebarkto Two morningbuses &Away There Getting US$135-150) .simiens.com; dmUS$15-20,dUS$95-105,4-personVIPtukul thatch-roofed to helpwithcharity workinDebark.The andencouragesable development guests first ecolodge, itplanstopromote sustain- in 2006.DubbednorthernEthiopia’s Ras ordered whenbookingtheroom. are centred onopenfires; mealsmustbe Thebarandrestaurant ing therainyseason. immersion heaters helpthingsalongdur- has solar-poweredeven showers, though underfloor heating.The16-bed dormitory and comecomplete withsolar-powered Simien Lodge Usually onesupply truckpliesthe atleast If youhike outtoAdiArkay,youcantry It’s possibletoarrange 4WDsinGonder Sankaber Lodge Sankaber Thisnewlodge openedatBuyit
tukuls ( %
(dm Birr40) 0116 189398,0911203937;www THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Shire THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT are very comfortable For day- trippers, (around Birr30). You maybeabletohitch aliftintheback shared bathroomBirr15) a World Heritage site. Saharan Africa. Justifiably,Unesco listsitas ancientsites in sub- andspectacular portant Aksum isundoubtedly oneof themost im- tiquity toberevealed tomodernknowledge’. as ‘thelastof thegreat of civilisations An- described Chittick kingdom thatDr Neville the townonceformed partof the Aksumite stoneitself, inscriptions rivalling theRosetta ground tombs(most stillundiscovered) and sive teetering stelae, ruinsof palaces,under- attractions.LitteredEthiopia’s star withmas- of agreat Yet civilisation. Aksum isoneof the siteto imaginethatthetownwasever est almosttoafault.Onfirst it’shard sight, Sprawling, dusty,andrural– Aksum ismod- 2130m pop 41,500/elev AKSUM the mostdramaticinEthiopia. DebarkandAdiArkay)isoneofbetween Shire (andinparticularthestretch of road thejourneyfromDebarkto east. However, it provides alinkwithAksum,60kmtothe sie, isof interest totravellers onlybecause Shire, marked onsomemapsasIndaSelas- 1923m pop 53,195/elev SHIRE ing national importance verying national importance rarely found tickets). represented onthebackof EthiopianAirlines for thepeakknownasAwaza(occasionally pressive views.AroundAdiArkay,lookout of neatloops andbendsprovides im- inaseries themountains cuts itswaythrough an eyeoutforwarrelics. later Mengistu’s armyinthecivilwar. Keep inthe1930s,and and theadvancingItalians theTigrayansthe sceneof between fighting you arrive here after 4pm),the but clean.It’s200mwestof thebusstation. (No 7isbest).Thetoiletandshower isbasic option. Theroomsare small,tidyandbright hours, 6am). Gonder(Birr40.60,11 One dailybusserves Aksum daily(Birr10toBirr15,1½ hours). Aksum hasa vibrancy, life andcontinu- road The beautifullyconstructed Italian The plainsontheoutskirtsof Shire were If youget stuckinShire (andyouwillif There to andminibuses are buses several <= P.E 4 is by far the nicest sleeping isbyfarthenicestsleeping Jelly Café Jelly
(s with
131 NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA boxed text, above . Kingdom of Aksum ( tion see p27 ) andthe world’s greatest states. Formore informa- The kingdom numbered among theancient Africaand Asia. tradebetween sea-borne to 1000years, Aksum dominated thevital offul capital anextensive empire. For close knew Aksumasa great cityandthepower- as early as400BC. started torise civilisation isthatahigh but what’scertain More thanfactthatmaybe, fantasy BC. ofQueen Sheba’s inthe10thcentury capital According tolocallegend, Aksumwasthe History one fulldayifyouhave avehicle. schedule abare minimumof twodays,or vember. Todothetown justice,youshould celebration of Maryam Zioninlate No- major religious festivals, particularly the myths andfables. isthelocaltradition–legends, evidence tricably interwoven withthe archaeological showshere.or sound-and-light Andinex- You won’tfindpyramid-parking coaches donkeys hurrypastthetoweringstelae. of Sheba’s andmarketgoers Bath, andtheir continue towashtheirclothesintheQueen farmers theirland,women goonploughing millennia. Aroundthecrumblingpalaces, of localtrade;life continuesasithasfor the towncontinuestoflourishasacentre Covenant resides here. passionatelyians believe thattheArkof the Aksum andthegreat majority of Ethiop- at ancientsites. Pilgrimsstilljourneyto 132 By the1stcentury AD,Greek merchants A goodtimetovisitisduringone of the nolongerThough awealthy metropolis, to bebornoutbyatleasttwodocumentswritten ataboutthistime. and sabotagedthestelae (definitely theleastboringexplanation!).Intriguingly,thislegendseems burntdownthecity therulingking, warrior queenGudit(orJudit),apaganorJew,whokilled ofthecountry. incursions fromneighbouringtribes,suchastheBejanorthwest to droughtandfamine. The militaryargument claimsthatAksumwasundermined bycontinual that aslight‘globalwarming’tookplace,whichfinishedAksum’sagriculture andeventually led cropping oftheland,deforestation andeventually soilerosion.The climaticexplanationclaims when itwasstillrichinnaturalresources ofmanytheories. isthesubject quickly implodedandsentEthiopiaintothedarkagesforfive centuries. Whythishappened thesociety After AksumlostitsgriponRedSeatrade,duetotheriseofIslamicArabs’fortunes, AKSUM’S FALL THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Aksum THE HISTORICALCIRCUIT According totradition,Aksumite powerwasusurpedaroundthe9thcenturybydreaded The environmentalargument suggeststhatAksum’sever-increasing populationledtoover- Mon-Fri, 8-11amSat)Changescash andtravellerscheques. Mon-Fri,
usually steadyconnections. Exchanges cashandtravellerscheques. calls (perminuteBirr25). slowInternetandinternationaltelephone Birr48) Offers manager toopenitforyou. Askthe much!). Foundinasmallroomoffthecourtyard. and mostreliable Internetoption(thoughthat’snotsaying Tigrai Tourism Commission Tigrai Tourism TOURIST INFORMATION Telecommunications office TELEPHONE p133 ) isnexttothetourism commission. A smallandpretty reliable (Map post office POST Wegagen Bank Commercial Bank MONEY Clinic St Michael Pharmacy St Mary Hospital St Mary MEDICAL SERVICES John Telecenter Cafe &Internet Alpha Internet Hotel Africa ACCESSINTERNET Information tor speaksdecentEnglish. 8am-10pmSat&Sun)Helpful clinicandthedoc- Mon-Fri, most friendly andhelpful offices. It hasacouple of most friendly 753924; 10pm Mon-Sat)International calls. Standardrates( p267 ). h English. pital, thoughwashardtofindanyonewhospoke 7.30am-9.30pm) Helpfulandwellstocked. h 8am-noon &1-5pm) Oneof the country’s (Map (Map p133 ; perhrBirr60)Town’sfastest (Map (Map p133 ; perhrBirr48) Slowbut (Map (Map p133 ; (Map (Map p133 ; Mp p133; (Map Mp p133; (Map Mp p133; (Map h Mp p133 ; (Map www.lonelyplanet.com h h (Map p133 ; p133 ; (Map h % 8am-4pm Mon-Sat) 24hr) Town’sonlyhos- noon-2pm &5-10pm 8-11am &1-3pm (Map (Map p133 ; perhr 0347 752646; h % 7am- 0347 www.lonelyplanet.com 0 700 m AKSUM 0 0.4 miles
A B C D E 30 F
11 INFORMATION Ark of the Covenant...... 16 D2 Africa Hotel...... (see 33) Axumait Handicraft Center...... 17 E3 Alpha Internet...... 1 E3 Basket Market...... 18 D3 1 24 Artisanal Centre...... 2 D3 Dungur (Queen of Sheba's 12 Commercial Bank...... 3 E3 Palace)...... 19 B3
John Telecenter & Internet Cafe..4 D3 Ethnographical Museum...... 20 D3 ••Aksum THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT Post Office...... (see 9) Ezana Park...... 21 E3 St Mary Hospital...... 5 E4 Gudit Stelae Field...... 22 B3 St Mary Pharmacy...... 6 E3 King Bazen's Tomb...... 23 E3 St Michael Clinic...... 7 E4 King Ezana's Inscription...... 24 D1 See Northern Stelae Field Map (p134) Telecommunications Office...... 8 D3 Main Market...... 25 D3 28 Tigrai Tourism Commission...... 9 D3 New Church of St Mary of Wegagen Bank...... 10 D3 Zion...... 26 D2 Old Church of St Mary of ὈὈNorthern SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Zion...... 27 D2 Stelae Field 2 Abba Liqanos...... 11 F1 Queen of Sheba's Bath...... 28 D2 39 Abba Pentalewon...... 12 F1 Ta'akha Maryam (Ruins)...... 29 C3 31 Animal Market...... 13 F4 Tombs of Kings Kaleb & Gebre 26 Entrance to St Mary Arbatu Ensessa Church...... 14 D3 Meskel...... 30 E1 of Zion Churches Archaeological Museum...... 15 D2 View Point...... 31 D2 Compound 16 27 15 To Lioness of Gobedra (2.5km); Ancient 14 Quarries (2.7km); 19 ὈὈ20 Shire (60km); 2 Debark (260km); 4 Gonder (361km) 9 Old Palace 22 18 3 44 29 SLEEPING 23 42 38 Abinet Hotel...... 32 E3 37 Africa Hotel...... 33 F3 43 34 25 1 Ark Hotel...... 34 F3 8 21 33 Ὀ17 3 Kaleb Hotel...... 35 D4 Tsega Cafe & Restaurant...... 41 D3 41 10 6 32 Lalibela Hotel...... 36 E4 Yeha Hotel...... (see 39) To Bus Station (300m); Stadium 7 Airport (5km); Adwa (23km); Ras Alula Hotel...... 37 F3 35 Yeha (55km); Debre Damo Remhai Hotel...... 38 F3 DRINKING (86km); Adigrat (126km) Yeha Hotel...... 39 D2 Yeha Hotel...... (see 39) To Lalibela 40 13 EATING TRANSPORT Hotel (200m) 4 Abinet Hotel...... (see 32) Bicycle Hire...... 42 D3 Africa Hotel...... (see 33) Ethiopian Airlines...... 43 E3 5 Axumawit Pastery...... (see 32) Galaxy Express Services...... (see 39) Café Abyssinia...... 40 E4 NTO...... (see 39)
Remhai Hotel...... (see 38) Taxi & Gari Stand...... 44 D3 36 133 NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA tions, shouldn’t bedismissed. potential fordiscovery of future excava- ite kingdomin theancientworld, andthe ofwill turn up,theimportance the Aksum- asanEthiopian Tutankhamen spectacular under thecover of darkness withashovel! treasures lurkinthedepths. Trynottoreturn that fascinatingfinds, secrets andmaybeeven This ispartof Aksum’sappeal –thethought tomb echoing belowyour feet asyouexplore. yourself hearingthe soundof an unopened of itliesundiscovered andyoumayfind ures are it.Amazingly, 98% foundbeneath of theNorthernStelae Field’sgreatest treas- Despite thegrandeurabove the surface,some NORTHERN STELAEFIELDTOMBS boxed text, p136 forthelowdown. tower, you’llbedulybowledover. the See up atagrand a smallspecimenorstaring area, andwhetheryou’re lookingdownon Ancient Aksumobelisks(stelae) pepperthe STELAE AKSUMITE of yourvisit.Bringatorch forthetombs. tory students,soyou’llget much more out mended. Allare trainedandmanyare his- guideis recom-on yourown,anofficial ogy andmajor sites andmonuments. compendium toAksum’shistory,archaeol- troduction andguide Phillipson’s otherwise. 8amand5pmunlessstated open between tickets willbesold there. are Allsights opens behindtheNorthernStelae Park, opian CulturalHeritage Project museum whenthefuturemission. It’sthought Ethi- andissoldattheTigraistay TourismCom- The ticket isgoodforthedurationof your ies of Abba Pentalewon andAbba Liqanos. Zion church compoundandthemonaster- vicinity of Aksum,excepttheStMary of 25) covers withintheimmediate allsights One admissionticket (adult/studentBirr50/ Sights per person. theofficetoldusofficialguideschargeBirr50 weekends limited soarrangeatimeatleastdayinadvance. On (tips are appreciated; Birr50pergroupisfair).Guidesare official guideswhogivefree Aksumtoursonweekdays 134 Though it’s unlikelyThough thatanything as themonuments youcansee Although If youcanget yourhandsonDavid THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Aksum THE HISTORICALCIRCUIT Aksum: anarchaeological in- WP.E 4AS (>9 you’llfindanexcellent ὈὈὈ ὈὈὈ ὈὈὈ those buried. those sumite burialcustomsortheidentitiesof shovels!), sovery littleisknownaboutAk- pillagedbeen byrobbers (remember, no western extremity of the Northern Stelae It liesinthe as the Tombof King Ramhai). (Map p134 ) wasdiscovered (known locally In 1972the unique Tomb of the False Door Tomb of theFalse Door by thetimeyouread this. text, p136 ). matched rivets theboxed atop onestele (see covered the castplaque,theholesof which including decorative panels. first chamber, alarge quantityof bronze, ments of glassvessels, and,inapitthe including twobeautifultusks,pottery, frag- ivory at leasttwoskeletons, finelycarved Among themanyfindswere theremains of vated that have avoided robbery. wholesale brick arch entranceway. steps toitssignature horseshoe-shaped you’ll stillbeabletolookdownits 18stone built withlimemortar. Ifit’sstillclosed, ofbers, subdividedbyaseries brickarches fourrock-cutcham- andcontains served tomb (Map p134 ) isremarkably wellpre- Dating fromtheendof the3rdcentury,this Tomb oftheBrick Arches Tomb ofthe False Door NORTHERN STELAEFIELD Unfinished Most of thetombsexcavated todate had The tombshould beopentothepublic It wasatthissite that archaeologists dis- It’s justoneof twotombssofarexca- Stele Mausoleum Nefas Mawcha Great Stele Tomb of King Ezana's Site ofFuture Stele 200m 0.1miles 0 0 Enda Iyesus Museum Tomb ofthe Brick Arches Church Entrance Main Entrance toStMary www.lonelyplanet.com of ZionChurches Stele with Compound Relief of House Sheba's Bath Queen of Lookout cophagus canstillbeseen. value. Themuch-mutilated singlestonesar- tohavethought objectsof contained great which therobbers wenttogainaccess,it’s antiquity and,judgingfromthelengths to together like giantstaples. for theironclampsfixingblocksof stone foundonthestelae.identical tothose Look door almost withafalse stone slabcarved descending intothetomb’schamber wasa 12 sqmetres Above by2.8mhigh). thestairs would oncehave stood(measuringsome probablyflat-roofedtangular, building on three sidesbyapassage. chamber andinnerchamber, it’ssurrounded in someothertombs.Comprisinganante- and more found finelydressed thanthose in structure, itsstoneblocksare alsolarger 4th and6thcenturiesAD.More complex todate theField andisthought between www.lonelyplanet.com walled compound lie thetwo churches of Opposite the Northern Stelae Field in a W 4 IK.KY 9 CHURCHES ZION OF MARY ST visit –enjoy! foritsopening tothepublicduringour set solid masonry!The mausoleumwasalmost 1.5m of through indigging who succeeded figured atsomeunknown date byrobbers, chambers. Part of dis- the tombhadbeen leads intoapassageway with10 The portal doormotifs. with thestelae’s curiousfalse the tomb’sentranceandwasalso carved (hewn fromasingleslabof granite) marked portal until themid-1990s.Amonumental was discovered in1974,butnotexcavated The so-calledmausoleum(Map p134 Mausoleum ) collapse. thetomb’sspectacular caused force of theGiantStele crashingintoitsroof weighs the some360tonnes!). It’sbelieved tral chamber measures 17.3m by6.4mand construction (thestonewhich roofs thecen- ture andthesizeof forits thestonesused large size,thesophistication of thestruc- by apassage. Thetombisunusualforits central chamber surroundedonthree sides (Map p134 ) consistsof alarge rectangular The megalithic Tomb of Nefas MawchaTomb ofNefasMawcha All thetomb’scontents were stolenin Above arec- thetomb,at groundlevel, THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Aksum THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT St Mary ofZion St Mary tombs, ranging from ordinary household tombs, ranging from ordinary household an interesting variety of objects found in dating back over 2500years. There’s also inscriptions, some Ge’ez Sabaean and early noon &2-6pm) The PQ @ B W4 MUSEUM ARCHAEOLOGICAL Birr100; the Left-Handed in1535. during theincursions of Mohammed Gragn nately, theoriginalchurch wasdestroyed Kaleb inthe4thor6thcentury.Unfortu- which waserected byKingEzanaor sits maywellbelongtoAfrica’sfirst church, thattheoldpodiumonwhichIt’s thought it Fasiladas, thefounderof Gonder,in1665. chitecture andwas builtbytheEmperor is aremarkable exampleof traditionalar- ceremonial musicalinstruments. ing of Christianity, p28 ), andacollectionof TheCom- painting of theNineSaints(see stele of all,sproutsheavenwards. bell tower,shaped toresemble thebiggest it,adisproportionately tall Beside sunset. line whenviewedfromtheYeha Hotel at cut adramaticsilhouette onthesky- It does time around(perhapsit’sgrowing onus!). carbuncle’ prize,butwe’llbekinder this We’ve previously awardeditthe‘hideous plays Haile usualunusualtaste. Selassie’s (Map p133 ) wasbuiltinthe1960sanddis- in theNorthernStele Fieldopens. building,whenthefuture seum’s museum maymoveseum totheArchaeological Mu- and get here earlyinthemorning.Thismu- terwards. Thechapel isn’talways open;try by obligingpriests;youshouldtip themaf- but someof out the crownscanbebrought chapel isopentowomen, northemuseum mer Ethiopianrulers’ crowns.Neitherthe collectionof anunsurpassed for-contains just forgetting close! unfortunate onlooker has ‘burst intofire’ ian hasaccesstotheArk.Andmany guard- justonespeciallychosen take apeek: Covenant the tocontain compound issaid The rectangular Inside there are finemurals,includinga A carefully guardedchapel inthechurch The huge The little Archaeological Museum Archaeological h (Map p133 ). Don’tthinkyoucan 8am-noon &2-6pm) contains fine and well-preserved fineandwell-preserved contains
new church museum (admission Birr60,personalvideocameras old church in the same building inthesame of StMary of Zion .
(Map p133 ; p133 (Map (Map p133 ) Ark ofthe h
8am- 135 NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA 136 the final carving ofstelae wasfinishedonsite andnot atthequarries.the finalcarving Some have claimedthatthisisearlyproofofAksum’s claimtohousetheArkofCovenant! byapillar;Map of thestone,supported p134 ), formedbyarectangle surmounted byatriangle. albeit unassumingand is carved like a pointed arch. Near the top, a small houselike object is carved in iscarved apointed object like arch.Nearthetop,asmallhouselike is carved Ezana’sStele. ofKing Measuringaround9minlength,itsupper section around 200mtothenorth moon canbeseen.In1997anotherhuge stele (18m)wasdiscovered nearthe church. and RomeStele) are foundhere andare describedinthisbox. stele marksatomb.The three largest andmostfamousstelae (Great Stele, Ezana’sStele King they were ifevery undoubtedly ofhumanburial,it’snotyetcertain connected withthepractice finely dressed rectangular blocks,usuallywithflatsidesandarounded orconicalapex.Though ably lieburied. 120 stelae, thoughtheoriginal numberwashigher–somehave beenremoved, othersprob- The Stelae FieldNorthern stelae field.Itcontainsover isEthiopia’sbiggestandmostimportant NORTHERN STELAEFIELD forces ofelephants,rollersandwincheswere responsible. weighed nolessthan517tonnes!Whilefarfromproven, archaeologists thinkthattheearthly (4kmfromthequarries)andraise themightymonoliths;largestharnessed totransport ofthestelaemany aspects are stillshroudedinmystery. perhaps thatoftherulertowhomplate’s stele wasdedicated. Despite thesediscoveries matchedtherustyrivet holesatopastelaeperfectly was excavated. Itbore theeffigyof aface, is alsoanancientpagansymbol,originating fromsouthernArabia. plate In1996abroken that thought tohave beenriveted The tothetopofstelae crescent bothatthefrontandback. (for more detailsonAksumite architecture see p56 ). an architectural designthatmirrored thetraditionalstyleseeninAksumite housesandpalaces complete withlittlewindows,doorsandsometimeseven doorhandlesandlocks! single piecesofgranite, somelookmore Manhattanskyscrapersthan1800-year-old like obelisks, incredible, Sculpted from almostpristine,state andtheircuriouslymodernlook. ofpreservation, greatness oftherulingfamilies. Aksum’sastonishingstelae fortheirhugesize, are their striking Aksum’s stelae were great like billboardsannouncingtothe worldtheauthority,powerand monuments tolocalrulers. InAksum,thistraditionreached itsapogee. Egypt’s Like pyramids, AfricaFor aslong5000years,monolithshave astombstonesand beenusedinnortheast A QUICKGUIDETOAKSUM’S STELAE able and perfect monumentofitskind’. able andperfect Salt, theBritishtraveller andfirstforeigner todescribeitin 1805,proclaimedit‘themostadmir- entrance hasdone something nootherstele ofsimilarstature has–remained standing!Henry thismagnificent 24m-highsteleAlthough standing slightly offkilter, (Map p134 Stele ) atthefield’s Ezana’s King traditional board game) is! Kids will be kids nomatter what centurytheylive will bekids in. traditional boardgame)is!Kids youthink grand significance ofallthose littlecavities?It depends onhowimportant the platform are fourfoot-deep cavities,which probablyheldsacrificial offerings. Andwhat’s the religious significance. The stone platformatitsbase isbelieved asanaltar. tohave served Within THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••AQuickGuide toAksum’sStelae THE HISTORICALCIRCUIT Among thevariousotherstelae isonethatboastsauniquedecoration.Itlieson theground Laying pronebetweentheMausoleum andTomboftheFalse stele, Doorisanotherimportant In the courtyards of In thecourtyards The stelae rangefrom1mto33minheightand simple slabsofstone(themajority)to For one,Ethiopiantraditionsbelieve thattheArkofCovenant’s celestialpowers were Metal plates, perhapsintheformofacrescent moonanddisc(pagan symbolofthesun),are Despite itsuperbly,often thestonebeingfamouslyhard,Aksum’smasonsworked following It’s considered by many as the most important of Aksum’s stelae because it holds important of Aksum’sstelaeIt’s considered becauseitholds important bymanyasthe mostimportant unfinished Enda Iyesus (Map p134 ). The it’sunfinishedisstrongevidencethat fact (Map p134 ), astele decorated withadiscand crescent www.lonelyplanet.com relief (ononeside gabeta (a www.lonelyplanet.com and isacentrepiece duringthecelebrationsofMaryamZion. where itfell 1600yearsago,apermanentreminder ofthedefeat ofpaganismbyChristianity. deliberately tofeign asignofGod.Whatever theorigin ofitsdownfall,thestele remains exactly an EthiopianTowerofBabel.More controversially, someproposeitmayhave beensabotaged that thedisaster mayhave contributed actually tothepeople’s conversion toChristianity,like knell onthelongtraditionofobeliskerection inAksum.Somescholarshave even suggested picks. Seeingthatnootherstele wasever raisedhere, it’sobviousthecollisionsoundeddeath tooth Unesco –collapsedthetomb’scentralchamber,scattering like themassive roofsupports - NefasMawcha’s tomb workers. gives youavividideaoftheprecision, finesse andtechnical competence ofAksumite’s stone nearitstop baseandtheintricate waliaibexcarvings ‘root’tothesleek,carved the unworked obelisks initsconceptionandambition. block ofstonethathumanshave ever attempted toerect, andovershadows even theEgyptian soldier,thismassive abroken Lying like 33mstele (Map p134 ) isbelieved tobe thelargest single Stele Great The returning home before nightfall. of Aksumite society’s lessernobles. of fine3rd-century glassgoblets, whichhasled scholarstosuggest thearea wastheburial site graves, neitherrock-hewn norconstructed tombshave beenfound.Finds here didinclude aset and lieontheground. Localssuggestthelargest stele markstheQueenofSheba’s grave. (Map p133 ), onthe southsideofDungur(QueenSheba’sPalace), avisit. are stillworth Though lessimmediately arresting thanthosefoundintown, thestelae intheGuditStelae Field FIELD STELAE GUDIT the park’sentrance,infourneatpieces. massive achievement oftheancientAksumites almost2000yearsago. All thismodernhead-scratchingregarding theraisingofstele throws intoperspective the Some are alsoworriedthat theoriginal site mayalsonotbestableenoughtoholdthestele. new discoveries withthemassive cranesrequired toraise thestele, Unescoishavinga rethink. lot.Notwanting todamagethese tombs surroundingthefield,someeven undertheparking ofthesiteition. However, theydiscovered whiledoingageophysicalsurvey numerousnew Rome until2005,whendecadesofnegotiations finallyovercame diplomaticfeet-dragging. reassembled andraisedoncemore, thistimeinRome’sPiazza Capena. diPorta Itremained in and 16thcenturies. ing thesite are believed tohave accidentallycaused its collapsesometimebetweenthe10th ofmultistoried windowsanddoorsadornallfoursides.Stele, itsornate Pillagers carvings raid- ever producedatAksumandthelargest tohave ever theGreat beensuccessfullyraised.Like At 24.6mhigh,theRomeStele (orAksumObelisktothose inRome)isthesecond-largest stele Stele Rome The Despite thisstele church itspaganbackground, hasbeenembraced bytheEthiopianOrthodox As ittoppledcollidedwiththemassive 360-tonnestonesheltering thecentralchamberof Scholars theorisethatitfell duringitserection sometimeearlyinthe4thcentury. Comparing The walk tothecomplex islovely atdusk, whenyou’llmeet thefarmersand theiranimals Despite excavationsinthe1970s and1990s,littleisknownaboutthe field.Though some mark Named after Queen Gudit(seeAksum’sFall, p132 ), moststelae inthisfieldare small,undressed So untilfinaldecisionsare made,themagnificentRomeStele sitsatthesideofroad,near After itsreturn toAksuminApril2005,Unescoplanned raise thestele in itsoriginal pos- remainsIn 1937itsbroken were shippedtoItalyonMussolini’s personalorders. There itwas THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••AQuickGuidetoAksum’sStelae THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT (Map p134 ). This shattered ofstele and–accordingto theupperportion
137 NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA they actuallyshowmore sophistication, resembles theTombof theFalse Door, Aksumite rule. inbringingsouthern Arabia under ceeded rulersAksum’s mostimportant andsuc- son, KingGebre Meskel. Kaleb wasoneof uted to the6th-century King Kaleb andhis According tolocaltradition,they’re attrib- tombs(Map twomonumental these p133 ). of jagged mountains the distant Adwaare Northern Stele Fieldandoffering views of onasmallhill1.8kmnortheastof the Set W[ 7@W[ [DBG(B7 TOMBS OFKINGSKALEB & GEBRE MESKEL it wouldbecompleted in2007. ern Stelae Field.Wewere optimisticallytold sus Church compound,behindtheNorth- p134 ) that’s to bebuiltwithintheEndaIye- moving (Map toagrand,modernmuseum more that’sinstorage be willeventually spiring; tipsare expected. are comprehensive notwildly in- though dence of ancienttradingroutes. from Turkey orCyprusalsoprovides evi- tion continuestoday.Anancientamphorae produced inancientAksumandthetradi- three-legged bird.Much of thepottery was goyles, andthecharming potshapedlike a are finer. beautifulliongar- You’llalsosee (p84)inAddisAbabaEthnological Museum inthe housed those centuries AD,though Aksumite coinsdatingfromthe4thto6th glassware includingperfumebottles. burners,incense toquite sophisticated objects such asdrinkingcups,lampsand 138 Although thetwintombs’architectureAlthough Everything andoodles fromthismuseum The free guidedtours (15to20minutes) There’s aparticularlynicecollection of ASMT COINS AKSUMITE with a holeypocket. arrived onEnglish shores notthrough ancient tradewith Britain, butthrough amoderntourist sensation: anoriginal thecoinalmost certainly Aksumite In fact, bronze coinwas unearthed. on theother,hedons amodesthead-cloth. isdepicted withhiscrown, ononesidethe king that almostallthe coins are double-headed: the large earringswornbysomemonarchs. Acuriosity stillunexplainedbyhistorians is thefact propagandist purposes.and probablyserved The coinsbear the names,effigies andsometimeslineageofnofewer than20different kings, Aksumite coinageprovides avitalandfascinating sourceofinformationontheancientkingdom. THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Aksum THE HISTORICALCIRCUIT In themid-1990s afindnear thelittletownof Hastingsinsouthern Englandcaused amild –even theroyalcrowns,clothing andjewelleryofthekings Beautifully struck,the coinsdepict scholars have suggested thattwoparallel yard’ combinesthetwotombs. Some secret tunnelleadingfromhere toArabia! passages, localrumourhasitthat there’s a haveimportantly, aknack for findingsecret ofsets batteries foryour torch and,most you feel like alongwalk,have extra several addscredenceished state tothattheory. If his return fromArabia. Thetomb’sunfin- lived after abdicatinghisthronefollowing at Abba Pentalewon Monastery, where he here. Commontheoryisthathisbodylies few actuallyburied acceptthathewasever attribute themakingof thetombtoKaleb, who gular andlessprecisely joined.Ofthose you’ll noticethestonesare larger, more an- Inside stairway. viaalongstraight cessed was actuallyburiedatDebre Damo. thatMeskellocal tradition,manybelieve which, very interestingly, corresponds with towards anage aroundthe6thcentury, found onAksumite coins.Whilethispoints crosses with acrosssimilartoChristian room are three oneadorned sarcophagi, leadinginto it. Insidethat portal carved with oneboastinganexceptionallyfinely consists of onechamber andfive rooms, anywhere inAksum.Thetomb else unseen of itsstonesisatalevel thejointsbetween south) isthemostrefined. Theprecision them toagoodperiod’! in Greece wouldatoncemake oneassign were ‘builtwitharegularity which iffound exclaimed magnanimouslythatthetombs century Britishtraveller Theodore Bent that don’trequire ironclamps.The19th- stones using irregular-shaped self-locking Above ground,akindof ‘court- raised Like Meskel’s tomb,KingKaleb’s isac- Of thetwotombs,Gebre Meskel (tothe www.lonelyplanet.com guardian Birr3toBirr5foropening thehut. actly where itwasfound!Youshouldtipthe remains thetablet tosay, ex- death’. Needless dare tomove anuntimely willmeet thetablet ‘theperson acurse: contains who should Tana.to AksumfromLake bia, aswellhisquesttoreturn the Ark campaigns inEthiopiaandsouthern Ara- and records KingEzana’sChristianmilitary andGreek.inscribed inSabaean,Ge’ez opian version stone,apillar of theRosetta upon byafarmerin1981.InsideisanEthi- aremarkablecontaining findstumbled ably postdatingthetombs. churches withabasilicaplanlayhere, prob- www.lonelyplanet.com coated with concrete in 1960s,bestowing which translates to ‘Water of Chief’. It’salso knownasMaiengineering. Shum, rock, no smallfeat intheworld of ancient sidering itwasoriginally hewnoutof solid Its large more size is even impressive con- than aswimming poolorgargantuan bath. likely sourceof animportant water rather amillennia.by atleast Itwasalsomore (Map reservoir p133 ) postdates thequeen Despite thecolourful legends, thislarge W "B* QUEEN OFSHEBA’SBATH and Gebre Meskel, On thewayuptotombsof KingsKaleb W[ P ? INSCRIPTION EZANA’S KING The inscription(Map p133 ) apparently AD330and350 It dates between Sadly, theouter portion of thebowl was emperor, claimeddirect Solomon,andtherefore descentfromKing thedivinerighttorule. opians believe thislegendpassionately, HaileSelassiehimself,thelastEthiopian atleastinparts. established adynastythatwouldreign 3000years. forthenext with theArkofCovenant (itseems Solomongothiscomeuppanceafter all).Menelikthen Menelik. carrying hischild,thefuture king toher,thequeen reached thirstyafter thespicyfoodserved foradrink. the night,awaking hadplacedaglassofwatertook nothingfromhim.However, atherbedside. thecraftyking During SolomonofIsrael. King alongjourneytovisitthewise (Ethiopia’s nationalepic),theEthiopianqueenonceundertook Ethiopia’s mostfamouslegendisthatofthe Queen ofSheba. Accordingtothe THE QUEENOFSHEBA Though thequeenisthoughttohave lived athousandyearsbefore thisperiod,manyEthi- Menelik later returned visited toEthiopia hisfatherinJerusalemtheHoly Land,butsneakily Solomon wasted littletimedemandinghissideofthedeal,andqueenreturned toEthiopia While there, Solomonassured nothingfromhersolongasshe thequeenthathewouldtake
you’ll passalittleshack THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Aksum THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT impressive ancientrelic. instead ofat amodernwater an reservoir, attempt it withthefeel of ahalf-hearted ing water andwashingclothesonitssteps. linesofdrown here), womenfetch- you’llsee waters are cursed(localboysoccasionally ster Christianity anderadicate paganbeliefs. themonastery wasbuiltherethought tobol- the monastery wassacred topagansandit’s outbythepriests. Thesite ofbe brought andsistra,which censers canusually crosses, are somefineilluminated manuscripts,metal minutes byfoottothe Mp p133 ; (Map astery the 6thcentury,is and Gebre Meskel, to date andthought from Around 2kmfromthetombsof KingsKaleb WP_\@ IWP@ 7[ MONASTERIES ABBA PENTALEWON &ABBALIQANOS stairs through itsarchedstairs entranceway and through its dark depths and look upit’srock-hewn in magical feel about it.Stand has aslightly with fine masonry,thisplace (Map p133 ) roughly hewn into solidrockinstead of constructed tombs, of crudest the being Despite TOMB BAZEN’S KING crowns of KingKaleb andGebre Meskel. gious paraphernalia. Ask theso-called tosee similarreli-excellent viewsandcontains to themispleasant. Today, despite localsclaimingthatthe From Abba Pentalewon, it’saround20 Neither church is a must-see, butthewalk Neither church isamust-see,
Mp p133; (Map
admission Birr20,menonly)
admission Birr20,menonly) W[ UB7 Abba LiqanosMonastery Abba Pentalewon Mon- , which boasts Kebra Negast . Inside 139
NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA time, and contained atleast50rooms. time, andcontained European palacesofthan medieval the Ta’akha Maryam wouldhave farlarger been 80m andencircledbyhuge stonewalls, remain, strewn oneithersideof theroad. ble andacoupleof dressed stoneblocks it. through straight cutaroad ated whentheItalians removed andwhatremained wasobliter- AD. Unfortunately, much of thestonewas probably datingfromthe4thor5th century yam (Map p133 ) wasamagnificentpalace, excavations revealedEarly that Ta’akha Mar- MARYAMTA’AKHA their plantowidentheroad. ofbecause, allthings,itstoodinthewayof eastern inthe1930s AksumbytheItalians Christianity. stone’s age before Ezana’sconversion to thanks theGodof War,thusplacingthe ‘enemies andrebels’. of One section script victoriesofand military thekingover his and Greek andrecords thehonorarytitles inscription isalsowritten inSabaean,Ge’ez 4th-century ADstoneof King Ezana. This central park(Map p133 ) isanotherfamous Within aratheruglytin-roofed PARK EZANA large andimportant. the burialsite mayoncehave quite been number of tombsandstelae foundnearby, pear tobeunfinished).Judgingfromthe burial chambers (includingafew thatap- arowof pitcontaining smallertangular with thatperiod. The styleof thetombislikely consistent tohaveis thought reigned birth. atChrist’s by candlelight. better why.It’seven ifexploredyou’ll see 140 restored). fully excavated (in places ratherclumsily smaller), and (though better preserved is similar toTa’akha Maryam, but much as the ofQueen Sheba’s Palace (Map p133 ), The structure at Dungur, popularlyknown [ MW "IKB N DUNGUR (QUEEN OFSHEBA’SPALACE) Covering avastarea of some120mby Today, littlemore thanafew pilesof rub- It wasmoved toitspresent locationfrom Near thetomb’sentrancethere’s arec- According tolocaltradition,KingBazen THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Aksum THE HISTORICALCIRCUIT P BbL K6 4 tukul inthis after the Queen ofafter theQueen Sheba. 6th or7thcenturyAD,some1500years chaeologists date thepalacetoaround two large brickovens canstillbeseen. private bathingarea andakitchen, where a a throneroom.Thepalacealsocontains tohavestone flooristhought belonged to flag- one upperstorey. Thewell-preserved suggest theexistencestairwells of atleast areing withheight typicallyAksumite. The andtaper- and wallsrecessed atintervals inatimberframework dressed stonesset strangely abandoned. almost completely freed from therock,but fracture. astele Inanother place,you’llsee wedges, therockto in metal which caused of water, bypercussionorhammering ets andmadeto expand eitherbytheuse wedges were into thesock- nextinserted of rectangular sockets were cut.Wooden intended break was mappedout,arow the hardstonefrom therock.After the in onearea, theprocess bywhich theycut clearly,men of Aksum,butyoucansee tools thatwere bythemaster crafts- used famous stelae. Mystery stillsurroundsthe quarries of Aksum,thebirthplaceof the known asWuchate Golo,are theancient Near thelioness,atasite onGobedraHill QUARRIES ANCIENT local children tohelpyoufindit. aguideoroneofneed the–alltoowilling over boulders scrub,andyou’ll andthrough road. It’squite walkfrom theroad arough around 3kmwestof theShire Aksumoff totheancientquarriesofclose Aksum.It’s is worththevisit,especiallysince it’sso it wascreated isstillanyone’sguess. only alegend! that legends are madeof, you’re It’s right. still visibletoday.Ifitsoundslike astory such forcethattheoutlineof thebeastis lion intoamassive boulder. Theimpacthad mustered allhisstrength andhurledthe endedwhenthesaint lioness. Thefight atremendousfought battlewithafierce It washere thattheArchangel Mikael GOBEDRA OF LIONESS Much like of Queen Sheba’s ar- Bath, The architectural stylewithsmallun- Fascinating? Definitely. It’s often overlooked byvisitors, but Who’s responsible fortheworkorwhen www.lonelyplanet.com O5 camels, donkeys andfodder. A Ethnographical Museum and tree shadingthetaxi is the with spicesandthelike, whiletotheeast is thetraditional to life onSaturday.Inthecentre of town marketsAksum hastwosleepy thatburst OTHER SIGHTS forovercarver twodecades. getic andwell-informedHaile, a himself handicrafts.Askstandards) fortheener- of good-quality,butnotcheap (bylocal p133 alarge), which also houses collection men atthe Aksumite techniques. artsandcraftsproducedusing ancient sell local craftsmenwho’llproduce,exhibitand Ak andcompoundwillhouse sumite house time youread this.Thetraditional-style shouldfinallybeopenbythe World Bank, heritage project (Map p133 ), fundedbythe slated toopenin2004),thisEthio-cultural wellbehindschedule (itwasAlthough CENTRE ARTISANAL www.lonelyplanet.com candlelight. a few scattered priests who are reading by are amongthe slowly shiftingsea Standing of white-robed pilgrimscurled upasleep. on theday of thefestival and witnessasea of ZionChurch 1am andsunrise between your waytothecompound of the StMary watch performers in thestreet below. of theOrthodox church line thesteps and King Ezana’sStele, where themonarchs at start Aksum trulyawakes. Celebrations ofthousands pilgrimsarrive and sleepy Zion opia’s largest festivals, the On 30November Aksum hostsoneof Ethi- Festivals &Events p133; (Map h architecture. (Map p133 ), agood exampleof trad itional sitsnextto museum intolifegible glimpse ‘intheold days’.The objects).Itgivesand otherhousehold atan- (from herweddingdress tofinebasketry eclecticartsandcrafts showcases museum An elderlywomanrunstheso-called If it’sstillnotopen,check outthecrafts- For anunforgettable experiencemake 8am-noon &2-6pm) . In the days leading up to the event, . Inthedaysleadinguptoevent, animal market animal market h Sat) Axumait Handicraft Center Center Axumait Handicraft takes placenearthemassive main market main market fromherhome. The THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Aksum THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT (Map p133 ), ripewith
Mp p3 amsin Birr10; admission p133 ; (Map Arbatu EnsessaChurch gari Festival of Maryam Festival ofMaryam stand. Mp p133), (Map basket market basket (Map
d Birr50) shared bathroomBirr30,d/twBirr50/100) i ethionet.et; dwithshared bathroomBirr30,d/twBirr50/70; nothing to scream at. and thesharedcomfortable bathroomsare anything butdark. Thefoambedsare pretty shared bathroomBirr30,d/twBirr50/70) like TVs, restaurant orInternet facilities. like TVs, cramped anditlacksanyextraamenities Africa Hotel, butthebathroomsare abit room Birr20) from chairs screeching acrossitsfloors. emanating andthenoise its lackof service atAbinet).as those Itsbiggest downfalls are offer they aren’t balconies(though asprivate rooms thatare mostalso andclean; bright Africa Hotel Africa BUDGET ply runsout! up nicelynaked andlathered whenthesup- Ifyoudon’t,mayend conserve. please Aksum suffers fromwater shortages so Sleeping Maryam Zion. Reservations are wise. Maryam Zion.Reservations during major festivals, especially during Yeha Hotel MIDRANGE weak point. The doubleswithshared facilitiesare its forafree airporttransfer.out front.Call lite TV. There’s also acaféandrestaurant an extraBirr10,youcannabonewithsatel- soft andthebathrooms are very clean.For are thebedsare enough, simpleandbright this placeoffers Therooms asmoothstay. tions are quite small,socheck outafew. balconiestoo.wee Someof theBirr50op- here afairamountof sunandboastnice see net.et; s/d/steUS$38/50/75) no restaurant. ing theirage. but There’s abarwithDSTV, while thepretty cleanbathroomsare show- The roomsare large andquite pleasant, Kaleb isprobablythenicestbudget setting. aroundagardencourtyard,rooms set 120; Ark Hotel Lalibela Hotel Rooms becomescarceandpricesrise Kaleb Hotel Kaleb Ras AlulaHotel Ras Abinet Hotel ) Withaneager andomnipresent owner, i Roomshere are at onparwiththose ) Thisnewishplacehasgood-sized Roomshere are large, tidyand
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141 NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA on offer aswell. mato). Omelettes are and scrambledeggs in butter, garlic,onion andsometimesto- this place would be more recommended. didn’t always runout of evening, food early of is fair,theviewgrand.Themenu isamix rave aboutthe 10) best localfoodwehadinEthiopia.’ adds, ‘theirtraditionalrestaurant hadthe when itcomesto Frencheven toast, isunquestionablytopdog steak (ourfavourite), roasted chicken and hotel’s Western restaurant, withpepper dishes are quite good. andthearrayofThe spaghetti Ethiopian where theylike Abinet. toeat, they’ll say Remhai.Butifyou askthemthey’ll say ask localswhere thebestplacetoeatis, out of foodby8pm. or Aksum, withmostplacesbeingclosed tendRestaurants towrapthingsupearlyin Eating are ourpicksastheyoffer views. sunset to 133and226suites 228,230and232 Rooms 127 satellite TVs. cosy andcontain Hotel), which meansthey’re comfortable, RohaGonder’s Goha Hotel andLalibela’s owned brothers Dar’sTana (Bahir Hotel, location. Theroomsare identicaltoitsstate- churches, thishotel hasthemostenviable overlooking thestelae andtheMary of Zion 142 is hai-hotel.com; sBirr128-305,dBirr170-395,steBirr475; double what localsdo. and as café,barand restaurant. TheEthiopian in frontof this placeserves thehospital, the poolforBirr15. overpriced.seriously Nonguestscanpatrol placewouldbe and gym,thisout-of-the-way for thepool,terrace andupcomingsauna If it weren’tclean andalsohave satellite TVs. cheaper optionsare ratherdark,butare very phone aswelltheoddJulietbalcony.The and hostking-sizedbeds,carpets,fridges, Thisisanotherfavourite of locals(they Tsega &Restaurant Cafe Café Abyssinia Café Abinet Hotel Yeha Hotel Remhai Hotel Remhai Hotel Remhai Africa Hotel Africa faranji faranji THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Aksum THE HISTORICALCIRCUIT ) Theexpensive roomshere are huge andEthiopianselections. fare isquite good, butyou’llpay
(Map (Map p133 ; mainsBirr17-25)
Mp p3 mis Birr5-10) mains p133; (Map (Map (Map p133 ; mains Birr12-17) Mp p133; (Map
tibs – Mp p133; (Map Mp p3 mis Birr8-12) mains p133; (Map faranji sliced lamb,pan fried % fare. Tony Wheeler
(Map (Map p133 ; mains Birr3- mains Birr13-28) 0347 751501;www.rem Thefood Ifthey Ifyou Right Right This giant tree atthe basket market grounds. Just to start theday. to start The bread andlocalhoneyisaperfect way Express services at theYehaExpress services Hotel. arrange vehicles, toNTOand Galaxy ortalk can help negotiations. Thetourismoffice figuresBirr750). These required lengthy therockchurcheseven of Tigray (perday Yeha (Birr400),Debre Damo(Birr600)and vehicles (withdriver andguide)fortripsto and Mekele (Birr35,8½hours). bus toAdigrat(Birr20Birr25,five hours) Adwa (Birr5,45minutes), butonlyonedaily to 1½ hours). There are alsomanyservices before andminibuses 4pm(Birr10, eral buses gotoShireMountains), first. There are sev- one hour,MondayandThursday). (US$86, 2½hours) orviaMekele (US$40, Dar Gonder (US$73,twohours) andBahir (US$72,40minutes), daily) viaLalibela to AddisAbaba (US$131,two to3½hours, you findone. for Tigrayan dancing.Thelocalswillhelp streets aroundtown;they’re great places out a thermals andsoarlowoverhead. when kites (atypeof raptor)ridethefading beverage, especiallyduringascenicsunset of thishotel istheperfect placeforacool and sipof coffee. pastry (orwouldthatbeapieceof pastery?) Abinet Hotel, it’sagoodspotfor a pieceof gotiate hard. the Lioness of tone- Gobedra. You’llneed neys or Birr15 forDungur andBirr20for Birr0.75 toBirr1 to crosstown. neys costBirr8to Birr15.Share-taxis cost Birr5 toBirr10for shorthops;longer jour- airport, rates are atBirr10 perperson. set costs Birr40,or Birr10 ‘shared’. Fromthe tothe newairport,7kmfromtown, A taxi Around Getting Ethiopian Airlines &Away There Getting Yeha Hotel Drinking Axumawit Pastery Numerous freelance agents rent 4WD toGonderandDebark(Simien For buses Or forsomethingentirely different, seek Garis chargeContract taxis foreigners from tella beat costBirr2 toBirr5forshort jour-
Mp p3 bes Birr8) beers p133; (Map Garis (local beer house) inthetiny house) (localbeer
Mp p133; (Map
and taxis linger and taxis nearthe Mp p3 cks Birr2) cakes p133; (Map www.lonelyplanet.com % Thelofty terrace 0347 752300) Below Below flies 7km southof Adwa before turning east for only thelucky are given Head aglimpse. century, it’s kept underlock andkey and est manu script. Perhaps dating tothe8th facts including whatmay be Ethiopia’sold- known foritscollection of religious arte- of theNineSaintsin6th century,it’s www.lonelyplanet.com only) ofAbba Garima monastery to visitYeha orDebre Damo. fromwhich thetown asabase want touse somegoodmurals),butyoumay contains a couple of Church churches (the Selassie town, there’s here notmuch besides tosee boxed text, above ). the opia wassaved (see fromcolonisation onacolonialarmyinAfricaand Ethi- ever peror Menelik IIinflicted thebiggest defeat surroundingAdwathattheEm- mountains holds huge significance. Itwasindramatic ForEthiopians,thetown belies itsstatus. Like Aksum,unassuming,urban Adwa 1907m pop 45,823/elev ADWA can behired. south fromthere, bicycles(Birr6perhour) About of 6km dueeast Adwa is the enough Adwaisapleasant Though ain ortheWarofIndependenceinAmerica,it’sonedate every Ethiopianchildcanquote. the daywasclearlytheirs. laying downtheirarms,theItaliansran.Though theEthiopianshadlostalmostequalnumbers, ian fieldcommanders,three onewaswounded,andanothercaptured. were Finally, killed, fighting onevery front. andfierce attack,mettheItalianswiththundering artillery informed himoftheforthcoming three offensive brigades,thesurpriseattackwasadisaster. Menelik,whosespieshadlongbefore darkness over difficultterrain, withinaccurate mapsandwithnocommunicationbetweenthe the prestige ofthemonarchy’. In ithedeclared themotherlandwas‘ready foranysacrificetosave thehonourofarmyand meant anagreement couldn’tbereached. leading bothsidestosueforpeace,butItaly’scontinuedinsistence ontheirprotectorate claim offoodsoonfollowed, Italian strongholdsatAmbaAlageandEndaIyesus. Seriousshortages the Italianswere ready. Behind thevastarmytrundled40cannons,hundreds ofmulesand100,000rifles. Inthenorth, amarchforallofEthiopia. menofhisempire shouldgatherforamarchnorth, able-bodied In September 1895,astherainsbegantodwindle, EmperorMenelikIIissuedadecree: allthe THE BATTLE OFADWA . Saidtohave foundedbyone been To thisdaythebattleofAdwaisjustlycelebrated theBattleofHastingsinBrit- annuallyand,like Nearly halftheItalianfightingforcewaswipedout–over 6000soldiers–andof thefive Ital- In theearlymorninghoursfourdayslater, the Italians madetheirmove. Stumblinginthe In February 1896Crispi,Italy’sprimeminister, senthisfamoustelegram toGeneralBaratieri. followedandamazinglytheEthiopianstheirsturdymulescaptured the Initial skirmishes P THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Adwa THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT
(admission Birr20;men bring plentyof water. the final3km.It’spossibletodrive orhike; from theroadtodramaticescarpments. ged peaks,andendlessterraced slopesclimb horizon bursts withbothbulbous andjag- particularly enroute toAdigratwhere the ally thebrightest, butthey’re allquite clean. Adwa. Theshared bathroomroomsare actu- isthebestsnoozing optionin bus station, Birr400 toBirr500 toDebre Damo. cost aroundBirr200 toBirr300Yeha and ensure return transport. Contracttaxis dusty 5kmwalk fromthere. Goearlyto with atouristvehicle, it’savery hotand Adwa–Adigrat road. Unlessyouhopalift post (Birr6,30to 40minutes) onthemain attheYeharun daily),andhopoff sign- For Yeha, catch abustoEnticcio(four (Birr15, 3½hours) three rundaily. buses Aksum (Birr5,45minutes). ForAdigrat Birr30, dwithcold/hotshowerBirr40/50) nearly three millennia ago. Heated debate birthplace of civilisation Ethiopia’s earliest Yeha, 58kmnorth of Adwa, isconsidered the YEHA The sceneryaroundAdwaiscaptivating, Teferi Hotel Numerous minibuses connectAdwa to Numerous minibuses W
( % 0347 711828;dwithshared bathroom , nexttothe
143 NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA Birr100) like outof somethingstraight Yemen. look wallsdo indeed windowless, sandstone theso-calledtemple’sthough immense, choosinging louder,sowe’llholdoff sides, ideas. Wecan’tfigure outwho’sscream- bia orbyEthiopiansinfluencedSabaean was foundedbySabaeansettlersfromAra- continues amongscholars astowhether it 144 first capital. temple are allthatremains of Ethiopia’s findsandthe the vicinity.Amazingly,these rock-hewn tombshave foundin alsobeen the MooninMa’rib inYemen). Important features are alsofoundintheTemple of square-sectioned, monolithicpillars (such structure distinguishedforitsunusual, remains of a gridof perfect linesandgeometry. them.Thewhole temple is a 5¢coinbetween somuch as –thatit’simpossibletoinsert tar and fitted together –withoutatraceof mor- over 3minlengthandare soperfectly dressed buildingblocksmeasuretemple’s sandstone for theirstunningconstruction.Someof the and the5thand8thcenturyBC, ing between gold crosses. There ofgold crosses. istalk moving some sually large) manuscriptsand silver and temple, aswellsomegood(andunu- tooriginateinscriptions, believed fromthe tion of ancientSabaean beautifully incised animal of southern Arabia. with lowered horns.Theibexwasasacred an exceptionalrelief of ibexes, and stylised from thetemple. Inthewestwall,there’s porated intoitswallsare stonesremoved built over the6th-centuryoriginal.Incor- Abuna Aftse Yeha’s Next tothetemple isthenew Almost 200mtothenortheastare the Inside there’s collec- alsoanoutstanding to. Shouts of to visitthe monastery, butthepriests mayletyouhave adangleonthe ropeifyoureally want your waste andtug,tug fromthetop. (see theboxed text, p147 ). life, digits yourshortest intotinytoeholdsfortraction andred toesfrom tryingtomadlyinsert and red-toe itstraightupover 15m!White knucklesthankstosqueezingtheaging ropefordear Your onlyoptionto reach Debre Damo,completely encircledwithsheer cliffs, istowhite-knuckle ROPE TRICKS THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Debre Damo THE HISTORICALCIRCUIT The ascent isn’tdifficult,butrequires andabitofbiceps. somenerve Womenaren’t allowed For safety, aBirr20tip andalaugh–oh,tohelptoo priests tiealeatherstraparound are impressive age, fortheirsheer dat- ruins
(admission inclwithruins) Grat BealGebri
(admission Birr50,personalvideocameras ‘becka, becka!’ , a monumental , amonumental (enough!) itclear you’ve willsoon make comefar enough! , which was Church of is wellworthwhile,andgives of youanidea get theboxed here (see text, below ). ofearlier because thejourneyrequired to trenched onthe are alsogreatly appreciated. into therock.Giftsof coffee, sugarorhoney hewndeep grateful), andwater reservoirs stock (ifyoucouldbringupacow they’d be have Theyeven sufficient. theirownlive- hosts some80monks,whoare entirely self- reign. here, thusremoving possiblethreats totheir excess malemembers of theroyalfamily allowed Aksumite’s monarchs tocoop up text, p49 ). help fromaheavenly theboxed snake (see of thelegendary NineSaints,withalittle tery was foundedbyAbuna Aregawi, one example of anAksumite-style building. or 11thcenturyAD),which isalsoagreat churcholdest standing inthecountry(10th King Gebre Meskel. what’s likely Itboasts the Aksumite timesandthe6th-centuryreign of a smallmuseum. artefacts buildingandcreating toanearby important religiousimportant sites. east of Aksum, isoneof Ethiopia’smost amba Perched precariously atopasheer-sided DAMO DEBRE information. There ( &Awaysection p142 ) fortransport Adwa( See p143 &Away There ) andAksum’sGetting Getting sion Birr50,menonly) For maletravellers, avisittoDebre Damo While themonastery sitsfirmlyen- Today, the500-sq-metre monastery alsoThe monastery’s formidablecliffs According tolocaltradition,themonas- (flat-topped mountain), 86kmnorth- (flat-toppedmountain), amba, is thought todate isthought backto XDQ we said ‘precariously’ wesaid www.lonelyplanet.com Debre Damo Debre
(admis- it outbefore you. view fromthemonastery magnificentlylays tors (don’tinsist). they’rethough rarely outtovisi- brought fragments, of Ethiopia’soldestsurviving manuscripts illuminated collection ofhas anoutstanding atleast50 a safeguard forreligious treasures. Itnow too.seen and snakes. Various recent paintingscan be as elephants,lions,gazelles,rhinos,giraffes panels depictingEthiopianwildanimalssuch wooden ing, famouslydecorated withcarved arewood. Alsonotable thebeamsandceil- row of window openingsconstructed of false Look outforthefamousAksumite frieze:a in stoneonthelargest of theAksumite stelae. tracery, isvirtuallyareplica of thatdepicted architecture. Onewindow,withitswooden almost prototypicalexampleof Aksumite The remarkable Sights ofastation theMuslim–Christianwars. havemight forthedev- had,haditnotbeen the extraordinaryartisticheritage Ethiopia www.lonelyplanet.com large presence. UN military movements a inlate 2005, expect tosee after theescalation of rhetoric andtroop and withtensions remainingclosed high the 1998 conflict.Today the borderisstill junction withEritreaimportant priorto is situated onwhatwas Ethiopia’smost Adigrat isTigray’s second-largest town and 2473m pop 88,342/elev ADIGRAT within 4kmor5km of Debre Damo. Contract ( p146). areminibuses cheaper, butcanonlyget you Adigrat or (p142) Aksum group of you, it’s easiesttohire a4WDin especially inlate afternoon. Ifthere’s a Aksum fromthejunctionishitand miss, water, foodandsunscreen. 11km walk(aroundthree hours); bring village of Bizet).Fromthere it’satoasty signposted junction(5kmsoutheast of the candropyouatthewell- Adigrat road anytransportontheAksum–although There’s nopublictransporttoDebre Damo, &Away There Getting If you’ve never seen EritreaIf you’ve seen before, never the as used The monastery haslongbeen Catching ridesto Adwa, AdigratorCatching P 5 Abuna Aregawi church Abuna Aregawi THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Adigrat THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT , amongthemsome isan International calls. Standardrates( p267 ). rock-hewn churches of Tigray. from which toexplore someof thenorthern to orfromAksum.It’salsoagoodbase point stop-off enough andpleasant useful Town. town resemble Table inCape Mountain cheques. 8.30-11.30amSat)Changescashandtravellers Mon-Fri, the groundsare fullof devotees. morningsarein thenorth.Early bestwhen the 20th-centuryfortresslike Adigrat Chirkos churches are the19th-century worthapeek: you’re fillingintime,acoupleof Orthodox Nothing isscreaming here, tobeseen butif Sights Internet Ytbarek Telecommunications office 8.30am-noon Sat) Post office Commercial Bank Information longs tothe Adigrat’s onlyInternetaccess. barracks, sodon’t gopokingaround! It’snowanEthiopianarmy bluff. sandstone out forthepaintingsbyAfewerk Tekle. but withadistinctlyEthiopianflavour. Look Completed in1916,it’sItalian-designed, the the of route here you’llpassthecrumblingwalls 1935and1938.En who perishedbetween dedicated to here. Sixhundred andfifty-nineplaquesare of soldiers the765Italian commemorated andVaudano Italo tagna Mario are justthree over 4kmeastof Ber- town.Dante Giuseppe, produced palehoney, and you’llfindlocally Alem church. Inseason, deliciously refreshing. pears), which costjust Birr1for10;they’re with their for theattractive Tigrayan stonefarmsteads to keep the interior cool. few theydo have windows; those are small If border tensions ease, AdigratmakesIf bordertensions ease, a At sunrise, the stratified mountains above thestratifiedmountains At sunrise, The large tileddomeontheskyline be- The labyrinthof tinshacks that’s now There’s apeaceful Travelling southfrom Adigrat,look out market old Italianfort ( h is found 500m east of isfound500meast Medhane dry-stone walls caduto ignoto 8.30am-noon & 2-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-noon &2-5.30pmMon-Fri, south of thetowncentre, and Holy Saviour Catholic cathedral Holy SaviourCatholic (perhrBirr60; ( h zigzagging alongasmall zigzagging 8.30am-12.30pm &1-3.30pm Italian warcemetery ( h . The houses have. Thehouses (unknownfallen) h 8am-noon &2-9pm) 7am-6pm) beles Medhane Alem Medhane (prickly just 145
. NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA dollars! room Birr30,dBirr50) choice. It’sonly fault: teeny rooms. is welllooked after andisafriendly, clean sorry), this smallplacewith apaltryprice get(we’ll never tired of Hohoma saying – shared bathroomBirr15) showers are hot. bathrooms are clean. Allbuttheshared rooms are tidy,thebeds are comfyandthe uered tilefloors looking ratherretro. The good shape,withitsoldbutpristine cheq- Hohoma Hotel Sleeping &Eating 146 in Adigrat one night, head straight to this head straight in Adigrat one night, said said Whenweasked thepriceandthey the BBC. with boastTVs andeven less, comfortable small, butare spot- wellfurnished,bright, Ethiopia’s bestdeal.Themodernrooms are asthishotel’s value –easily just asfantastic up thelife of givinggiftsforthecello,is name, inspired brotherwhogave bySanta’s 1 3 2 ADIGRAT Shewit Hotel Geza Gerlase Geza Yohannis Kidus Pension Yohannis Kidus (126km) Adwa (103km);Aksum (48km); Yeha(78km); To DebreDamo hamsa Holy SaviourCatholic C3 Adigrat Chirkos...... Cathedral...... Ytbarek Internet...... Telecommunications Office..... Post Office...... Commercial Bank...... SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Adigrat THE HISTORICALCIRCUIT AC (50),wehadtoaskiftheymeant
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% ( % (mains Birr8-20) Thisoldplaceisstillin 0344 452469;d/steBirr50/60) 13 0344 453028;dwithshared bath- Whileit’snoHohoma
6 5 4 3 2 1 ( % 2 D1 B2 C2 B2 C2 ὈὈ Ifyou’re only 0344 450284;swith 8 B 11 10 4 Church (500m);Market (700m); Eritrea(35km) Its 7 To MedhaneAlem 12 Ὀ 3 9 1 thatched roof. enjoy simplespagbolunderthetraditional or dipped inspicymeatandtomato sauce) ity the special cultural restaurant. Wrapyourlipsaround seven hour journey toAsmara.seven and Wukro (Birr10,1½hours). hour), Edaga Hamus (Birr3, 30minutes) Mekele bus. and Negash(Birr8, 1½hours), take the daily). ForWukro (Birr10,1¾hours) daily) andShire (Birr30, 6½hours, one Aksum (Birr20to Birr25,five hours, two Adwa(Birr15, 3½hours, three daily), serve four daily)covering theroute. also Buses (Birr20,2½ hours,daily) andminibuses kele, (Birr14, three withbuses hours, six roadnowconnectsAdigrattoMe-Sealed &Away There Getting elette to start the day at this pleasant café. elette thedayatthispleasant tostart juice oratomato,onionandpepper om- Welwalo Café If the Eritrea border reopens, it’s about a (Birr5,one runtoSinkata Minibuses ta’ilo (a dough madefromsorghum and (adough 5 tibs,
delve intothelocalspecial- (mains Birr3-10) Stadium Bus Station...... Hotel...... Geza Gerlase...... Yohannis KidusPension...... Shewit Hotel...... Hohoma Hotel...... ewl aé...... B2 Welwalo Café...... Weldu SebagadisModern TRANSPORT EATING SLEEPING 200m 0.1miles 0 0 To Rock-hewnChurchesofTigray; (38km); Negash(58km);Wukro www.lonelyplanet.com Edaga Hamus(20km);Sinkata (68km); Mekele(114km) Grabasnack, D Cemetery (4.2km) 6 To OldItalian Fort (1.2km); Italian War 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 A2 B1 B1 C2 B2 B1 day Birr600). and therock-hewnchurches of Tigray (per driver) fortripstoDebre Damo(Birr400) as (includinghimself Cruiser rents hisLand between AdigratandMekelebetween stophere. Christian churches. of is Muslim;themosquesitsamidasea each year. Despite this,just 3%of Tigray makeand thousands apilgrimage here is themostholyIslamicsite after Mecca, the 7thcentury,wasrecently excavated. ancient cemetery, todate alsobelieved from on thesite of the7th-centuryoriginal.An overshadows asmallmosque thatstands belongings) builtanewmosquehere. It (the AddisAbaba Sheraton isoneof his Al-AmoudiSheikh Mohammed Hussein In 2003Ethiopia’srichest man,billionaire Mohammed’s tookrefuge daughter, here. time, acommunityof Muslims,including in SaudiArabiaMohammed’s ownlife- tlement inEthiopia. persecution Fleeing and Adwa,beliesitsprestigious past. the tinytownof Negash, which, like Aksum On asmallhill,56kmsouthof Adigrat,is NEGASH www.lonelyplanet.com black chat and white-winged chat. cliff Rupell’’s as it’s hometo thesemi-endemic secret. Bird-watchers willalsolove thearea prove tobe Orthodox Ethiopia’sbest-kept the ticket. The Tigrayan churches may well with terrific artandhistory, thismaybejust like asnoozySundaystrollinthepark. tions of seem somemake exploringLalibela loca- ning (andsometimes scary)cliff-face as remarkable andintriguing. Andthestun- hewing tradition reached itszenith,are just whereless perfect therock- thanatLalibela, technically. Thearchitectural features, though –chronologically, artisticallyand Lalibela resent Aksumand acruciallinkbetween andpossiblyrep-predate atLalibela, those famous. Luckyyou. rock-hewn churches of Tigray are farless the than theirfamouscousinsinLalibela, nolesssignificantorinterestingAlthough OFTIGRAY CHURCHES ROCK-HEWN The ownerof Minibuses and buses thatplythe route andbuses Minibuses To manyEthiopianMuslimsNegash Negash wasthefirst site of Muslimset- For those whowant tocombinetrekkingFor those Some of the120-odd churches mayeven N< Welwalo Café THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Negash THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT
( % 0344 450218)
Tembien andAtsbi. accessible. Otherfamousclusters are the east of theMekele–Adigrat road,isthemost whiletheTakatisfi,important, only3km number of churches, isconsidered themost clusters. cluster, withthehighest Gheralta Most churches are located ingroupsor &Information Orientation from raidingMuslims. scholars tothinktheywere beinghidden remote andprecarious positionshave led gins, theirhistoryorarchitects. Their today very littleisknownabouttheirori- most unknownoutsideTigray Even itself. Until themid-1960s,churches were al- History of Birr5toBirr10after yourvisit. churches foryou,soyoushouldoffer atip dropworkinthefieldstoopen no salary) litely. manypriests(whoreceive However, simply handover Birr20,firmlybutpo- for admission.Ifyou’re asked formore, the9thand15thcenturies. them between to 6th-centuryrulers, mosthistoriansdate ite kings,Abreha andAtsbeha, aswell the churches tothe4th-centuryAksum- change) andwater. torch, lotsof smallnotes have (priests never fie i Asm 12) eee 11) and now (p151) Mekele (p132), Aksum in offices attheTigray TourismCommissionstaff Adigrat are alsoviableoptions.Thehelpful to explore thechurches, butAksumand Churches are tocharge supposed Birr20 While localtraditionattributes most of Good walking shoes are Bringa Good walkingshoes essential. Mekele makes fromwhich the bestbase ing the gripa toe canget! offyour shoes.as theydo andtake It’s amaz- of generations ofpriests. Inwhich case,do holds are very small,hewn bythebare feet showing youthefootholds. Sometimes the better ofyou,getsomeone toclimbinfront areor findingthatyour nerves gettingthe never lookdown.Ifyou’re having trouble, footholds, getagood grip,don’tstopand carefully.ficult iftaken Justfocuson the some oftheTigrayan churches aren’t dif- ascents uprockfaces required toreach Though dauntingatfirstsight,mostofthe TOEHOLDS INTIGRAY Wukro
( % 0344 430340; h 8am-5pm) advise advise
147 NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN
NORTHERN ETHIOPIA rewarding excursion. Justremember that arid androckylandscape,makes foravery Tigray’sa longandarduoustoilthrough afterhidden forcenturiesinthemountains, attraction. Tocomeacrossanabsolute jewel p147). (see holds rockfaces usingtoe- bling upalmostsheer churches involves climbsorscram- steep pretty inaccessible,meaningvisitingsome ora of churches, 120atlastcount.Many are AdigratandMekeleBetween there’s apleth- Sights Tigray before leaving home. David RBuxtonorRuthPlant’sresearch on keepers of church theall-important keys. tracking downtheoften elusive priests, but alsotoactasaninterpreter andfor only tolocate themore remote churches, hardy toattempt visitswithoutaguide, not ficial guide(perdayBir100).You’dbefool- (Birr5), andcanusuallywrangleupanof- tive mapsandthe informa- on itineraries,sell 148 1 3 2 ROCK-HEWN CHURCHESOFTIGRAY 1 All thissomehowaddstothechurches’ If you’re really forIvyPearce, keen, search 10 Aksum (46km) To Adwa(22km); Edaga Arbi Tigrai: The Open-Air Museum THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Rock-Hewn ChurchesofTigrayTHE HISTORICALCIRCUIT Abi Addi Yeha Tembien Cluster Abi Agbe To Lalibela Workamba (150km) AC Hagere Selan ERITREA Eritrea BorderCrossing Debre Damo (currently closed) 3 Nebelet Megab 4 18 (Eritrea) (154km) 12 11 To Asmara Gheralta 9 Cluster Dugem Hawsien 8 Mai Makdem Adigrat Mekele 19 Matari B Sinkata booklet Atsbeha Abraha Agula 2 Hamus Edaga 17 The Ethiopia–Eritreaborderawaits this mapserveasindicationsonly. The internationalboundarieson (376km); AddisAbaba Teka Tesfay To theSouth;Woldia (351km); Kombolcha Wukro 16 Negash Cluster Wukro Takatisfi (231km); Dessie Cluster formal UNdemarcation. 13 6 (754km) involved). to five churches (dependingonthehikes four quick-keyed priests, youcanusuallysee some priests.Withafullday,4WDand as itcanoften take uptoanhourlocate pre-existing caves. fromthehostrock)orbuiltinto separated generally (onlypartially semimonolithic theTigrayanat thebase), churches are ground andonlyleftattachedtotheearth outofwhich were the monolithic(carved eral are of indesperate need repair. made restoration workfeasible yetandsev- the churches’ remote locationshaven’t Mahar andTekla Haimanot. note inthiscluster includeGiyorgis Debre are usually atmarket. Minor churches of this cluster onWednesdayasthepriests peaks risingfromtheplains.Avoid visiting Megab, andsharp withstratifiedmountains Dugem particularlybetween and fantastic, clusterThe drive is theGheralta through GHERALTA CLUSTER Patience foryourenjoyment, isessential Unlike manyof thechurches of Lalibela, 20 14 Atsbi 5 15 Cluster 7 Atsbi 40km 20miles 0 0 Approximate ScaleOnly Abraha Atsbeha...... Abba Yohanni...... Zarema Giyorgis...... Yohannes Maequdi...... Tekla Haimanot...... Petros &Paulos...... Mikael Milhaizengi...... Mikael Imba...... Mikael Barka...... Medhane AlemKesho...... Korkor...... Giyorgis DebreMahar...... Gebriel Wukien...... Dugem Selassie...... Debre TsionAbraham...... Debre Selam...... Chirkos...... Cherkos (Agobo)...... Abuna GebreMikael...... SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES Maryam Korkor&Daniel B2 Abuna YemataGuh...... Scenic Route www.lonelyplanet.com ERITREA Inda Selassie Irta'ale (70km); Lake D Hamd Ela(15km); Berahile Dallol (40km); Afera (100km) 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 C2 B3 B2 B2 B2 C3 C3 B2 B2 B2 A3 B2 B3 C2 B3 C2 A3 B2 A3 frescoes thatadorn twocupolas. are astounding. far astheviewsfrombaptismchamber last goaround!),it’sstillworthgetting that ous ledge walkover a 200m drop(like us can’t make thefinal scrambleandprecari- sweating justthinkingaboutit!Even ifyou utes require of –ourhandsare steel nerves action.Thelasttwomin- quiring toe-hold re-with acoupleof sections trickysheer minutes of theclimb ismildlychallenging, around 4kmwestof Megab. Thefirst 45 face,halfwayuparockpinnacle a cliff in Tigray. located It’sspectacularly within this church islikely themostrewarding lessimpressiveAlthough architecturally, Guh Yemata Abuna west of Wukro. 45km theroad, accessible andsitsjustoff proving theyweren’t Muslims.It’seasily tempt towinover byItalians localsby murals. Theobtrusive porticowasanat- 17th-and18th-century also well-preserved cruciform pillars There’s andstep capitals. interesting architectural features such as It’s large andcruciforminshape,with century church isoneof Tigray’s finest. Architecturally, 10th- thissemimonolithic Atsbeha Abraha www.lonelyplanet.com cent. Justacouple of minutes’ walk from and involves 50-minute afairly steep as- The church isaround500m fromMegab also one of thelargest churches in thearea. century frescoes, andchurch treasures. It’s form pillars, arches andcupolas),fine 17th- known foritsarchitectural features (cruci- side, thisimpressive, cross-shapedchurch is green an unsightly fromtheout- Although Korkor Maryam requires 50-minute asteep walk. on ahillabout500msouthof Dugem and century ceremonial fan.Itsitslike afortress century muralsandanunusual,large 15th- fadedanddamaged,beautiful, though 16th- onthewallsandceiling.Italso has crosses decorated cupolas,bas-reliefs andcarved its diverse architectural features, including pillars,standing thischurch isknown for inshape,withsixmassiveRectangular free- XD P 4 Abraham Tsion Debre Inside are beautiful and well-preserved Inside are beautifulandwell-preserved 4 P P THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Rock-Hewn ChurchesofTigray THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT PI NW T[
offers astoundingviews. kor Maryam Korkoristhechurch of ial Milhaizengi Mikael climb. the 4WDtrack,it’saleisurely 10-minute rather ingenious From theendof indeed! them unlockthedoorfrom inside– much more special.Ask ifyoucanwatch cofferedthe elaborately carved ceilingthat walls are hewn,which onlymakes roughly hewn churches. Itsexterior andinterior is oneof Tigray’s oldestandfinestrock- Kesho Alem Also knownas Medhane Adi Kesho, thischurch TAKATISFI CLUSTER gotiating afew onway. obstacles Yemata Guh andrequires climb,ne- asteep and arches. It’saround15kmsouthof Abuna columns,pillars,carefully cupolas carved domelike rock.Itfeatures goodfrescoes and this church’s cruciformplanishewnintoa Considered oneof finestchurches, Gheralta’s Mikael Gebre Abuna south of Dugem) viaasteep footpath. it’s arounda40-minute walk(about1km tors remember. Fromthevillage of Matari atmosphereit’s theintense thatmostvisi- muralscoveringwell-preserved the walls, ometrical designs.Whileit’sbestknownfor withge- pillars thatsupportaceilingcarved This rectangular chapel hassixfreestanding Maequdi Yohannes ceilingabovecarved the three ‘shelves’; lookoutforthebeautifully one. Itslarge, double-tombchamber has This tiny,olderchurch lieswithinanewer Selassie Dugem Petros &Paulos. Alem Kesho and a 15-minute walk from It’s about 45minutes’ walkfrom Medhane (a favourite roundbread of Tigrayans). dome ceiling thatresembles an carved century. It’sknown forits3m-high todatehill andisthought fromthe8th is hewnintothe topof asmall bleached This tinychurch, withits stooped doorway, just off theroad. the southernedge of thevillage of Dugem, probably converted toachurch later. It’son . Itsitsatopaparalysingprecipice and 4+E 6P(4( U[ BR PI N[D 6P( BVN@4.X maqdas Daniel Kor- himbasha . Itwas 149
NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ba Yohanni Abba will beawayatmarket. Avoid visitingonaSaturday,asmostpriests CLUSTER TEMBIEN easily accessiblechurch. around 500mfromWukroandis themost crete foraesthetic reasons in1958.Itlies ordered theangularroof squared withcon- ing. Haile oddlyandunfortunately Selassie Aksumite friezeandabarrel-vaulted ceil- an outstanding laminae), cubicalcapitals, form pillars (noticetheswirlingsandstone cruci- beautiful andboasts semimonolithic This crooked church cruciform sandstone is Chirkos CLUSTER WUKRO up oneprecarious part. minute climbtothechurch usingfootholds about 3kmfromthejunction.It’safive- grat, take aminibustoTeka Tesfay andwalk idly deteriorating. FromWukro,or Adi- oldmuralsthatarehas delightful very rap- churchmortar isbuiltonasteepledge and Only partlyhewn,thiswood,stoneand Paulos & Petros 150 well-carved, interesting six massive, details; well-carved, has three aisles andfour bays. Itfeatures Architecturally interesting, thischurch Wukien Gebriel a shortclimbwith footholds. from Abi Addi, includinga1kmwalkand interesting church treasures andsits 15km the ceiling,and10 vaults.It’salsohometo finely hewncruciform pillars thatsupport three-aisled and four-bayed interior, eight face,thischurch cliff has a sheer high Impressively located partiallyupa300m- near Sinkata. church inquestionwasPetros &Paulos, the dayinquestionwas1982,and as toitslocationandconstruction. and gave hismessengercareful instructions build anewchurchtoreplace theoldone, a farmer. The saintcommandedthemanto One day,StGabrielappeared inadream to HEAVENLY VISIONS THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Rock-Hewn ChurchesofTigrayTHE HISTORICALCIRCUIT In Ethiopia,legendsare madeevery day. Yet another Ethiopianlegend?Yes, only ^ P N [P(S G\ _8S @ 10-minute climbupamountain. and involves a15-minute easywalk,thena cupolas. It’s16kmnorthwestof Abi Addi finely hewnfreestanding pillars andthree be fully self-sufficient. marine. Another optionis tocamp andto very cleanrooms– we hopeyoulike aqua- and hassmallbut behind the tourismoffice things isWukro’s the bestaccommodation inthemidstof in Aksum,Mekele orAdigrat.Withoutone, fleas thanwater and electricity. nearby villages Mosthave isbrutal. more To putitmildly, accommodationinthe Sleeping &Eating simple 20-minute ascent. toAtsbiandalsoinvolvestop. It’sclose a is lovely andthere are goodviewsfromthe arch leadingintothe rock andwood).There’s carved abeautiful ite architectural style(alternating layers of constructed accordingtoancientAksum- andinterior structuresrock-hewn section has exceptionalarchitecture, withaninner This church or‘church withinachurch’ Selam Debre with ashortladder. easy 20-minute ascent,which isfinished is great. It’s9kmsouthof Atsbiandhasan ceiling.Theviewfromherethe 6m-high 25 pillars (ninefreestanding) holdingup is huge with (16.6mwideand9mdeep) bela. Athree-quarter monolith,theinterior atLali- Imba mostresembles seen those Of allTigray’s rock-hewnchurches, Mikael Imba Mikael a 10-minute climb. 17km fromWukro,andreaching itinvolves probably dates fromthe13thcentury.It’s hewn church. It’scruciforminshapeand an ugly1960sfaçadesitsthissmallrock- Atop asmallbutpanoramichillandbehind Barka Mikael Cherkos (Agobo) Giyorgis. andZarema Minor churches intheAtsbicluster include their keys) are awayatmarket onSaturday. Like theTembien cluster, mostpriests(and CLUSTER ATSBI d withshared bathroom Birr30,dBirr50) If you’re travelling withavehicle, sleep 6P(!4 XDE+4 6P(6 Luwam Hotel maqdas www.lonelyplanet.com
( . The setting . Thesetting . It’shandily % 0344 430126; cheques. There’s asecondbranchnearLucy Park. 8-11.30amSat)Changescash andtravellers Mon-Fri, International calls. Standardrates( p267 ). provider tooffer CDburning. h MEKELE (p153) Mekele onhiring4WDs. for details and (p146) Adigrat ( p142), There Getting &AwayunderAksum See (shown onmostmaps)isstillimpassable. the roadlinkingMegab withAbi Addi villages withmostchurches. Unfortunately, on market days. Megab andHawsien) are onlywellserved Somevillages byminibuses. (such as served Wukro, Atsbi,Abi are AddiandSinkata all foot isbothpossibleandvery enjoyable. and lotsof time, anexplorationbybusand them, butifyouhave campingequipment private 4WDistheeasiestwayof reaching A some 20kmto30kmoffthemainroad. Many of thechurches are inremote places, &Around There Getting www.lonelyplanet.com Tigrai Tourism Commissionoffice Tigrai Tourism Telecommunications office Emmanuel Clinic&Dental Unit El-Fami Center Business Internet Union Dashen Bank&Western Commercial Bank has itsrequisite postoffice. end of Alulaand GunaSts.Thetownalso (Birr8 toBirr15perhour)alongthe south There’s noshortage of cheap Internet cafés Information ies, it’salmosthassle-free. And unlike otherlarge historical-circuitcit- Tigray andthebakingDanakil Depression. visits tothenearbyrock-hewnchurches of andprovides for ing museums base auseful For thetraveller, it’shometo tworeward- inthelatemade ithiscapital 19thcentury. totheEmperorYohannes IV,who tance Mekele, Tigray’s owesitsimpor- capital, 2062m pop 157,688/elev mercial Bank. asperCom- 8am-noonSat) Rates 1-4.30pm Mon-Fri, Alula St; 5th fl,Commercial BankBldg, [email protected]; Ethiopia’s bestbetfordentalaction. is northern reliable clinicwithdiagnostic laboratory. Aroundthecorner h Quite goodgravel roadsnowconnectthe The villages of Hawsien, EdagaHamus, 8am-noon & 2-8pm) Overpriced Internet,buttheonly 8am-noon &2-8pm)Overpriced 8.30am-noon & 2-5pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-noonSat)A 8.30am-noon &2-5pm Mon-Fri, h 8.30am-12.30pm & 1.30-5.30pm Mon-Fri) 8.30am-12.30pm & 1.30-5.30pm Mon-Fri) BG@ (AlulaSt; THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Mekele THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT h ( % 8am-noon &1-3.30pm ( ( 0344 410667) h % (perhrBirr30; ( % 8am-noon & 0344 404692; 0344 409360; commissions thantheCommercialBank,butbetterhours. eration Front(TPLF). the ‘you’refers totheTigray People’s Lib- the communist,Russian-backed Derg, while enemies…’ Theenemiesit’sreferring toare chauvinist immortal feated theseemingly nearby proudlyreads, ‘you completely de- illustrating thetruecostof war. Aplaque the toweringmonumentandcompellingly flanking another story,withstirringstatues biggest it’s golfballandtee. Fromupclose museum fromthenorthsideofmuseum town. TPLF duringthe1970sand’80s. madeby andsacrifices exalts thesuccesses gilded saddles andanaudacious throne.gilded saddles emperor’s personal quarters are someornate the corner. Touché ilDuce!Upstairs, inthe the palace’sfaçade–it’snowonfloorin herewhich wasbrought toadorn byItaly 50kg bronzesculpture of Mussolini’shead, fully returned toEthiopiain2001.There’s a vate collectioninFrance,before beingright- items hadmysteriously formedpartof apri- andicons.Manyopian manuscripts,crosses juniper roof isasignificantcollectionof Ethi- unmistakable highlight. unmistakable the boxedpression (see text, p154 ) isthe inbycamel fromtheDanakil De- brought Saturday before bars 10am.Witnessing salt definitely worth astroll,particularly on and nowsitsalmost 1kmtothewest.It’s tre (infavour of amodernconcrete mall) market and rapidlyincreasing population,the Thanks tothiscity’s burgeoning economy OTHER SIGHTS this From adistance & MUSEUM MONUMENT MEMORIAL MARTYRS’ is nowaninteresting Emperor Yohannes IV(r1872–79)in1873 stonepalacebuiltfor The Italian-designed MUSEUM IV YOHANNES Sights Wegagen Bank with memorial) h h rock-hewn churches. Helpful andcanadviseyouonanitineraryforTigray’s Just northisa A second accessroadisbeingbuilt tothe A second 8am-5pm) 8am-5pm). has been cast outof hasbeen thetown cen- couldbemistaken fortheworld’s Beneath theimpressive vaulted Beneath thathauntinglyandproudly ( h 8am-4pm Mon-Sat)Slightlyhigher museum memorial museum
(admission currently incl
(admission Birr10; (admission Birr24;
151
old NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA are visible throughout. new, dotting thecity and their large towers killed in Hawsien byaDerg bombingraid. ment rising in aroundabout.It’s statue munications building there’s anintriguing 152 (850m) Monument &Museum To Martyrs'Memorial 4 1 3 2 5 MEKELE There are several About 200m southwestof thetelecom- & Museum(850m); Martyrs' MemorialMonument To OldMarket(700m); Abi Addi(85km) future secondrouteto 20 dedicated to 2500peoplewho were THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT •• Mekele ••Mekele THE HISTORICALCIRCUIT 9 Mosque 32 30 34 AC Emmanuel DentalUnit...... Emmanuel Clinic...... Dashen Bank&WesternUnion.... Commercial Bank...... Commercial Bank...... Comel Electronics...... City Computer...... INFORMATION lFm uiesItre etr. B4 El-Fami BusinessInternetCenter... 1 16 22 Mall New 4 Alula St churches 36 27 38 Ὀ ὈὈ To Chelekot 15 (15km)
Selam St 39 2 , bothold and 33 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 12 28 B B4 B4 B2 A4 B2 B4 A4
Guna St 10
11
8 Ageazi St Ageazi Secondary Church ofTekla...... Catholic Cathedral...... office...... (see4) Tigrai TourismCommission Telecommunications Office...... Post Office...... eae ak...... B2 Wegagen Bank...... SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES School monu- 5 7 29 26 31 21 18 37 6 3 23 24 only) andhot-water showers. Rooms 414to (one English channel conies, satellite TVs rooms. Most are carpeted andhave bal- is opposite Lucy Park and has dozensof breakfast Birr103/138) Hatsey YohannesHotel BUDGET Sleeping 13 (8km); Woldia 14 25 To Airport (268km) 13 12 11 10 9 35 0.3miles 500m 0 0 C1 B3 B2 A1 GK AhaduTours&Travel Yordanos BrightBar& Axumamit Hotel&Restaurant..(see11) Milkana Café&Restaurant...... Geza Gerlase...... Queen ofShebaHotel...... Hatsey YohannesHotel...... Dallas Hotel...... Bisrat Hotel...... Aksum Hotel...... Abreha CastleHotel...... Yohannes IVMuseum...... Tewahido Church...... Medhane Alem...... Lucy Park...... Kidane MehretChurch...... Enda MaryamChurch...... Derg BombingMonument...... Church ofTekla...... Taxi Stand...... Taxi Stand...... Agency...... Ethiopian Airlines...... Bus Station...... Bike Hire...... Central Cafe...... Abreha CastleHotel...... (see22) Restaurant...... Seti Supermarket...... Rafi Cafe...... TRANSPORT DRINKING EATING SLEEPING This big and bright place Thisbig andbright
(76km); Hawsien(94km); To Rock-HewnChurches of Tigray;HillTopHotel (600m); Wukro(46km); Negash (56km);Sinkata ( % www.lonelyplanet.com Adigrat (114km) 17 0344 406760;s/twincl D 19 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 C2 B2 B3 B4 A4 C2 A2 B3 A4 B2 A4 B3 B3 B4 B2 C3 C3 C4 A4 B1 A4 D2 B2 D2 A1 B2 Birr20, dBirr50) offer great viewsover Mekele. arched windowsthat ceilingsandtall high Aksum Hotel. Rooms203and204have here have more character thananyat rooms carpets anddated drapes.Thatsaid, terior isshowingitsage with1970sgreen rather regal fromtheexterior, butitsin- d withshared bathroomBirr40,dBirr50) room Birr30) (beers). to beattempted after afew wobblypops isn’t with hotshowers. Thespiralstaircase robes, stonetilefloors andcleanbathrooms ward- are yetsizable,andhouse spartan is available. shared bathroomsare andhot water clean thanothers.ing someoptionsbrighter The floors. Somewindowsfacethehall,mak- place hassimple,large tile roomswithclean THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Mekele THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT have niceviewsover theparkandpalace. 418 and310to320(excluding313317) Milkana Café & Restaurant Café Milkana Eating ste Birr180-360) Aksum Hotel MIDRANGE cupies theground and 1stfloors here, serv- Guna St,Mekele’s most popular caféoc- s/tw Birr180/210,steBirr360-500) view. restaurant takes advantage of theamazing anddecent carpets. Sadly,onlythe TVs beds, fridges,queen-sized phones,satellite resents goodvalue. The large roomshave the-way place,1km northof centre, rep- without very clean. conies. Thehotel iswelllooked after and telephones andbal- satelliteall boast TVs, here are Mekele’s and mostcomfortable Aksum stelae atthisfinehotel. Therooms the chairs totheexterior screams stylised trimmed courtyard/parkingarea. and comfy.Theysurroundavegetation- theroomsherestation; are austere butclean US$17.50/21) 402258; s/twwithshared bathroomUS$13.75/18, s/tw Hill TopHotel Hill Dallas Hotel Queen ofShebaHotel Abreha Castle Hotel Castle Abreha Bisrat Hotel faranji Justnorthof DallasHotel, this This19th-centurymansionis Agoodbudget thebus betnear
Oneof theonly establishments
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0344 406535;fax (mains Birr10-20) Everything from 0344 401387;GunaSt; Roomshere Off Off thyme). Vegetarians steer clear. cooked –inbutter, warmed–butnot tartare, usuallyserved orlamblike(minced beef theFrench steak crunchyslightly with zilzil tibs the timeyou’ve arrived. Specialities include traditional tial fire, thisgreat culturalrestaurant andits duringourresearchclosed duetoasubstan- ern café with good croissants andcoffee.ern caféwithgoodcroissants blue’ thisrooftop terrace isgood. tempt atWestern fare, like ‘veal gorden If you’re after aninteresting Ethiopianat- the evenings. room here becomesquite atmosphericin from.Thedining pizza toppingstochoose chillies andspinach are justsomeof the anchovies,food intown.Eggplant, salami, isknowntoproducethebestItalian taurant pastas andtraditionalEthiopianfare.pastas smart 2nd-floor restaurant prepares pizzas, ing cakes, coffee, burgers andthelike. The ing upforatriptoTigray’s rockchurches. stock- orthose supermarkets forself-caterers Ethiopian Airlines &Away There Getting great coffee –youcan’treally gowrong. There are countlesslittlecafésthatpumpout Drinking drink. sion isthebestplaceforalate afternoon and breezy terrace of thisgrandold man- Birr10-30) day andFriday). sum (US$40,30minutes, Monday,Wednes- Ababa (US$125, 1½hours, daily)andAk- 6am). For Lalibela, take the normal Addis 6am). ForLalibela, (Birr150, two days, deluxe ‘Cobra Service’ (Birr82, twodays, 6am)or normal service To Addis Ababa, you have thechoice of Aksum (Birr28 toBirr35, 8½hours, 6am). grat (Birr14,three hours), whileonerunsto Painful towatch. Delicioustodrink. the life outof before fruit,right youreyes. Axumamit Hotel &Restaurant Axumamit Hotel Seti Supermarket Seti Cafe Rafi Gerlase Geza Yordanos Bright Bar&Restaurant Yordanos Bright Abreha Castle Hotel Castle Abreha Central Cafe Central Numerous morning buses runtoAdi- Numerous morning buses SimplycalledYordanosI,thisres- (strips of beef, fried and served (stripsof friedandserved beef,
tukul (Alula St;snacksBirr2.50)
(juices Birr4) (juices (Guna St;mainsBirr8-15)
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Atinymod- Oneof afew (mains Birr8-18) Thescenic
(Alula St;mains Although Although kitfo 153
NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA Birr1500 fortheDanakilDepression! Birr1200 perdayforTigray’s churches and offers qualitytrucksatextortionate rates: Temperatures cansoarto 50°C andwith placesonEarth. hottest, mostinhospitable sion hasacquired areputation asoneof the the level, 100m belowsea Danakil Depres- Venus. pointslyingmore Withseveral than helloto andsay Say goodbyetoEarth DEPRESSION DANAKIL near themosqueforBirr4perhour. cost Birr10toBirr20.Bikes canbehired cyclecostsBirr1.Contract taxis wheeled 200m fromthehighway. dropped offenroute; theairport’s only utes) tothevillage of Quihaandasktobe can alsotake aminibus(Birr2,20min- Birr30andBirr40.You town, costbetween totheairport,8kmoutofA contracttaxi There aroundtown. stands are taxi several Around Getting Agency operator inMekele is left foryoutodetermine. Theonlylicensed ity andqualityof vehicle isunfortunately Birr600 toBirr1000perday.Theirreliabil- who offer church trips;pricesrange from the Adigratbus(Birr8,1½hours). Atsbi, gotoWukrofirst; take forSinkata, day only,Hawsien (Birr15,2½hours). For (Birr8, onehour,10daily)and,onWednes- (Birr15, three hours, onedaily),Wukro dailyforAbifrom thebusstation Addi 5½ hours). Ababa busandget inWoldia(Birr30, off 154 Short hopsinashare-taxi orthree- There are lotsof private 4WDoperators For theTigray churches, leave minibuses SALT FORGOLD blocks, whichcame tobeknownas inShoa. Later,across thecountry to theEthiopiancourt thesaltwascutinto small, rectangular other things,forhunks ofgold! salt, among century Egyptian ofAksumsentexpeditions westtobarter writingin Greek, the kings ofcurrency inEthiopia.their animals,has been usedasakind AccordingtoKosmos,a 6th- Since earliesttimes andrightuptothepresent day, salt, aprecious commodityforpeopleand to market, whereto market, the barswill bebartered. inwesternthe barsby handfromthesalt lakes Ethiopia,theyspend weekstravelling by caravan fromthemine.travelled further THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT •• Danakil Depression ••Danakil THE HISTORICALCIRCUIT Mined in the Danakil Depression, hundreds themineralwastransported intheDanakil west ofkilometres Mined To thisday, Afar nomads andtheircamels continuetofollow thisancientsalt route. Cutting
( % 0344 406466;[email protected]) G.K. Ahadu Tours & Travel AhaduTours&Travel G.K. XQ(I , which amole; theirvaluegrew withevery that they kilometre of Africa’sactive volcanoes. sulphurous springsandanastonishing25% tem), it’speppered withcountlesscolourful riftsys- (thanks tobeingpartof theRedSea crustpulledthin its underlyingcontinental ( at theTigrai in TourismCommissionoffice like ahandwiththe Afarformalities,stopin Ifyou’d the Afartouristoffice nearBerahile. mandatory Afarguide(Birr100per day)at per mission andtoarrange pickingupyour sion the you mustcontact onlyone4WDissuicide),4WDs (taking If you’re travelling withagroup of private or through or through tour operators inAddisAbaba (see p282 ) ber andFebruary whenit’satitscoolest. forget.ever It’sbestvisitedDecem- between dle. somethingnobodywill Itis,however, canhan- ing worldisn’tsomethingeveryone past fortheirlegendary ferocity. ( p46 ), anomadicethnicgroupknowninthe forcenturiesbytheAfarpeople harvested are green shores bright anditssalty have been hours by4WD!)southof Irta’ale. Itswaters Afera Hamd Ela. More rewarding isatripto which isabout25kmnorthof thevillage on thecontinent,headfor hausting. Taking camelsis aviableoption. isascaptivatingitex- summit forsunrise spite gentle hike slopes,anight-time toits only permanentlava lake ontheplanet.De- since 1967.Itssmallsoutherlycrater is the of inastate has been continuouseruption % Irta’ale Trips here canbeorganised through An excursion intothisharsh andastound- If you’dsimplylike tovisitthelowestplace
0344 406466;[email protected]) (-102m),which is30km(orfive tonine ( % 0336 660181;fax660448) (613m),themostfamousvolcano, G.K. Ahadu Tours & Travel Agency AhaduTours&Travel G.K. www.lonelyplanet.com Afar Tourism Commis- Tourism Afar Dallol inMekele. regarding (-116m), Lake Lake
but they’lldo. Thepriceisright. mattresses. Thebathroomsaren’t spotless, smallishroomswithsofthas spartan, foam room Birr60,dBirr60-70) still thebackof beyond. before despite itsfame,is leaving. Lalibela, fromapharmacy need anything youmight exchanges cashandtravellers cheques), and rol, batteries, birr(theCommercialBank 120km tothenorthwest.Stockuponpet- for visitstoitsfamousneighbour, Lalibela, The townof Woldia provides aspringboard 2112m pop 24,533/elev WOLDIA Wukro www.lonelyplanet.com hours) orAddis Ababa, you shouldwait (Birr12, 3½hours). For Mekele (Birr30, 5½ Hotel oraroundthe Lal station ing thedaily journey;inquire attheTotal least oneaidorgovernment truckalsomak- around 10am.There’sbus station usuallyat Ababa alsopicksupatthe busto Lalibela (when it’sfull).If there’s theAddis aseat, usuallyleavedoesn’t until9amor10am hours) toleave issupposed at6am,but (Birr25, five toseven The bustoLalibela &Away There Getting and Ganet. main Addis–Mekele Mechare roadbetween them toBirr80before walking).It’son the only payBirr50,trynegotiating (wegot that one sit–take yourpick!).Seeing locals hot showers andtwotoilets(onesquat and andspotlessbathrooms with dimmer lights phones, clean roomsthathostsatellite TVs, room Birr12-15,dBirr25) of atthemainjunction. thebusstation ered Woldia’sbest.Thehotel is900mnorth restaurant (mainsBirr5toBirr12)isconsid- showers are clean,butaren’t soprivate. Its offer hotwater andlarger beds.Theshared ers andtheoddbalcony.TheBirr70options with comfybeds,linoleumfloors, coldshow- people have perishedinamatter of hours. here infullexpeditionstyle;unprepared canalsohelpplanyouritinerary. tion, staff direc-missions andpointingyouintheright ( p151 helping withadviceonper-). Besides Selam Hotel Selam Mechare Hotel Mechare There are toDessie alsothree daily buses Ganet Hotel Ganet Remember, you need totreatRemember, youneed ajourney
( % S( 0344 430340;
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( % 0333 311968;dBirr100) 0333 310327;dwithshared bath- , northof Mechare Hotel, hastidyBirr60doubles 0333 310233;twwithshared bath- THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Woldia THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT h 8am-5pm) orMekele has large haslarge Mekele road. junctiononthemainAddis– the Lalibela neartheShell at for passingbuses station pop 8484 / elev 2630m pop 8484/elev LALIBELA Mountains, is‘Africa’sPetra’.Mountains, majesty. Here, intherugged Lasta high tos tobackupyourstoriesof Lalibela’s Unlike FranciscoAlvares, you’llhave pho- remains, frozeninstone. most amillenniaago. Today thatworldstill underlying thisremote Ethiopiantownal- downintothered volcanicrock was carved lit passageways, hiddencryptsandgrottoes, rock-hewnchurches,cent medieval dimly structure thatdefiesreason. slack-jawedsunlight, upto a andstaring in the standing onlytofindyourself cesses, chanting coolre- comingfromthedeep, candlesandhearthesoundsofbeeswax the confineslike thecloudsof smell incense, itional priestsandmonkswhofloat through historical sites world. intheChristian edly ranksamongthegreatest religio- pharmacies. just arrived and there are stillnobanksor Sporadic electricityhas ably undeveloped. since the16thcentury, itremains remark- Lalibela Lalibela that after making agreat pilgrimage. In fact, of arrival feeling morewith the sense like land continuesto bequite longandarduous, place, sittingat2630m. Thejourneyover- here foramajor festival isunforgettable. Ethiopian Orthodox Christians and being not tax mewithitsbeingfalsehood. not tax written, andIhave leftitthattheymay there is much more thanwhatIhave that alliswritten isthetruth,and powerIam, swear IbyGodinWhose ifIwriteshall notbebelieved more…but tomethatI itseems buildings, because I wearyof writingmore aboutthese An ancientworld,including11magnifi- Descend intothetunnelsandpass trad- Lalibela, aWorldHeritageLalibela, site, undoubt- Though thetownhasdrawn‘tourists’Though Lalibela alsoremains a veryLalibela isolated Joam dasIndias:Verdadera informa - Francisco Alvares (early-16th-century Portuguese writer) From writer) Portuguese is acentre of pilgrimage for many cam dasterras doPreste Joam +@ I+ (Lisbon 1540;Lisbon 1889) Ho Preste
155
NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA opian angels! churches, they were Ethi- almost certainly Aksumite style. If angels didbuild the show clear characteristics of the ancient most ofAksum, and indeed thechurches inexistencebeen duringthedaysof tradition. a very Ethiopianbuilding long-standing representsmost certainly thepinnacleof infactal- be African’chauvinism, Lalibela ruled out.Longa victim of theusual ‘itcan’t be canalmostcertainly celestial ormortal, a miraculousspeed! darkness. Inthisway,thechurches at rose celestial one,whotoiledallthe hours of earthly workforcewasthenreplaced bya that, toilingallthehours of the daylight, construct thechurches, whilelocalsclaim have taken aworkforceof some40,000to ful calculators have estimated thatitwould Somewizardlyscholarsarises. withpower- discussions aboutwhobuiltthe churches tradition isthrownoutthewindow when reign. than Lalibela’s that theymayspanamuch longer period ofcraftsmanship andstate preservation are sodifferent fromeach otherinstyle, the Tombof thebuildings Adam.However, Jerusalem: and theRiver Jordan,Calvary, featuresnames of of Lalibela’s echo those and accessibletoallEthiopians.Even the on Africansoil,farfromMuslimusurpers, liberate attempt tocreate anewJerusalem saw. Lalibela that itwas,infact,aheavenly visionthat when hereturned. Anotherlegend claims vowedtobuildanewholycity Lalibela Intrigued bythebuildingshefound,King fear of fromhishalf-brother. persecution wasexiledorfledtoJerusalem in Lalibela states thatKing or 13thcentury.Legend reign inthe12th from aroundLalibela’s (a rare thatthechurches consensus!) date after him. tion of thechurches, thetownwasnamed libela, therulercredited withtheconstruc- 13th centuries.After thedeathof KingLa- inthe12thand dynasty’scapital Zagwe initiallyknownasRoha, wasthe Lalibela, History 156 Exceptional masonry skillshadlongExceptional whether foreignHowever, intervention, scholars between andlocal The consensus Perhaps wasmakingade- KingLalibela Scholars andlocaltraditionbothbelieve THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Lalibela THE HISTORICALCIRCUIT personal videocamerasBirr150; tional calls. Standard rates( p267 tothepostoffice. ). It’snext Lalibela’s Lalibela’s Sights Notebook Scam, a problem(see opposite ). about thechurches. children guidesknowmuch or unlicensed also won’tcontribute toyourvisit,asfew ‘guides’ harassingtravellers). Hiringeither (andmore unemployed gration toLalibela guidesencourageslicensed unhealthymi- to playtruantatschool, whileusing un- Using children asguidesencourages them is attractive, tochildren aswelladults. the prospectof moneyearnedfromguiding unemployment ishigh, regions. Because inyournether asaflea also beasirritating thetrick. usually does ofpowder onyoursocksatthestart theday rugs inchurches. Alittlesprinkleof flea dents –fleas.Theytend tobefoundonthe lers are have itssmallestresi- withLalibela The biggest (butminor)gripemosttravel- Dangers &Annoyances office Tourism Telecommunications office Lalibela HealthCenter good rates. can change cash(USdollars) –neithergive Olivescheques, Hotel ( whiletheSeven p161 ) ( p161 ) canusuallychange cashandtravellers rarely have ever connections.Roha Hotel in town(uptoBirr2perminute), butthey There are expensive Internet several options Information photography more challenging. from yourenjoyment, butthey domake water Theyshouldn’t take seepage. away over mostchurches toprotect frescoes from androofingbuilt rather hideousscaffolding with remarkably gentle gloves, Unescohas a smallarea. thereand because are so manywithinsuch Petra); thebuildingsare because sorefined; but freed entirely from it(unlike most of intotherock, manyarecause not carved remarkable forthree mainreasons: be- advice and sells several smallbookletsonLalibela. advice andsellsseveral Thisofficeoffers somehelpful 1.30-5.30pm Mon-Fri) noon &1.30-5.30pm) Pestering fromyoungchildren canalsobe Harassment ‘guides’can fromunlicensed Although time hastreatedAlthough thechurches rock-hewn churches rock-hewn ( % 0333 360167; ( % ( www.lonelyplanet.com h 0333 360416; h 8am-8pm) Interna- h
8am-5.30pm) (admission Birr100, 8am-noon & h 8.30am- are their fees. willoccasionally drop theirlicense) to see guidesonthestreet (alwaysask licensed five ormore). duringslowtimes However, of Birr150perday(Birr200forgroupsof arranged fee atthetourismofficeforaset guidescanbe you sochoose. Locallicensed a guideandoncesolo,inwhichever order offer. We’drecommend goingonce with the amazingsubtletieseach church hasto permanent –you’llmissoutonmanyof nels isquite memorableandusuallynot sible –getting lostinthewarren of tun- church isfair. they return atipof Birr1perperson per peared atthetimeof research, butshould each tohave church doorwayseemed disap- wards (Birr5). polite totipthemsomething smallafter- beside themforphotos.Itiscustomary and their church’s treasures obligingly andpose priests are more thanhappytoshowoff resist soplease usingone.coes, Many of the greatcause damage tothemuralsand fres- for thedurationof yourstay. Tickets give access toallchurches intown group of Medhane churches andBet Alem. beside thepathleadingto northern www.lonelyplanet.com churches andsits immediately behind the 11 six of This groupcontains Lalibela’s NORTHWESTERN GROUP OF CHURCHES The visitingwithoutaguideispos- Although Lastly, don’tforgetLastly, tobring your torch! bearers shoe foundat The self-appointed Note that cameraflashesinsidechurches for therightreason thatshouldnotbeimportant. inneed.Noyouwon’tseethejoychild’sface,butifyou’rethose studentsactually giving find outwhatmaterials of. they’re short This willallowtheteachers todistribute materials to them awayfromschool.Ifyouwanttohelpwitheducation,it’sbestapproach theschooland cash later. purchased notebooks onlytohappenupon thechildgleefullyreturning ittothevendor for notebooks.need ofschoolmaterials, particularly Compelledbyguilt,numeroustravellers have ceremony! Oops! acoffeeexcited andbefore ustohishousesomothercouldperform heknewit,he’dasked namelyfootball.Soonthechildwas had aChelseaFCtoponsoswitchedtohappiersubjects, with,‘bothmyparentsus andstarted are dead.’After brieflyconsolinghim,wenoticedhe You’ll undoubtedly comeacrossachildwith an improbable‘sobstory’here. Onechildapproached SCAM NOTEBOOK As always,never give directly tochildren; keeps itonlyencouragesthemtobegandactually Most ‘sobstories’,whethergenuineornot,usuallyleadtothechildfeigning thedesperate ticket office ticket
( h THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Lalibela THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT 8am-noon &2-5pm) lies group iseasilythemostimpressive. ticket office. Fromasizeperspective, this over 11.5high. world, itmeasures 33.5mby23.5mandis to bethelargest rock-hewnchurch inthe impressive foritssizeandmajesty. Said Medhane Alem(Saviour of theWorld)is than atraditionalEthiopianchurch, Bet amassiveResembling Greek temple more Alem Medhane Bet Aksum. the originalStMary of Zionchurch in church mayhave acopyinrockof been side which supportthegabledroof. Trinity. There are afurther38columnsin- corner are torepresent thought theHoly of theoriginals).Thethree jointed ateach rectangular columns(manyactually replicas Thankfully, itwas recovered. touristforUS$25,000. and soldtoaBelgian it wasstolenbyan Ethiopianantiquedealer cross.In1997 the famous7kggold Lalibela You maybeallowedtosee central crosses. the windows,each decorated withdifferent andJacob.Isaac Piercedstone‘panels’fill preparedbeen symbolicallyforAbraham, empty graves tohave inone corner, said nave andfouraisles.Lookforthethree churches. The first, Bet Maryam,churches. Thefirst, is small, Bet nel is alarge three courtyard containing MedhaneConnected to Bet Alem byatun- Maryam Bet Some scholars have suggested thatthe The buildingissurroundedby34 large, The interior consistsof abarrel-vaulted IK 4 IKBVN@4
157 NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ing for Jesus’ help. Thelower leftwindow, to heaven after repenting his sinsand ask- it, asignal thatthissinner wasaccepted has asmall irregular-shaped openingabove the two sinners. window Thelower right to represent thecrucifixion of Jesus and a smallcross-shaped window,are believed Trinity, whilethe lowerthree, below set torepresent isthought upper set theHoly three windows. According toscholars, the first church builtbyLalibela. itmayhavegrims. Somebelieve the been this isthemostpopularchurch amongpil- who’s particularlyvenerated in Ethiopia, Dedicated standard. totheVirgin,ally high yet designedanddecorated toanexception- 158 Sekota (100km) (42km byroad,20kmmule); Yemrehanna Kristos Bilbila Chirkos(35km); Arbatu Ensessa(35km); To BilbilaGiyorgis(32km); 4 1 3 2 LALIBELA On its eastern wall you’ll see two sets of twosets On itseastern wallyou’ll see THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Lalibela THE HISTORICALCIRCUIT
18 River Jordan River seo oe...... C3 Asheton Hotel...... Helen Hotel...... Heaven GuestHouse...... Blue LalHotel...... Alif ParadiseHotel...... Ticket Office...... Van Internet...... Tourism office...... Telecommunications Office...... Post Office...... Lalibela HealthCenter...... Internet Café...... Ethio Supermarket...... SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION Saturday Market AC 27 23 14 17 1 15 20 12 16 See Enlargement 7 Cemetery Orthodox 26 13 12 11 10 Secondary School 9 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 13 St Lalibela B4 B2 B2 B3 C2 A4 B4 B4 C3 B4 B3 B4 6 8 B Seven OlivesHotel...... Roha Hotel...... Roha)...... Lalibela Hotel...... Lal Hotel...... Jerusalem GuestHouse...... Restaurant...... C3 Jerusalem GuestHouse...... (see14) Dirb TezaraRestaurant...... Blue LalHotel...... (see11) Tukol Village...... John Cafeteria&Lalibela Mini RohaHotel(Private EATING road (2km) To airport 3 Ὀ 5 4 22 19 that’s kept permanently wrapped incloth. good and evil). one white, torepresent one black(thought bulls, two-headed eagleandtwo fighting animals andfoliage, includingacurious such details asbirds, in beautifullycarved andarches arecolumns, capital covered painted withvery earlyfrescoes, andthe dragon. bas-relief ofcarved StGeorge the fighting beneath theroof isarare andbeautifully small irregular-shaped openingbelowit. Jesus tohell,hasthe andwassentenced which represents thecriminalwhomocked 28 NORTHWESTERN GROUPOFCHURCHES 24 Bet Golgotha,Mikael 2 At the nave’s eastern endis acolumn Inside, theceilings andupperwallsare Above thewestern porch andsqueezed 29 Giyorgis Bet & SelassieChapel 21 11 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 School Tomb of C3 B4 C3 A4 A3 B4 A4 A4 Adam Bet Meskel 10
25 Ri u tto...... C3 Bus Station...... Unique Restaurant...... Seven OlivesHotel...... (see19) Roha Hotel...... (see18) Megenagna Hotel...... Megabi Cafeteria...... Ethiopian Airlines...... Fine ArtGallery...... Askalech TejHouse...... TRANSPORT SHOPPING DRINKING
v er SOUTHEASTERN GROUPOFCHURCHES
Jo 0.3miles 500m 0 0 Danaghel rdan Bet Maryam Gabriel-Rafael Bet Maryam (30km);Machina www.lonelyplanet.com (42km); Gashema(64km);Woldia Bet Bet Medhane (6km); Airport(23km);Geneta (180km); BahirDar(261km) Alem Bet AbbaLibanos 0 D Bet Amanuel To Na'akutoLa'ab 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 Maryam (7km) C2 A4 B3 C3 C2 A4 Merkorios To Ashetan 50 m Bet architectural features of thechurches. form pillars andbracket –are capitals typical day Turkey). Many of itsfeatures –thecruci- (modern- Roman emperorJulianinEdessa martyred ontheorders of the4th-century constructed inmemoryof themaidennuns tohave said Danaghel, the chapel been of Bet MaryamTo thesouthof courtyardis theBet Danaghel Bet spandrels of thearches. relief foliage beneathstylised ononeof the two aislesspannedbyarcades. Meskel. Fourpillars dividethegalleryinto Maryam of isthetinysemichapel at Bet Bet intothecourtyard’snorthernwall Carved Meskel Bet rumours abound–askyourguide. Nobody knowswhatlaysbeneath,though www.lonelyplanet.com libela’s most important religiouslibela’s mostimportant treasures. assure yourplace inheaven! of to sanctity Golgotha thatavisit is said and Such istheimportance libela himself. place intheholy city, thetombof KingLa- slab of tocover stone,said themostsecret walls’ niches. intothe carved depictions of saints seven an angel. Almostas amazingare thelife-size relief;in high above it,inlowrelief, hovers of thechurch) arecumbent figure iscarved of Christ(anarched recess inthenortheast opian Christianart.Ontheso-called Tomb some of the best earlyexamplesof Ethi- the public. nately, thechapel isvery rarely opento represent Unfortu- thefourevangelists. to hands heldupinprayer;it’sthought relief of fourwinged creatures withtheir altars. Oneisdecorated withabeautiful three Itcontains monolithic sanctuaries. holiest Chapel,oneof Lalibela’s Selassie Debre Sina). (also knownasBet Mikael churches GolgothaandBet of Bet Maryam courtyardconnectsittothetwin A tunnelatthesouthernendof theBet W`@ I Selassie Chapel & Mikael Bet Golgotha, Bet Keep an eye out for the cross carved in Keep aneyeoutforthecrosscarved Bet Golgotha also boasts some of Golgotha alsoboasts La- Bet totheTombofClose Christisamovable Golgothaisknownfor containing Bet asananteroom tothe Mikaelserves Bet IK(TIK 6P(+E IKBG( IK( THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Lalibela THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT are not allowed into Bet Golgotha. are notallowedintoBet belongings of Sadlywomen KingLalibela. of wood,iron and horn),bothsupposed fixion) andalarge prayerstick(composed the nails of tosymbolise cruci- (thought You maybeshownablackened cross metal hollowed-out blockof stone. called Tombof Adam.Itconsistsof agiant, Golgothaistheso- western façadeof Bet house ofhouse justice. asthe town’sprison,or may have served has ledscholars that thebuilding tobelieve ery of ankleshacklesamongother objects something altogether different. The discov- this current church mayhave as started Gabriel-Rufael, fromBet tunnel thatstarts Reached viaalong,narrowandpitch-black Merkorios Bet group. the mainentrancetosoutheastern Heaven’, thisimposingtwin-church marks sliver of hewnrockknownasthe‘Wayto Its entranceflanked tothewestbyasloping Gabriel-Rufael Bet churches had pastsasprisonsandpalaces. various historiansdebatingwhethersome churches as wellassomeintrigue,with offers mostfinelycarved oneof Lalibela’s western group,thesoutheastern cluster smallerinsizethanthenorth- Although SOUTHEASTERN GROUPOFCHURCHES from the15th century. The12 apostles are they’re depicted; delightfully it maydate tle flipper handsandeyes that lookaskance, represent thethree men.With theirlit- wise Don’t miss thebeautifulfresco to thought the interior isafraction of itsformer size. early asthe7thand8thcenturies. a fortifiedpalaceforAksumite royaltyas Gabriel-Rufaelmayhave been thatBet pose irregular floorplan,hasledscholars topro- trench below. This,alongwithitscurious, oversmall walkway,high themoatlike bya trance isatthetopandaccessed façade wasitsmostinteresting feature. the complexyou’llrealise its monumental Gabriel.Onceinside only take place inBet rebuilt, hasbeen that collapsed services Standing in a deep trench inadeep Standing infrontof the Due toalarge of section roof collapsing, churchesUnlike itsen- mostLalibela Although the section of Bet Rufael’sroof of thesection Bet Although IKB ^ IK[P(]$P(
159 NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA structed in a single night by Lalibela’s wife, structed byLalibela’s in asingle night they may represent angel eyes. arecapitals ratherunique; someguidessay corners ofvery its cubic small.Thecarved from theoutside, theinterior isactually sumite. itlookslarge Curiously,although tural features, such asthefriezes,are Ak- tothestrata. attached that meansonly the roof and floor remain in thatit’sahypogeous church. InEnglish, churches and isuniqueamongLalibela’s AbbaBet Libanosishewnintoarockface Libanos Abba Bet ied here. graves of pilgrimswhorequested tobebur- ing properties. churches specialheal- topossess isbelieved Ethiopia,honey producedin Throughout the courtyard’ssouthernwallistheir hive. doorin ahigh flyingabout.Behind bee’ Merkorios Gabriel-Rufael. andBet of three) which connectsthechurch toBet leads toalong,subterranean tunnel(one hole inthefloor(beneathdonationbox) to anuppergallery.Inthesouthernaisle,a connectingthefour-pillaredstaircase walls notaccessible,there’sthough aspiral even the doubleAksumite friezeinthenave. Al- Aksumite structures.preserved tos ( p163 ), which isoneof Ethiopia’sbest- should make adaytriptoYemrehanna Kris- and stone. Toappreciate thisfully,you walls mimickingalternating layers of wood buildings, withitsprojecting andrecessed was theroyalfamily’sprivate chapel. churches. Somehave Amanuel suggested Bet ered mostfinelycarved oneof theLalibela’s Freestanding andmonolithic,thisiscon sid- Amanuel Bet blood andmud. church wallswithamixture of straw,ox merly, such paintingswere plastered tothe priests willclaimit’s14thcentury.For- to date the fromthe16thcentury,though probably of alater date. also represented in a lessattractive fresco, 160 The church to have issaid con- been Amanuel,manyofLike itsarchitec- Bet The chambers inthewalls are theold theodd‘sacredOutside, youmaysee The moststrikingfeature of theinterior is It perfectly replicates thestyleof Aksumite The paintingoncottonfabricisbelieved THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Lalibela THE HISTORICALCIRCUIT IKP N P( IKP@ chapel of Bet Lehem. chapel of Bet quired toexcavate churches. these and gives of youavivididea theworkre- togrowfromtherock The church seems Meskel Kebra, withalittlehelpfromangels. crowd infor Timkat, and Fasika. Leddet major festival, of whenthousands pilgrims The most excitingtimeto visitisduring a Festivals &Events tling mummified corpses. walls surrounding thechurch holdunset- himself. by KingLalibela carved been posing corkscrew keys) isrumoured tohave year-old olive-wood boxes; one(with theop- beauty insimplicity.There are alsotwo800- and illuminates theceiling’slarge – crosses churches. ontheother seen the obtrusive scaffolding italsolacks to itsexceptionalpreservation, plinth intheshapeof aGreek cross.Due church of three-tiered all,a15m-high tradition, it’sthemostvisually perfect ising objectinallof Ethiopia. have littledoubtthatit’sthemostmesmer- ing onthebrowof itscompound,you’ll Giyorgis. Stand- masterpiece, Bet Lalibela’s northwestern andsoutheastern groups,is Resting allonitsown,southandwestof the GIYORGIS BET A tunnel leads off thechurch off A tunnelleads tothetiny See alsotheboxedSee text, above . warned thatsomeof thecavitiesBe inthe flowsinfromthewindows Inside, light Representing theapogee of therock-hewn the churcheshadbeendedicated tohim. turned outtobeseverely piqued:notoneof patron saint,George. However, thesaint outinfullarmourcameEthiopia’s decked unexpected visit.Astride awhite horseand series ofchurches,hewassuddenlypaidan Lalibelawasfinishingoffhis Just asKing HOOFPRINTS &SAINTLY REMINDERS him themostbeautifulchurchofall. amendsimmediatelyto make bybuilding side ofthetrench. permanently imprinted instoneonthe prints leftbehindbythesaint’shorse, ing ‘PlaceofGeorge’) pointoutthehoof- Profusely apologetic,Lalibelapromised Today, thepriestsofBetGiyorgis (mean - IK[ [ www.lonelyplanet.com under construction. able. The spartan singles aren’table. Thespartan aspleasing. Birr50, twBirr100) shared bathroomUS$10,s/tw US$10/15) landethiopia.com fordetails). www.yemrhahotel.com orwww.green (see Tourswhich isbeingbuiltbyGreen Land Next onthehorizonisYemrha Hotel, like TukolVillage, are tocropup. starting afew newhotel projects,visiting Lalibela, electricalcutsareLengthy stillaproblem. give outbuckets of warmwater instead. ormay morningsandevenings ing toearly Hotels maylimitshower-tourism season. andhigh particularly duringdryseason from May August. through costlyreservations. if you’dmadethose up payingafractionof whatyouwouldhave a dive. Conversely, ifthere’s space,you’llend you’llriskbeingforcedinto out reservations, US$50! Ifyouarrive duringafestival with- soar –onehotel’s Birr150roomjumpsto times roomsduringthese prices forreserved in advancearen’t unheardof. However, uptosixmonths soreservations Christmas, during thefestival periodandEuropean Note thatvacanciesare almostnonexistent Sleeping your hotel. least onechurch’s day;inquire saint’s at See p261 fordates anddetails. Meskel andKiddusYohannes are alsobusy. www.lonelyplanet.com Asheton Hotel Asheton BUDGET especially with asmall to keep itthatway.Its future looksbright, is very cleanandthe friendlyowneris keen tidy and put forthhotH20. Thisnewplace Aksumite headboards. Thebathroomsare bedsandcreativesturdy yetcomfortable ings lookover shinylinoleum‘wood’floors, is pleasant andthepricesareis pleasant pet floor. Theshowers are hot,theservice wall andplunged onthecar- toitsdeath Aksumite-inspired coathookfell fromthe options. They’re toage –our starting though ding, have more character thanother budget washed walls,localartandembroidered bed- Heaven Guest House Heaven Due toanincreasing numberof travellers suffers fromwater shortages,Lalibela Discounts are negotiableinmosthotels periods,trytoattend at Outside these
( % Thetwinrooms,withwhite- 0333 360030;swithshared bathroom THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Lalibela THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT
( % 0333 360075;twwith tukul always Woodceil- restaurant negoti- if youtake themoutsideLalibela). person Dutch tents forUS$3perday(US$5 their balconies.Italsorents qualitytwo- which offer viewsover Giyorgis from Bet two-storey red sandstone the timeyouread this,thishotel hasseveral ing Birr60, s/dUS$30/36) the vista! may landaview.Oddly,thetoilethasquite dows. Opentheshutters andyou though, are reasonably cleanbuthave noglasswin- aroundapatio,thedimlylitrooms ers. Set Roha, thisisthebestof thebottomfeed- a balconytoplayon. water. room2,3or4andyou’ll have Land are cleanandtheshowers bright, spurthot extremelyAlthough austere, rooms these Heck, read youcaneven byit! are actuallylitbymore thana5-wattbulb. to hidedirtycorners, soroomsandloos places inthispricerange, theyaren’t trying here are crispandclean.Andunlike most A good-value optionforsingles,therooms Helen Hotel 27.50) ing per2-persontentUS$12.50,s/d/steUS$38/50/75) bathroom Birr30/60) generator. to hotshowers andthehotel hasitsown 229 have have views.Campers sunset access tectural beautydepartment.Rooms220 to and barare step asteep upinthearchi- Aksum’s Yeha Hotel), itslobby,diningarea Dar’s Tana Hotel, Gonder’sGoha Hotel and identical toitsstate-owned brothers (Bahir andcosyroomsare thecomfortable though Rooms 10 to16offer the bestviews. a day.Its leafyterrace isitsstrongest asset. updated plumbinggushes hotwater 24hours feel abit old,butthebedsare newandthe quality. Thelarge roomsandbathroomsstill ped itspricesbyUS$10 despite theimproved US$4, s/dUS$20/30) Roha Hotel Roha Hotel MIDRANGE Alif Paradise Hotel bathrooms and laminate floors call these Lalibela Hotel Seven Olives Hotel Hotel Olives Seven Other options: RohaHotel Mini Blue LalHotel Tukol Village Lal Hotel Nowprivately run,this placehasdrop-
( ( ( % % % 0333 360009;[email protected];camp-
0333 360008; [email protected];camp-
0333 360053;s/twBirr80/120)
( ( % Scheduled tobeopenby % AlsoknownasPrivate ( ( %
% Art-clad stone walls,small ( % 0333 360380;d&twBirr120-150) 0333 360564;campingpertent
0333 360036;s/twBirr50/100) 0333 360023;s/twBirr80/120) ( % 0333 360394;s/dwithshared 0333 360020;s/dUS$15/ tukuls, someof Al- 161
NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA great. Try thecrêpeswithhoney,wehear they’re sides forcedustomove on.Smallappetite? After enjoyingafifthof it,ourbulgingin- an entire behemothof apie–bewarned! five minutes later wewere presented with so weordered thequiche Lorraine. Forty- tolivethis hotel’s ownerused inFrance, lands andtheamazingsunsets. private balconiesthatoverlook thelow- thing goingforthem:theyallopenonto vacant-feeling roomshave onemassive from our quicheand couldn’t confirmthese claims. Lalibela’s best fastingfood. Wewere stillrecovering serves per tentUS$10,s/dUS$30/40) stroganoff andchickenstroganoff curry. Ethiopian fare and hotel’s large already hittingtheirmark. when wewere intown.Mostmealswere to make more thanthe usual experience inAmericawastrainingthestaff on theleafyterrace. AnEthiopianchef with round, modernised and asteaming omelette breakfast localhoney with toast, kitchen andmenu.Birr10 willget youan Hotel Olives Seven Eating is offered. US$48 duringfestivals. Free airporttransfer allroomscostusually negotiable,though 65offerthrough views west.Discountsare large roomshome. Rooms16,20and57 162 Megenagna Hotel Megenagna Cafeteria Megabi Dirb Tezara Restaurant reviews froma numberof readers. Ethiopiandishes,hasreceivedtasty rave cheap and stated littlerestaurant, serving the Asheton Hotel, thisdarkandunder- However, thefoodusuallyunderperforms. However, ceiling, hastobetheflashiestplace toeat. with massive hangingscascading fromthe dishes. Popularwithsmalllocal businesscrowd. p158; mainsBirr7-16) pavilions. Decent Roha Hotel Unique Restaurant GuestHouse Jerusalem Jerusalem GuestHouse Jerusalem Other localrestaurants toget yourfill: Blue LalHotel John Cafeteria &LalibelaRestaurant John Cafeteria THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Lalibela THE HISTORICALCIRCUIT
(mains Birr20-32) tibs tukul (mainsBirr4-8) Pleasantthatched . (fastingfood Birr5)Localsclaimit
macchiato
These neighbours share These a (mains Birr16-32) (mains Birr7-20) restaurant serves decent restaurant serves faranji
(mainsBirr8-12)Ethiopian (mains Birr4-10) tukul
These large, These rather (
% (mains Birr15-22) Itsdininggallery, food, such as beef food,such asbeef ordinealfresco . 0333 360047;camping Eat insidethe Eat We’dheard faranji Opposite This
fare (Map (Map from Woldia. travel arrive (after 4pm)whenthebuses ets are theafternoon bestbought before Dar(Birr46, 10hours). Tick-bus toBahir 8½ to10hours). Sometimesthere’s adirect days) after overnighting inDessie(Birr39, continuing toAddisAbaba (Birr75,two dia (Birr25,five hours), withone toseven the barrel) isnowavailable inLalibela. Onthatnote, fuel(outofAddi andSekota. ney toarrive fromthenorth viaAdwa,Abi (or oodlesof patience)it’sarewarding jour- is sporadicatbest.Withyourown vehicle also bereached fromthewestbuttransport from WoldiaviaGashema. Gashemacan 40 minutes). Dar (US$61,1¼hours) andAksum(US$72, hours), Gonder(US$51,30minutes), Bahir once dailytoAddisAbaba (US$102,2½ to Birr700). Chirkos and Yemrehanna Kristos (Birr600 MaryamGeneta (Birr500) andBilbala (Birr150), Yemrehanna Kristos (Birr500), Possible trips include Na’akuto La’ab posite Olives hasthebestprices. ), theSeven hire tovisitthechurches outside town( op- the airport,which is23km southof town. (fromBirr25to Birr30 oneway)to service Most midrange hotels offer airporttransfer Around Getting Ethiopian Airlines &Away There Getting Birr200. Small originalsrange fromBirr150to cess Anneasoneof hiswork’sadmirers. Yirdaw, alocalartistwhocancountPrin- paintingscreatedour andsepia byTegegne venir shacks.Insideare beautifulwatercol- throngof sou- outfromLalibela’s stands Gallery Fine Art Shopping drinking experienceyoushouldn’tmiss. Olive Hotel’s terrace,Seven there’s oneother drinkonthe having acoldsunset Besides Drinking music after 7pm. varying potency. There’s usuallytraditional as ‘torpedo’,itserves Two buses departdailyat6amforWol- Two buses thebestapproach iscurrentlyOverland, Of themidrange hotels thatarrange 4WD Tej House Askalech
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(flask oftejBirr5) 7am-8pm) 0333 360046) tej www.lonelyplanet.com (honeywine)of One shopthat flies at least fliesatleast Alsoknown is recommended, Birr30forlonger days. Birr40. Atipof Birr15forshortdayjourneys willcostBirr35to and Na’akutoLa’ab driver. Ashorter triptoAshetan Maryam youbackBirr50toBirr70permule and set treks; askatyourhotel. Afulldayshould you canhire amuleforlonger orsteeper for SustainableFuture Alternatives thelocalcharitycontact highlanders andsomeastoundingscenery, For a real intothelife insight of Ethiopian onthe Ecotreks Escarpment Mesket tourism treks. countryside isalsohometouniqueeco- whileonthego!The stunningstarlings forget tolookfortheendemic white-billed by foot,muleor4WD,isrewarding. Don’t andajourneytothem,whether of Lalibela, asteries liewithinaday’sstrikingdistance Many otherfascinatingchurches andmon- AROUND LALIBELA www.lonelyplanet.com (there are discounts for children). and coffee, cost Birr300 perperson per day fast, lunch, dinner andtheodd snack),tea and drivers, accommodation, meals(break- view fromthetoilet isinspiring. edge andoffers incredible the –even vistas quat Maryam teeters neartheescarpment near aninteresting cave complexwhileMe- yet comfortable each currently consistingof twotraditional, fairly easy. quite lowandyou’llfindthewalkingis ontheescarpment, gradients areyou stay crops andgenuine localvillages. Because churches, fascinatingcolumnarbas alt out- caves,carpment, which houses rock-hewn take placealongthetopof theMesket Es- Embassy have helpedfundtheproject. Children (UK)andtheRoyalNetherlands ical andculturalenvironments’. Save the contributing totheprotection of theirphys- own tourismrelated whilealso enterprises, livelihood of the development through their generate improvements sustainable intheir with localcommunitiestoenablethem offers rewarding treks southof Lalibela. 140583; www.community-tourism-ethiopia.com) If youthinkLandrovers are crudebrutes, Treks, including guides,packing mules TESFA has twocampsinlocalvillages, Treks are typicallythree dayslongand TESFA’s goalis‘toworkinpartnership tukuls THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••AroundLalibela THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT . Wajela campsits Tourism inEthiopia Tourism
(TESFA; , which % 0111 away from Lalibela by4WD. away fromLalibela ing thechurch onlysits1½hours (45km) morefact madeeven astoundingconsider- reward themselves withavisiteach A week. Aksumite buildings,only15orsopeople late-being oneof Ethiopia’sbestpreserved greatness. you have before youavirtualblueprintof churchesdate byupto80years, Lalibela’s knowing thatYemrehanna Kristosmaypre- rock-hewn churches looklike they do. And to appreciate whysomanyof Lalibela’s wood andstonelayers, you’lltruly come exterior façade,created fromalternating thestepped rather thanexcavated. Seeing the construction of Lalibela’s churches.the construction of Lalibela’s surrounds isalmost hardertograspthan arches were placedsoaccurately in such ceiling. Conceiving howthemassive marble cruciform windows andtheelaborate nave decoration are exceptional, especiallythe and marshy groundbelow. Thecarving panels, which ‘float’ itperfectly above the foundation of carefully laidolive-wood die over thecenturies. Mostlay exposed over 10,000 of them) who’d come here to fied pilgrims (theprieststold usthere were ommends thelocal4WDoperator be arranged privately, TESFA though rec- Despite KRISTOS YEMREHANNA few are of inamazingstates preservation. yam, BilbilaChirkosandGiyorgis, a urgent restoration, such asAshetan Mar- manyarefind them.Although of inneed ern maps,thechurches require aguideto tucked fromanymod- awayandstillabsent topredate Quitethought inLalibela. those in style,designandage, someare even The churches varygreatly aroundLalibela Churches &Monasteries ([email protected]) ( opposite ) fortransportdetails. (end of trek). trek) andBirr800forpick-upsatFilakit of atGashema(start Birr700 fordropoffs booked wellinadvance. The church it’sbuilt isunusualbecause Incredibly, thewholechurch sitsona Behind the church lies apileofBehind mummi- Transportation to/from Lalibela must to/fromLalibela Transportation See Lalibela’s Getting Aroundsection Getting Lalibela’s See Due to limited space, these treksDue tolimited space,these mustbe Yemrehanna Kristos whohasfixed rates of WBD .>
(admission Birr50) Habte 163
NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA up thehillto church from theroad. let youtaste it.It’s20to30minutes’ walk disorders andskinproblems.Thepriestwill properties, particularlyforpsychological their sacred tohave honeyissaid curative church wascompleted. Theystillreside and tookupresidencebees shortlyafter the Abbaresembles Bet Libanosindesign. 32km from Lalibela, 32km fromLalibela, around Lying tothewestof ArbatuEnsessa, GIYORGIS BILBILA (admission Birr30) is toArbatuEnsessa Close CHIRKOS BILBILA is from Lalibela, West of Yemrehanna Kristos,around 35km ENSESSA ARBATU cover theshorter 20kmdistance. mule. Bothoptionstake aboutfive hours to church’s security. the frontwasbuiltin1985toimprove the lavaby basalt flows.Theuglybrickwallat spooky complexsitswithinacave roofed beneath thegrassfloor. skullhidden on apartiallyexposed our toe the backof half of thecomplex–westubbed shocking. Watch yourstep walkingaround and theexpression ononefacewastruly 164 directly above isthis Lalibela, thatrises at3150m,atopa mountain Set MARYAM ASHETAN to span Lalibela’s and Na’akuto La’ab’s andNa’akuto La’ab’s to span Lalibela’s why. God’ here, and it’seasytosee they’repriests believe toheaven ‘closer and manding viewsinalldirections. Thelocal mission Birr20) a three-minute walkfromtheroad. Kaleb, todate fromAD523.It’s it’sthought ancient frescoes. Alsoattributed toKing monolith, it’sknownparticularlyforits thew, Mark, Luke andJohn. four beasts’after thefourEvangelists, Mat- Kaleb inAD518. tohaveting. It’sthought builtbyKing been wild, overgrown, butratherbeautifulset- Its athree-quarter monolithchurch ina Birr30) According totradition,five swarmsof It’s alsopossibletoget here byfootor This entirely inspiringandslightly The monastery’s construction isbelieved THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••AroundLalibela THE HISTORICALCIRCUIT isanotherattributed toKingKaleb. It . Understandably, there are com- . Aninteresting three-quarter Arbatu Ensessa Arbatu ensessa I (I +^ PK2!E" I (I +[ [ PFT 4 Bilbila Giyorgis
(admission Birr30) monastery Bilbila Chirkos means‘the
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Lideta Maryam; admission Birr20) Lideta Maryam; overhanging rock inanatural cave. It AD 537. during the reign of KingGebre Meskel in to have constructed bythree been virgins parts. towalkoveryou’ll stillneed therockiest steep. Many travellers take mules, though sounding aroundthevalley. out forthefrancolins’witchlike cacklere- takes lovely youthrough country.Listen thejourneypretty poorlywithLalibela, include parchment andsomeicons. lies buriedinthechapel. Church treasures reign; claimKingNa’akutoLa’ab someeven from Lalibela, or1½hours byvehicle.from Lalibela, MaryamGeneta isaboutfourhours byfoot ern side,very grumpy-looking elephants. shaped faceof Christ,andonthesouth- remarkable 13th-centurypaintings. MedhaneBet Alem.It’salsoknownforits Maryam port it,Geneta resembles Lali bela’s and 20massive rectangular pillars thatsup- Solomonic line. Withitsrectangular shape 1270 byYekuno Amlak,whorestored the remote church of isthe six hours’ walk(42km) fromLalibela MaryamTwo hours’ walkfrom Geneta and MARYAM MACHINA lies from Lalibela, Near thesourceof theTekeze River, 31km MARYAM GENETA road, isthis theairport justoff Lying 7kmfromLalibela, ‘AB LA NA’AKUTO Birr20) illuminated Bible. crowns,gold-painted drumsandan crosses, to have belonged toitsfounder,including it dripsfromthecave roof. collectthepreciousceptacles holy water as red-brick building.Somevery oldstonere- thesite ofcertainly amuch oldershrine. and builtunderanaturalcave. Itwasalmost tractive wall) (apartfromtheouter security successor.to Lalibela’s It’ssimplebutat- The church is constructed under an The 1½-hourclimb(oneway)isquite thearchitectureAlthough here compares On thewestern wall,there’s amoon- The church boastsvarioustreasures said builttheuglyinnerEmpress Zewditu . It’s thought tohave. It’sthought builtaround been church [NT 4
G2>+P eea Maryam Geneta Machina Maryam Machina (admission Birr20) B; ^ 4 www.lonelyplanet.com , said traditionally , said attributed
(admission (Emachina satellite TV. and hasacomfy lounge downstairs witha it’sprettybathrooms. However, functional green carpets,dated drapesanddog-eared This placeispastitsprime,with 1970s and hotshowers. foambeds able roomswithsatellite TVs, andquietplace has comfort- This bright room Birr30,dBirr50) and Maqdala. Hayka major transporthubforLalibela, here it’s end upspendinganight because any beautycontests. youmay However, the formerWoloprovince wouldn’t win the hillsin ofDessie –no,theex-capital Rusty tinroofs andeucalyptustrees carpet 2470m pop 139,936/elev DESSIE dry season. steep ascent.Mulesare agoodideainthe is littlevisited, butisworththelong and forever. tobepreserved said Thechurch church. Bodies buriedundertherockare attraction. scenes withone-eyedlions,are themain frescoes, someofbut itsbeautiful hunting design, andmanyfeatures are Aksumite, rather resembles Yemrehanna Kristosin www.lonelyplanet.com weekends, so callahead. Rooms canbeinshortsupply,especially on Sleeping &Eating –bevigilant. aplenty aroundthebusstation along themaindrag.There are pickpockets banks (change cashandtravellers cheques) hour), pharmacies,agoodhealthclinicand There are Internet cafés(Birr18per several Information ically tidy bathroom. looks like shag carpets,you doget atyp- While they aren’t spotlessand bedspreads much!exterior, thatisn’tsaying though rooms attheRoyal Pension outshine the small alleybehind theShell The station. ant is thebest place toeatin town. The clean andalsohostshotwater. rooms thanitsbrotherhotel, butisequally Royal Pension 1 Hotel Fasika There are manybricked-up tombs inthe Fasika Hotel 2 Hotel Fasika Tossa Restaurant Ambaras XE
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% (mains Birr5-11) 0331 112930;dwithshared bath- 0331 114939;dBirr25) THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Dessie THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT 0331 117705;s/dBirr65/95) This restaur- Upa options. lar local place. It also serves some lar local place. It alsoserves of the RoyalPension, this isanotherpopu- point itout. MedicalHigher clinic.Ask anylocalto local prices!It’s 150m northof theWollo Ethiopian fare is great pay andyoueven 4 1 3 2 5 DESSIE Blue Nile Restaurant Municipality TRANSPORT EATING SLEEPING INFORMATION Ethiopian Airlines...... Bus Station...... Tossa Restaurant...... Stadium Cafeteria...... Blue NileRestaurant...... (see10) Royal Pension...... Fasika Hotel2...... Fasika Hotel1...... Wollo HigherMedicalClinic...... Kana ZegellilaPharmacy...... Dashen Bank...... Union...... Ah-Mu Internet...... ACP CompuTech...... maa...... B3 Ambaras...... Commercial Bank&Western A To Kombolcha&Airport(25km); Debre Berhan (248km);AddisAbaba (378km) Mosque 12 10 9 Lalibela (250km); To Kayk(28km); Mekele (343km) Woldia (75km); Tenta (140km); 8 6 400m 0.2miles 0 0
(mains Birr5-14) 4 2 3 7 11 5 14 1 13 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 B5 B4 A3 B3 A3 A3 A4 A3 B3 B4 B5 B4 B4 B Justwest faranji Mosque 165
NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA trigger before beingcaptured. who putaguninhismouthandpulled the haps stillhaunted bytheunhappyemperor Maqdala isratheramournful place,per- a few remnants strewn acrosstheplateau. not surprisingthatlittleremains besides theboxedlooting (see text, below ), itis his lastgoalwastohelpTewodros. pier arrived with32,000well-armedmen, thatwhenSirRobert Na- justsay Lets tarily. handinhelpinghimmili- to forceBritain’s took Britonshostage inalast-ditch effort midable empire andwhere collapsed he Tewodros (r1855–68)retreated ashis for- Tewodros’ hilltopfortress. Itwashere that west of Dessie,are thevestiges of Emperor Near thetinyvillage of Tenta, 140kmnorth- MAQDALA Ethiopian Airlines &Away There Getting purée). breakfast. Trythe 166 Kombolcha (Birr3,30minutes). to half-hour alsorunatleastevery buses 3½ hours, three andmini- daily).Buses nine hours, onedaily)andWoldia(Birr12, to 10hours, onedaily),Mekele (Birr41, (Birr39,8½ nine hours, five daily),Lalibela costBirr80. port costBirr10,contracttaxis 23km fromDessie. Shared totheair- taxis depart fromtheairportnearKombolcha, Addis Ababa (US$61,onehour).Flights Stadium Cafeteria After such aroute andheavy British Buses leaveBuses forAddisAbaba (Birr41, .afromet.org) opia’s Maqdala Treasures from Ethiopianhistorians fortheirreturn. and private despite collections, strongcalls the stolenitems remain inBritishmuseums from thenearbychurch. Amazingly,muchof cient manuscriptsand processionalcrosses the deademperor’s necktoaltarslabs,an- looted everything fromtheamuletaround army andfreed theprisonersin1868,they After theBritishtroopsdevastated Tewodros’ THE LOOTING OFMAQDALA in law and that it was an act ofsacrilege.in law andthat itwasan act ures’ return, arguing that lootinghadnobasis THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT •• Maqdala ••Maqdala THE HISTORICALCIRCUIT The Association oftheReturn ofEthi- continues tofightforthetreas-
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(AFROMET; www (AFROMET; It’sgreat for fliesdailyto (chickpea Birr30, d/twBirr57/80) to stopatthe side fromthewindswepttop.You’llneed stunning viewsof thesurroundingcountry- Maqdala fromTenta isgreat andthere are There’s alsoa decentrestaurant. clean sohave awanderandtake yourpick. ofsizes andlevels They’re brightness. all and theroomscome inalldifferent shapes, shared bathroom Birr30,dBirr20-30) tion. Ifyoudon’t want towalk, take a about 2kmup thehill from thebus sta- (2km). totheairport It’salsocloser and Lalibela. break AddisAbaba yourjourneybetween hotels, makingitamore option to pleasant much lessdirtyandnoisyhasbetter of hubthanDessie,butit’s atransportation twin townshave tooffer. Kombolcha isless Dessie to anythingthe Kombolcha outdoes descentfrom The dramaticandcurvaceous 1850m pop 100,954/elev KOMBOLCHA one hour)rundailytothevillage of Hayk. town, isanexcellentspotforbirders. open tomenonly. 1280and1281.It’s the monastery between the bookof thefourgospelsproducedfor known manuscripttorecord itsowndate: monasteries. Todayithoststhe oldest tant ies itwasamongEthiopia’smostimpor- the13thand15thcentur-Moa. Between century andwasfoundedbyAbba Iyasus monastery andlake. is thelittletownof Hayk, knownforits Lying 28kmnorthof Dessieonapeninsula HAYK 12.30pm &1.30-5pmMon-Fri) just undertwohours. vehicle, thejourneytoTenta ispossiblein fleapit hotels inAjibara andTenta. Witha to sortformalities.There are acoupleof inAjibaraand stopslongenough foryou morning ataround6am(Birr35,five hours) compulsory policeescort(Birr50). fore Tenta) toget papers andpickupyour History aside,the3½-hourhike to Kombolcha WineHotel Tekle Hotel (Birr4, orbuses At least15minibuses The lake anditsenvirons,3kmfrom The monastery dates fromthemid-13th One busrunsfromDessietoTenta each
( % `O(a administration office 0335 510056;dwithshared bathroom is set in pleasant grounds inpleasant isset inAjibara (10kmbe-
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out of townenroute toDessie. if youhave avehicle. kilometres It’sseveral option,butonlyviable most comfortable complex. It’s opposite theKombolcha CityService quieter thanthemore expensive options. cilities are actuallymuch and brighter Theroomswith sharedbus station. fa- is acheap tothe andsimpleoptionclose Ababa (Birr38.50,8½hours). minutes). Onebusleaves daily for Addis shops. its popularrestaurant. bazana shiro a range of from.Trythe roomstochoose and cleanspotwithafriendlyowner or share-taxi (Birr1toBirr2).It’saquiet www.lonelyplanet.com rugs; check themoutat thecooperative most famous forits woollen blankets and ter of is theimperial army,Debre Berhan of AhmedGragntheLeft-Handed’s slaugh- Yaqob ofcapital EmperorZara andthesite Ababa. Despite being the15th- century sits130kmnortheastofDebre Addis Berhan Small, yetsomehow sprawling,thetownof 2840m pop 53,000/elev BERHAN DEBRE Monday market bolcha, isknownforitslarge, colourful The little townof 41kmeastof Bati, Kom- BATI (Birr7 toBirr10,1¼hours). leave for,andarrive from, Kombolcha daily ets, away. keep curiouschildren, as well aspickpock- Ethiopian companionisagood ideato photos, comearmedwithBirr1notes. An emperor’s day).Ifyou’re planningto take out fortheoldgallows(dating from the check itoutifyou’re inthearea. Look and lively (especiallyaround 11am),so Addis Ababa’s Merkato. It’s interesting from allaround. up to10,000Afar,OromoandAmharas Sport Cafe Sport Hikma Harego Lodge Harego Frequent buses serve Dessie(Birr3,30 Frequent serve buses Ama Hotel At least one bus and 10 to 15 minibuses At leastonebusand10to15minibuses marketBati’s isEthiopia’s largest after K
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( ( h % XD 9am-3pm) 0335 513767;dBirr60) THE HISTORICAL CIRCUIT ••Bati THEHISTORICALCIRCUIT onthepiazzaand are the bestpastry , which attracts isthe
was delicious. and withcheese to Birr15);itwasserved at theirreputable restaurant (mainsBirr7 kober. if you’re planningonvisitingnearbyAn- only real nonwoollyreason tostophere is near thetelecommunications office. The unforgettable (watch forgelada baboons). down thedramaticMezezo Escarpment,is which Plateau takes and theGuassa youoff room Birr20,dBirr40) town andoffers cheap butcleanrooms. station. juice, cakes orpastries.It’snexttothebus tummyrumbleswithcoffee, on-the-road Ababa alsooccasionallyhave seats. hours). travelling Buses northfromAddis hours) andDessie(Birr31,eightseven leaves dailyat6amforKombolcha (Birr28, Ababa (Birr13/15,2½hours). Onebus princes. offounded, itwasthecapital theShoan late 19th century,whenAddisAbaba was upuntilthe east of Right Debre Berhan. The littletownof Ankober lies40kmsouth- ANKOBER delved into fering abitof comfortatcheap prices.We and figuratively Eva between andHelen, of- often here too. seen eater andyellow-throated are seedeater the Thewhite-throatedAnkober serin. seed- official homeof avery rare endemic bird, is renowned asabirders’ haven. It’sthe the walkhere isagood oneandthearea little more of thanasection wallremains, ruins of Menelik II’soldpalace. Though hours). andAnkober (Birr8,two Debre Berhan ing between warm toes andcoldtiles. warmtoes ing between prevent thetraditionalearlymorninggreet- bathrooms.Newcarpetstiful andbright Ababa, haslarge spotlessroomswithbeau- palace atthetown’sentrancefromAddis Helen Hotel The drive fromhere northtoDebre Sina, Eva Hotel Eva Yabsera Café Numerous buses/minibuses serve Addis serve Numerous buses/minibuses Set atopahill2kmfromtownare the Set Three runbetween morning buses Akalu Hotel Akalu
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167 NORTHERN ETHIOPIA ETHIOPIA NORTHERN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA 168 © LonelyPlanetPublications the above - ‘Do the right thing withour content.’ the above -‘Do theright the termsandconditions onoursitefor alongerwayof saying youknow, orresell it.See everyone site,massemailit to only. Inother words,please don’t uploadthischapter toapeer-to-peer Inreturn, wethink it’sfairtoask you touseitforpersonal, non-commercial purposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasier foryoutouse,accessthischapter isnotdigitally Tomake
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