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| John Owens, Editor in Chief, Popular Photography & Imaging |
| Click photo for more images from Ethiopia. |
But there is much more to Ethiopia than just fantastic faces. There also are enough historic buildings, monuments, and artifacts to rival any place on the tourist-and-postcard circuit. The greatest concentration of sites is along the "Historic Route" that loops around the northwestern side of the country.
After a night in Addis Abba, a short flight took us to Bahir Dar on the shores of Lake Tana. This huge, milk-chocolate-colored lake is dotted with islands and peninsulas that are home to more than three dozen monasteries that are still in use by Ethiopian Orthodox Christian monks. Take the ferry around the lake, and you can get up close to the mummified remains of emperors from the 13th to 17th centuries in the mausoleum of the Daga Istafanos monastery. Too creepy? The beautifully painted murals in the churches of the region present more mainstream photo ops.
Lake Tana feeds the Blue Nile River. Drive 25 miles down a bumpy dirt road and spend a sweaty half-hour climbing rocky hills, and the Blue Nile Falls come into view. Nearly 1,500 feet wide and 150 feet high, this roaring cataract stands in thunderous juxtaposition to serene, green landscape.
Five hours away lies the city of Gondar, with more painted churches and a compound of 17th century palaces that stand to remind visitors that Ethiopia was once a powerful and sophisticated empire on the Red Sea. The emperors' lion cages and a clever sauna chamber wrought from stone give you the feeling that this isn't so much a museum as a recently abandoned ghost town.
The city of Axum, too, may be ancient, but it has a freshly discovered feeling. Archeologists estimate that just a tiny fraction of the area's history has been uncovered. Still, there is plenty to see. There is a field of ancient stelae -- towering obelisks that emperors built to signify their power. Nearby are the underground tombs of emperors; go ahead, walk in and explore. A short drive away are the ruins of what's said to be the Queen of Sheba's palace.
This city also is something like the Vatican City of Ethiopia, with the beautiful painting in the St. Mary of Zion Cathedral, and a nearby building that houses what Ethiopians believe is the Ark of the Covenant, the container in which Moses brought the Ten Commandments down from the mountain.
Wrought From Rock
Are Axum and Gondar and the other cities impressive? Yes, but it all pales in comparison to what you'll see in the remote mountain village of Lalibela. Named for the 12th century king, this village is home to a series of churches that were carved into the stone mountains. As much art as architecture, these stone churches are set below ground level, since they are carved out of the stone. They are, in effect, sculptures, since most are not made of pieces, but wrought from a single huge piece of rock. And while certainly not as large as the cathedrals of Europe, these churches are several stories high and are elaborately carved.
As with most other sites in this country, the stone churches of Lalibela aren't being exhibited, they're being used. The typical museum's ropes, gates, and display cases are virtually nonexistent in this country. When I was there, about all that was under glass were the remains of Lucy, the 3.18-million-year-old skeleton found in northern Ethiopia in 1974. I saw Lucy in the national museum in Addis Ababa, but she was reported to be on her way to the U.S. for a multi-city museum tour.
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