After some heavy searching, we finally found Dhagah Kureh, located about 45 kilometres northwest of Hargeisa. It is a significant Neolithic rock art site, known for its extensive ancient paintings that provide insight into the lives of early pastoralist communities. Situated among granite...
For centuries, the church was extremely remote, requiring a long and arduous journey on foot or by mule. We had no mule, so we took a car and drove through villages controlled by the Fano militia to reach the parking area, from which we still had to hike for 30 minutes up a steep path to...
In the morning, we paid a pretty adventurous entrance fee (๐๏ธ 100 USD / 15,000 ETB) to see the Lalibela rock churches. The complex was built in the late 12th and early 13th centuries under King Gebre Meskel Lalibela of the Zagwe dynasty to create a “New Jerusalem” in Ethiopia...
We took a short flight from Gondar to Lalibela due to the situation in the Amhara region, where the ethno-nationalist Amhara Fano militia controls the road between the two cities. Before it was known as Lalibela, the town was called Roha (or Warwar) and served as the capital of the Zagwe...
The whole afternoon, we spent at Gondar Castle, or the Fasil Ghebbi, a fortified royal enclosure built in the 17th century (๐๏ธ1,000 ETB). Before 1636, Ethiopian rulers used nomadic, mobile capitals. Emperor Fasilides settled in Gondar, a previously obscure village, establishing it as the...
Emperor Fasilides established Gondar as the permanent capital of the Ethiopian Empire in 1636, and it served as Ethiopia’s capital until 1855, a period marked by the construction of magnificent castles and a flourishing culture, and ending with the Zemene Mesafint (Era of the...
The security situation in Ethiopia’s Amhara region is highly volatile due to ongoing conflict between government forces and Amhara militia groups (Fano), leading to widespread violence, armed clashes, and civil unrest. This has resulted in disrupted services, potential for rapid...
The Negede Weyto are a marginalised, minority community, primarily located along the shores of Lake Tana in the Amhara region. Historically, they have been outcast by the dominant Amhara population due to their traditional occupations and cultural practices. They do not own land and are...
Bahir Dar’s history begins in the 13th or 14th century with the establishment of the Kidanemihret church, and was named “Bahir Dar”, meaning “near the sea”, during Emperor Yikuno Amlak’s reign. It grew as a regional economic centre, particularly in the...
The Blue Nile Falls, known locally as Tis Issat (“Smoking Water”), are located approximately 30 kilometres southeast of Bahir Dar (๐6,500 ETB, guide 1,500 ETB, ๐ข200 ETB, ๐๏ธ200 ETB). These falls are formed where the Blue Nile River plunges about 45 meters into a deep gorge...