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LEGEND has it that Emperor Menelik I, the son of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon, brought the Ark of the Covenant from Jerusalem to Axum , where he settled and established one of the world's longest known, uninterrupted monarchical dynasties.
This is only one example of Ethiopian's magnificent history, which encompasses legend and tradition, mystery and fact, from a powerful and religious ancient civilization. The well trodden path through Ethiopia 's famous and fascinating historical places takes you through a scenic, magnificent world of fairy tale names, such as Lalibela, Gondar , Axum and Bahir Dar.
Historic North is accessible by road and by air throughout the year. Daily flights connect besides Addis Ababa the four historical sites to each other. Traveling the route by plane, by car or both will offer you a glimpse into a truly remarkable past. As well as many priceless historical relics, you'll also see the castles at Gondar , the churches of Lalibela hewn out of the living rock, the mysterious giant stelae at Axum, the ruins of the Queen of Sheba's palace, and the magnificent Blue Nile Falls .
BAHIR DAR
Taking the historic route north from Addis Ababa, the first stop is Bahir Dar, 578 km north of the capital, accessible by road and air daily, is located on the southern shore of Lake Tana close to the Nile outlet. Ethiopia is associated first and foremost with desert and drought – not a little ironic, when you consider that the fertile Nile basin, on which Egypt depends, receives 90% of its water from the Ethiopian highlands particularly this Blue Nile River .
Bahir Dar, set at an altitude of 1830 m, is a comfortable base for excursion by land and water to the Blue Nile waterfalls and a number of historic lake-side churches and monasteries. Blue Nile Falls locally known as ‘Tis Isat' (the water that smokes), about 30 km after it exits Lake Tana, plunges over a 45 m high rock face to form one of Africa's most spectacular waterfalls. Lake Tana , with the surface area of 3673 sq km, is the largest lake in Ethiopia . Besides being the source of the Blue Nile, Lake Tana is renowned for its varied birdlife as well as housing on its islands and peninsulas more than 20 monastic churches most of which were founded in or before the 15 th century, and are still in service today.
The town's colorful open markets, a variety of handicrafts and weaving centers, locally made canoes (tankwas) along with panoramic viewpoint nearby the Late Emperor's palace which is an ideally point to observe the most magnificent African sunset worth a couple of hours visit.
GONDAR
The next stop on the historic route, with its strategic hilltop location at an altitude of 2200 m in the Southern foothills of the Simien Mountains , is the graceful city of Gondar , site of numerous castle-like palaces, dating back from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
The city was founded by Emperor Fasilidas in the 17 th century and remained the capital of Ethiopia for the next two centuries. It's known for its many medieval castles and the design and decoration of its churches. Among the dozen edifices found on the precinct of the royal compound the earliest of the castles was created by Fasilidas himself and is still in such an excellent state of repair that it is still possible climb its stairs all the way to the roof which commands a breathtaking view over much of the city.
Besides the famous palaces the town is studded with several other points of interest, most notably; the fantastically decorated Church of Debre Berhan Selassie, with its remarkable ceiling decorated with winged angels; Bathing Palace of Emperor Fasilidas, which is used for the annual Timkat or Epiphany celebrations; the abbey of the redoubtable 18 th century Empress Mentewab at Qwesquam, in the mountains just outside Gondar; and the Felasha ( black Jews) village, though vacated by almost all of its Felasha occupants; it continues to make pottery in the Felasha tradition.
Gondar is also the obvious base from which to stage day trips or longer treks into the awe-inspiring Simyen Mountains , many of its peaks rising above 4000 m. The Simyen Mountains National Park , containing some of the most dramatic scenery in Africa as well as quite diversified fauna and flora, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Ethiopia 's popular hiking destination.
LALIBELA
Perched at an altitude of 2630 m, among wild craggy mountains and vast rocky escarpments, Lalibela is a strikingly singular town famed for its 12 th century rock-hewn churches. No matter if you've visited other rock-hewn churches in the rest of the world; nothing will prepare you for these.
At the end of the 12 th and beginning of the 13 th centuries, King Lalibela of the Zaghwe dynasty built a series of rock hewn churches, carved into the rugged mountainsides. There are 11 churches in the town named after him, with others in the surrounding countryside.
The Lalibela churches are carved below ground level and they are ringed by trenches and courtyards and connected to each other by a tangled maze of tunnels and passages. In size and scope, the church complex feels like a subterranean village. These churches are, and what they have been for at least 800 years, an active Christian shrine, and the spiritual centre of a town's religious life.
Lalibela is, in a word, awesome. Were it virtually anywhere but in Ethiopia , Lalibela would rightly be celebrated as one of the wonders of the world, as readily identified with Ethiopia as are the Pyramids or Sphinx with Egypt .
If you wander between the churches in the thin light of morning, when white robbed hermits emerge bible-in-hand from their cells to back on the rocks, and the chill highland air is warmed by Eucharistic drumbeats and gentle swaying chants, you can't help but feel that you're witnessing a scene that is fundamentally little different to the one that has been enacted here every morning for century upon century.
The joy of Lalibela, the thing that makes this curiously medieval town so special, is that it is not just the rock hewn churches that have survived into the modern era, but also something more organic, the churches breath
The mountains around Lalibela are studded with medieval monasteries and churches. Many of them are very different from their Lalibela counterparts and can be visited as straightforward day trips from the town. The nearest of all the outlying churches are the monasteries of Asheton Mariam and Nakutala'ab that can be reached on foot or mule ride.
AXUM
The northern Ethiopia ancient city of Axum , regarded as the cradle of Ethiopian culture and Christianity, is the country's oldest extant urban settlement. From around 200 BC to 700 AD, Axum was the seat of an empire that extended across the Red Sea to Arabia, traded with India and China , had its own alphabet, constructed great engineering works and which, in the 4 th century, was one of the four great powers of the world.
After its conversion to Christianity, early in the fourth century, Axum also emerged as an important religious centre, site of the country's most important and revered Church of St Mary of Tseyon, which, according to Ethiopian tradition, is the repository of the biblical Ark of the Covenant .
Once the capital and a major religious center, it remains the site of quite startling antiquities; the 2000 years old mysterious monolithic stelae, hewn from single pieces of solid granite and carved to resemble multi-story houses, ever worked on by humanity anywhere in the world; subterranean stone tombs high enough to walk in; several palaces including ruins of the legendary Queen of Sheba's palace and bath; special gold-silver-and-bronze currencies; multilingual tablets dating from the time of Christ – and much more besides.
There are several places of interest that can be visited as a straightforward day trips from Axum most notably the ruins at Yeha , found amidst imposing mountain scenery, which is the site of the country's most ancient dating back to pre-Christianity times temple, a remarkable huge stone structure, and of a fine and richly endowed Ethiopian church of more modern times. More over the ancient cliff top monastery of Debre Damo and the town of Adwa are among the several attractive sites that can be covered within a day excursion.
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