Ethiopian Travel News

The sacred and sublime in Ethiopia

TYLER STIEM

Since the 12th century, Orthodox Christians have trekked to Lalibela to worship at monolithic in-ground churches. Today, the remote landscape near this Ethiopian holy city is attracting a different kind of pilgrim: the tourist LALIBELA, ETHIOPIA — From Saturday's Globe and Mail Published on Friday, Mar. 12, 2010

For a moment, as I ponder the mystery of Amda Berhan, the Pillar of Light, and resist the monumental urge to scratch my feet, I feel every bit the pilgrim, at home among the shawl-clad women who cross themselves and file past.

“The history of the world is written here: the past, the present, even the future,” whispers my guide, Nega. He says this with conviction, having never seen the inscriptions for himself. Few people have: Only Lalibela's wisest priests are allowed to lift the cloth shroud that covers them.

Ethiopia Tour

A leap of faith to Ethiopia's ancient holy sites

In the city of Axum, capital of sub-Sahara's oldest empire and its holiest city, worshipers make a pilgrimage to the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion. Mark Sissons, Special to The Chronicle

Sunday, December 13, 2009

The mind tends to wander when you're trying to catch a glimpse of the only man on Earth who's allowed to see the Ark of the Covenant, the shiny gold box said to hold the tablets of the Ten Commandments. How do you get that job? Is there a security clearance? Does it come with medical and dental, or is your well-being pretty much overseen by the Almighty?

I couldn't help but think: Indiana Jones would have loved Axum.

Ethiopia, Destination For The Bold

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Peter Heinlein - December 09, 2009 | VOA NEWS

An old saying that the greatest achievements were at first only dreams could well apply to Ethiopia. Some Ethiopians are dreaming big. Our correspondent visited the Ethiopian town of Harar and tells the story of dreamers who see adventure, excitement, and a possible tourist bonanza where others see only rocks and bones.

Harar is considered Islam's fourth holiest city. It boasts 82 mosques and more than 100 shrines. Its medieval Old Town has been recognized by UNESCO as unique in East Africa.

Ethiopia - Famine eclipses Ethiopia’s beauty and rich history (Video)

Tourists grant Ethiopian guides' $1 million wish

July 28, 2009

LALIBELA, Ethiopia (Reuters Life!) - Guide Getachew Tekeba used to bring tourists to his favorite mountainside spot just minutes from his house in Lalibela to watch the sunset and talk of his fantasy to build a hotel with the best view in Ethiopia.

One evening three years ago, a couple from the United States -- who Getachew did not realize had arrived by private jet -- paid closer attention than most. They asked detailed questions on business plans and quizzed him on possible designs.

Living history in Ethiopia

Queen of Sheba's Palace June 11, 2009

Ties to ancient Israel run deep in the home of the Queen of Sheba, where Christianity came early and the churches are ancient and unique

By Melissa Burdick Harmon, Special to Canwest News Service

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - The Queen of Sheba's palace isn't what it used to be. Its roof is long gone. Its grand entrance is but a memory. Yet the 3,000-year-old ruins remain, sprawling over thin-grassed farm fields in Axum -- once the capital of a great world power and today a dusty Ethiopian town where cows and children, goats and donkeys roam free.

Ethiopia: lifting the mystery on rock churches 'built by angels'

by Emmanuel Goujon – June 01, 2009

LALIBELA, Ethiopia (AFP) – The ancient mystery shrouding Lalibela, Ethiopia's revered medieval rock-hewn churches, could be lifted by a group of French researchers given the go-ahead for the first comprehensive study of this world heritage site legend says was "built by angels".

The team will have full access to the network of 10 Orthodox chapels chiseled out of volcanic rock -- some standing 15 metres (42 feet) high -- in the mountainous heart of Ethiopia.

Traveling back in time to ancient Ethiopia

Ethiopian tour guides chat at a valley in the remote Mequat Mariam, northern Ethiopia, November 29, 2008.

By Barry Malone – May 8, 2009 REURTERS

MEQUAT MARIAM, Ethiopia (Reuters Life!) – A giant eagle glides gracefully over a remote mountaintop in northern Ethiopia as a barefoot man draped in goatskin watches.

"It's a big bird that makes a peaceful sound," he says in the local Amharic language to two foreigners who have approached the cliff edge. "Where is your country?"

Inside the hottest place on Earth

Erta Ale, the most active volcano in Ethiopia, is located in the Afar Region

Thursday, 19 March 2009 | BBC NEWS

Earth scientist Dr Dougal Jerram, from Durham University, joined a BBC team to investigate the geology of the Danakil desert in northern Ethiopia - officially the hottest place on Earth. Here is his account of mapping an active volcano from inside the crater.

Like a true journey to the centre of the Earth, volcanoes provide a unique window into our planet's interior.

Ethiopian Travel News

Ties to ancient Israel run deep in the home of the Queen of Sheba, where Christianity came early and the churches are ancient and unique

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