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Walking Tour of Addis Ababa
Let's walk in Addis Ababa while enjoying the improtant attractions.
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Attractions in Ethiopia |
Ethiopia is truly a tourist
paradise- beautiful, secretive, mysterious
and extraordinary. With diverse landscape,
fauna & flora, and welcoming people, it offers
history, culture, nature, and Event tourism.
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| Historical
Attractions |
Ethiopia's history traces back to
3,000 years to the time of Queen of Sheba. It is old beyond ones imagination.
Axum, Lalibela, Gondar, Bahir Dar, and Harar are among the leading historical attractions.
Axum
Axum was the capital of Ethiopia for about 10 centuries.
It was among the four powerful kingdoms of the world during the 1st and 6th centuries.
The giant Monolithic Stele of Axum,hewn
from a single granite rock during the 2nd century,
are incredible.Among them the largest one measures
33 meters and fell down for unkown reason.The
other,still standing, measures 23 meteres
from the earth.
In 326 A.D.,King Ezana accepted
christianity officially and constructed the first church on the
land of Africa in Axum.The original Ark
of the Covenant which
is brought by Emperor Menelik I, the son
of Queen of Sheba & King Solomon of
Israel,resides in the chapel next to St. Mary of Zion Church.
Lasta, Lalibela
In the 11th century, power transferred from Axum to Lasta, Roha,
with a different dynasty called Zagwe. 
Roha became the capital for about three centuries.
The 11 rock-hewn churches
of Lalibela, that
were carved out from a single rock by king
Lalibela (1181-1221) during the 13th century are magnificent.
Lasta was the seat for the famous Prester John who was a king and a priest during the 12th century.
Gondar
After the restoration of the Solomonic dynasty, Gondar became the permanent seat for the Kings
of Ethiopia for about 200 years. The 17th and 18th century castles of Gondar,considered
as the camelot of Africa,are one of the eight UNESCO
world heritage sites.
King Fasilades
(1636-67) poineered the
construction of these castles after controling power
from his father. For the first time in Ethiopian history, the
Gondarians used lime as a plaster for their construction.
Bahir Dar & Lake Tana
Lake Tana,the
largest crater lake in Ethiopia, is full of island Monasteries and Churches.
Most of the churches are very old, dating
back to the 13th century. They have wealthy collections
such as old crowns made of gold and silver, original wall
paintings on a canvas which has Ethiopian style, old books (Parchments) made of goat skin, crosses and other church materials.
Harar
The old walled city of Harar is known for
its colorful market and the scene of hyena
feeding.Harar is the fourth
holiest place in Islam. There are about 99
Shrines and mosques.The town is encircled by
walls with main five gates from different directions.
The customs and living style of the Harari people is among the attractions in Harar.
Natural
Attractions
Ethiopia enjoys an amazing scenic beauty. It is rich
in mountains, rivers, lakes, wildlife, plants, birds,
water falls including the famous Blue Nile
Falls, and many more. The
country has nine national parks and
36 game reserve areas. For instance,
the Semien and Bale mountains are the most
spectacular and magnificent adventure sites.
The Simien Mountain massifs constitute many
summits above 4000 meters. The dramatic topography
of the region is the result of the erosion
of basalt lavas, which have been calculated
to be nearly 3000 meters thick.
The simien mountains national park has been
adopted by UNESCO as a world heritage site,
covers 179 square kilometers. And the highest
point in Ethiopia, Ras Dashen (4620m), is attainable while crossing
the breathtaking scenery and panorama. The
endemics Walia Ibex,Simien Fox, Gelada Baboon
and lots of endemic birds and plants live
with in this spectacular splendor.
Bale Mountains National
Park
It is the richest area in afro-alpine
habitat in the whole of Africa.
It is an area of high altitude plateau rising to
a height of more than 4,000 meters above
sea level. It is broken by numerous spectacular
volcanic peaks, beautiful alpine climate
and pristine mountain streams that descend
in to the deep rocky gorges on their way to
the lowlands below and become important
rivers. Mount Tullu Dimtu, the second highest peak
in Ethiopia reaches 4,377 meters above sea level.
The establishment of the
2400 square kilometers of the park is crucial
for the survival of the Endemics Mountain
Nyala, Menelik's Bushbuck, and Siemen Fox.
The park gives you the opportunities for
unsurpassed mountain walking, horse trekking,
and scenic driving while viewing many of
the endemic plants, mammals, and birds.
The Awash, Nech Sar, Omo, and Mago National parks are worth for bird watching and game drive.
Cultural Attractions
Ethiopia is a mosaic of many
wonderful people known for their hospitable
and friendly welcome. Presently about 83
ethnic groups inhabit in Ethiopia having their own language and unique culture.
Many of
the ethnic groups still preserve their unique
and fascinating costumes, colorful ceremonies
and celebrations, arts and crafts, music
and dance. The Hamer, Mussi, Bena, Tsemay,
Karo, Dasench, Konso, and Dorze, are among the
most visited ethnic groups near the Omo River Valley.
Bull Jumping and the Hamer People
The bull
jumping ceremony is the most spectacular
rite of passage to the Hamer people. The
ceremony marks the initiation of young men
into adulthood. The initiates are those
who are going to jump onto the backs of
a line of twenty to thirty cattle. The initiate
runs over the backs of the cattle and repeat
the entire procedure three more times with
out falling. Finally they walk out of the
arena through a special gateway, after which
they are judged to have passed from childhood
to manhood.
Event Tourism.
Different religious celebrations and Festivals
play such an important role in the Ethiopian
society.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church
alone celebrates many festivals each year.
The following are among the most famous festivals.
Demera
or Meskal
It is celebrated for the
commemoration of the finding of the true
cross of Jesus Christ by Empress Helena,
on September 26 each year. This colorful
celebration is a bonfire topped with an
image of a cross to which flowers of golden
Yellow Daises (Adey Abeba) are tied and
priests in full ceremonial dresses bless
the bonfire before it is lit.
Genna
(Ethiopian Christmas)
It falls on
the 7th of January each year, is celebrated
by a church service that goes on throughout
the night commemorating the birth of Jesus
Christ. Genna is more colorful in Lalibela
rock hewn churches.
Timket (Ethiopian
Epiphany)
It is the most colorful
and greatest festival of the year, falling
on 19 January, just two weeks after Genna.
It is actually a three day affair, beginning
on the eve of Timkat with dramatic processions
(Ketera), when the priests remove the
tabots (replicas of the tablets which
were written by finger of God and given
to Moses) from each church and bless the
water of the pool or river where the next
day's celebration will take place. The
following morning, the great day itself,
Christ's baptism in the River Jordan by
John is commemorated. The water is blessed
and sprinkled over everyone in a ceremony
where the faithful renew their vows to
the church. The third day is devoted to
the archangel St. Michael, one of Ethiopia's
most popular saints. Everyone, men, women,
and children appear splendid for the three
day celebration. Dressed in the dazzling
white of the traditional dress, the locals
provide a spectacular beauty to the colorful
ceremony.
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| Nature Tours |
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History & Culture |
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