Ethiopia – Land of the ‘Burnt Faces’

 

(COMPILED BY LEULSEGED WORKU)

Ethiopia is without a doubt one of the most fascinating countries on the African continent. It has an incredibly ancient and cultural history and is believed to be (by some) to be a cradle of civilisation and the birthplace of Christianity.

Addis Ababa is Ethiopia’s capital city. It means ‘white flower’ and, at 2 400 m above sea level, it is the 4th highest capital city in the world.

The Great Rift Valley cuts through Ethiopia from northeast to south of the country and is the only physical feature of Africa that it visible from space.

According to legend, the True Cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified was found by St. Helena – the mother of Constantine the Great, the Roman Emperor who converted to Christianity – in the 4th century. A relic of that cross was later given to Ethiopia’s kings for protecting Coptic Christians in their country.  Meskel celebrates the arrival of the True Cross in Ethiopia and has been celebrated there for more than 1,600 years.

Ethiopia is considered the originator of honey wine, or t’ej, which the rest of the world knows as mead. More than 70% of Africa’s mountains are found in Ethiopia. It is sometimes called ‘the roof of Africa.’ Ethiopia was the first African nation to join the League of Nations.

The Garima Gospels, the oldest illustrated Christian book, is in Ethiopia. It was written about A.D. 494 by the Abba Garima, a monk who arrived in Ethiopia from Constantinople (present-day Istanbul). According to legend, he wrote the book in one day.

Ethiopia is home to the Black Jews, known as the Falashas or Beta Israel (House of Israel). Various legends claim they are a lost tribe of Israel or descendants of King Solomon.

Coffee was first discovered by an Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi in the Kaffa region, from which the word ‘coffee’ may derive, when he noticed his goats ‘dancing’ after eating the berries off the coffee plant. Coffee is the top agricultural export for 12 countries, with the livelihood of over 100 million people depending on its production, and it is the world’s second most valuable commodity after petroleum.

Emperors ruled Ethiopia until 1974 and all claim to be descendants of King Solomon of the Bible and Makeda (Ethiopian Queen of Sheba). Haile Selassie I was the last Ethiopian emperor.

Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie I is considered the son of God among the followers of the Jamaican Rastafaria religion. In fact, the name ‘Rastafari’ originates from the emperor’s birthplace, Ras Tafari, which means ‘Prince Tafari’ in Amharic. Bob Marley was one well-known Rastafari. Although the Rastafari movement did evolve in Jamaica, it began in Ethiopia.

The Abyssinian cat breed, which originated in Ethiopia, ranks within the top ten most popular pedigreed cat breed in the U.K.

Lucy, a human fossil believed to have existed over 3 million years ago, was found in the Great Rift Valley in Ethiopia in 1974. She was named after the Beatles’ song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”, which was playing on the radio at the time she was found. Even older remains were found in Hadar in 2001. Dated at more than 5 million years old, they are the earliest known ancestors of modern humans.

With mountains over 4,500 meters high, Ethiopia is the roof of Africa. The source of the Nile with its gigantic waterfalls is also located here. Here globetrotters can experience everything from art, festivals and cultural practices to unique buildings, breathtaking nature and much more.

As a travel destination, Ethiopia is different in many ways from its African neighbors. The painting and crafts are especially unique, and are characterized by the North African and Middle Eastern traditional influences combined with Christian culture.

The 11 rock-cut churches of Lalibela are a world heritage site and are just one part of the Afro-Mediterranean civilization that can still only be experienced in Ethiopia. All together nine cultural and natural monuments count as UNESCO world heritage sites. Among these are the 600 year old terraces of the Konso region as well as the up to 30 meter high stele obelisks in located in Axum that were carved out of 500 ton granite blocks. Another cultural monument is the holy old town in the city of Harar with around 100 mosques and the ancient custom of feeding hyenas- a spectacular show for tourists.

Ethiopia also has a special status from a religious perspective. Christianity arrived here in the fourth century. The first Muslims arrived in the country in 615 as refugees and were taken in and protected by the Christian king. The village of Negash is considered the first Islamic settlement and its mosque is a popular tourist destination. The history of Judaism in Ethiopia also goes back many thousands of years. Ethiopia is indeed the only country in Africa where different religions live together in relative peace- what a nice example of tolerance!

Furthermore, Ethiopia is the only African country with its own script, which was developed in the second century after Christ. There is also an Ethiopian calendar that is around seven years behind the Gregorian calendar. Visitors to this African country will therefore be younger. In Ethiopia right now we are writing the year 2005.

There are even more reasons why my home is a special travel destination and has a special place in the world. Did you know that coffee was first created in Ethiopia? The story of coffee began in the 14th century in the Kaffa region. Today visitors here can drink the best coffee in the world and also experience a traditional coffee ceremony.

With more than 80 ethnic groups, Ethiopia is also home to a variety of authentic cultures. Mursi and Surma women wear those famous lip plates and young men in Hamit culture jump over a bull to prove their courage and that they are ready to marry. All of this is certainly worth seeing. Furthermore, Ethiopia is the cradle of humanity as the famous skeleton "Lucy" (one of the best preserved skeletons of mankind’s earliest ancestors) was found here.