Ethiopia Map

 

 

       Map of the Horn of Africa

latest picture: December 9, 2015

• click a picture to see details

100  Ethiopia’s flag. The country has an

own calendar, 7 years and 9 months behind

the rest of the world – an own time (6 hours

delayed; 12am = sunrise, noon = sunset) –

an own script (syllabic writing, related to the

Armenian script) and 80 languages but

Amharic being the only official one

101  Ethiopians landscape, bordering

Djibouti and Eritrea, is a plain covered

with crusts of salt, called Afar Triangle,

which is part of East African’s 3’700 miles

[6’000km] long “Great Rift Valley”

102  Huts of the Afar people who live

predominantly in Ethiopia but also in

Eritrea and Djibouti. When nomads

move in search of new pasture, they

pack up their huts and transport

them on the backs of their camels

103  The enormous truck traffic through

the Danakil Desert between Djibouti

and Ethiopia ends catastrophically

for many driver …..

104  ….. driving in a never-ending line of trucks

on bumpy, potholed and broken-off tarred

roads that have extreme deep grooves (6 inches

[15cm]), requires a permanent concentration

105  A policeman watches a turned

over Coca Cola truck on the

“Djibouti truck road”

106  A nostalgic sight: A tiny camel

caravan moves through the Ethiopian

stony Danakil Desert

107  We stop to give a leopard tortoise

(Stigmochelys pardalis) the right-of-way to

cross the road. They can live 80 to 100 years

108  A group of griffon vultures

(Gyps fulvus) is waiting for a road kill.

They scavenge on dead animals

109  An Afar hut at the edge of the

Danakil stone desert

110  A yellow baboon (Papio cynocephalus)

looks up to a fellow on the tree. Baboons are

social creatures. They use much time grooming

111  A sign reminds not to feed baboons.

Baboons live in groups of 5 to 250 animals.

They sleep on trees and cliffs

112  Inseparable! A woman and her

indispensable donkey

113  A scene in front of a house:

Women are seen mainly in groups.

They live mostly outdoors

114  A peculiarity on thatched huts in the

Asbe Teferi region: Spires are adorned

with upside down clay pots

115  Already shortly after the end of the rainy

season, the landscape is completely dried out –

but 2016 is an exceptional drought year

116  In the arid plain a land spout

has formed and raises skywards

117  During the hot season, the shade

providing branches of an acacia are a blessing

– here on the road from Weldiya to Lalibela

118  A thatched village near Kilawa on the

new mountain road from Mille via Chifra to

Weldiya that climbs up to 6’230 ft. [1’900m]

119  In Kilenti, a mountain village between

Mille and Weldiya, a market is in full swing.

Camels wait to be loaded

120  Side by side: Traditional thatched houses

and a modern mosque between Mille and

Weldiya, about 15 min. north of Kilenti

121  Does this girl of the Amhara tribe

not look innocently into our camera?

122  Mountain people between Gashena

and Lalibela descend from their village to

the street to catch a mean of transport

123  A stick and a shoulder scarf are

part of the outfit of a mountain dweller

The road from Weldiya to Lalibela through the highlands reveals diverse scenery:

124  The River Awira west of Weldiya on

the “Chinese Road” to Bahir Dar and Gondar

runs towards the Danakil Depression

125  Tributary of the Tekeze River, which flows

to the Eritrea border and later into Sudan – here

along the road from Dilbe (27 miles [43km]

west of Weldiya) via Kulmesk to Lalibela

126  Thatched huts and bright yellow

wheat fields come into view, also on the

road from Dilbe (27 miles [43km] west

of Weldiya) via Kulmesk to Lalibela

127  In Lalibela a man is walking along

the street, draped in white cotton

128  At the Tukul Village Hotel in Lalibela

it even flowers on a thatched roof:

Climbing Honeysuckle (Lonicera)

129  Other overlanders show up at the

Tukul Village Camping: The Dutch Els

and Peter with their Mercedes 1222 truck

and Anne and Stan from South Africa

with their LandCruiser HZJ76

130  Ladies in their Sunday outfit are

on their way to church. Often they

have a long way to go

131  The huts in Lalibela are simple, but

setting and views are fabulous. View from

the northwestern group of churches

132  A man in Lalibela weaves a

traditional cotton scarf on his loom

An about 1000 years old architectural wonder and UNESCO World Heritage Site are the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela. The “Bet Giyorgis”

church (Saint George’s church) with its roof at ground level built in the shape of a Greek cross is optically the masterpiece of the 11 churches

133  The Saint George’s church was carved

top-down from a single rock (as did the other

churches) and then hollowed out on the inside

134  Liliana enjoys the view of the cross

formed, ground-leveled roof of

Saint George’s church

135  To reach the entrance of the church,

one has to descend 50 ft. [15m]

from ground level

136  A worshipper enters the Saint

George’s rock-hewn church to pray

137  A visitor sits in the sunshine sneaking

through the stone walls of the church.

At 8'000 ft. [2’630m] altitude it gets chilly

138  Lalibela worshippers enter through

the doorways carved in the rock to the

rock-hewn churches

139  A priest with his golden cross in

one hand and an aspergillum in the

other walks to the pilgrims

140  Priests are on the way to the pilgrims

with their distinctive crosses to bless them

141  Wrapped in his beautiful religious

regalia a priest steps out of a wooden door

142  At “Bet Medhane Alem” church a

monk is snoozing in front of saint images.

With its 110 ft. by 77 ft. and 38 ft. height

[33. 5 x 23.5m x 11.5m], it is said to be the

largest rock-hewn church in the world

143  Wall painting of a saint at

“Bet Medhane Alem” rock

church in Lalibela

144  Inside the church, white-robed

pilgrims are waiting to get the blessing of

a priest (“Bet Medhane Alem” church)

145  In the “Bet Maryam” church in

Lalibela, the most popular church among

pilgrims, a religious festival in honor

of Saint Mary is celebrated …..

146  ….. monks and priests gather under a

red canopy. Men with sticks, performing a

dance, are standing face-to-face in two

rows. While chanting, they are moving two

steps forward, two steps backward …..

147  ….. then they relax on a bench

148  In the center of the celebration are

priests under umbrellas. The umbrella is said

to signify the presence of the Holy Spirit in

the Ethiopian Orthodox Church …..

149  ….. the religious celebrations end

with a long lasting singsong of a priest

150  Worshippers step out of the

“Bet Abba Libanos” rock-hewn church

of Lalibela’s southeastern group

151  A priest is putting aside a religious

text he was just reading and watches

the tourists passing by

152  The obtrusive but obviously necessary

roofing of most of Lalibela’s rock-hewn

churches (except „Bet Giyorgis“ -

Saint George’s) – here it’s “Bet Amanuel“–

diminishes considerably its original charm

153  A small obelisk, decorated with

different motifs all around, marks the

town center of Lalibela

154  Continuing our journey on the

„Chinese Road“, a tin-roofed memorial in

the shape of a round hut sits lonely in the

countryside between Lalibela and Gondar

155  Terraced mountain slopes belong

to the scenery of the highlands on

the “Chinese Road”

156  Between Debre Tabor and Gondar

an imposing monolith is rising from the

fertile plain around Lake Tana

157  Flowering red bushes are refreshing

red spots in the green foliage of the forest

158  The “Devils Nose Rock”, a basaltic

rock finger about >150 ft. [>50m] tall,

approx. 2½ miles [4km] northwest of

Addis Zemen along the road to Gondar

159  The “Gemjabet Maryam” church

in Gondar belongs to the “Royal Enclosure”,

also called “Fasil Ghebbi”

160  View from the hill of the Goha Hotel

over the city of Gondar, once

capital of Ethiopia

161  Street with stalls near “Ras Gimb/

Ras Gemp”, where Emperor Haile Selassie I

spent his summer holidays and his successor,

dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam, installed in

1974 a torture prison

162  The Italian-built plaza with its shops

and restaurants marks Gondar’s modern

city center and serves also as square for

gatherings, demonstrations and festivals

The “Royal Enclosure” (Fasil Ghebbi) of Gondar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which spreads over 17.3 acres [70’000m²]

and contains an impressive palace district of about eight buildings and three churches

163  The Fasilada’s archive (left)

and the library of Fasilada’s son

Yohannes I (right)

164  The Fasilada Castle is the oldest and

most impressive of the six castles. It is 105 ft.

[32m] high and has four domed towers

165  Part of the Banqueting Hall and

part of the wall with view to the city

166  Palace of Iyasu I, son of Yohannes I

(left) next to the Fasilada Palace

167  The flowering viburnum scrub

(Viburnum) inside the “Royal Enclosure”

spreads a delicate scent

168  The palaces in the “Royal Enclosure”

date from different imperial eras and were

founded in the 17th and 18th century

The “Debre Berhan Selassie” church in Gondar, dating from the 17th century, is considered to be one of the most beautiful

Ethiopian churches. Legend has it that it has been spared from demolition by Sudanese invaders (marauding dervishes) by a

huge swarm of bees that attacked and chased them away

169  “Debre Berhan Selassie“ stone

church in the east of Gondar

170  A priest waits with his golden

cross for worshippers to bless them

171  Entrance for men to the interior of

the “Debre Berhan Selassie” church.

Women have to use the side door

172  To the church rules belong that

admission for men is not allowed if they

slept the day before with their spouse and

that ladies cannot enter during menstruation

173  The main altar depicts Jesus’

crucifixion and the Holy Trinity

174  One of the impressive biblical

scenes that cover each inch

of the church walls

175  The ceiling is decorated with

hundreds of angel faces …..

176                                                                   177

 

….. and the walls show more outstanding mural paintings

178                                                                 179

 

The wall paintings are a beautiful example of Ethiopian church art

180  The 13th tower and entrance

gate of the “Debre Berhan Selassie”

church in Gondar

181  Emil’s mouth is watering when

his menu is served at the “Four Sisters”

Restaurant in Gondar

182  Coffee ceremony at “Four Sisters”

Restaurant: Coffee drinking is ceremonial

in Ethiopia even in the tiniest of villages

and places. Beans are roasted, crushed,

brewed and served in tiny cups

183  According to the motto “The customer

is king”, the waitresses bow goodbye to Emil

at the “Four Sisters” Restaurant in Gondar –

a lovely finish of our Ethiopia journey –

now it’s time for Sudan!

Back to the 1st part of the Ethiopian trip: Ethiopia Part 1 – October 25th to November 18th, 2015, from Kenya to Djibouti

Continuation to the Sudan trip: Sudan – December 9th, 2015 to January 8th, 2016, from Ethiopia to Saudi Arabia

 

The "Greater"-Middle East trip 2012/13:

Sharjah/Dubai/1st Traveler's Festival/Emirates National Auto Museum - UAE with car Nov. 2012 to Jan. 2013 - part 1

Western UAE - Liwa - United Arab Emirates  with car in January 2013 - part 2

Oman 2013 – Part 1 - February 2013: Musandam Peninsula

Oman 2013 – Part 2 - February 2013: Sohar - Muscat - Rustaq - Nizwa

Oman 2013 – Part 3 - March 2013: Sur - East Coast - Island of Masirah - Dhofar

Oman 2013 – Part 4 - March 2013: Salalah & Surroundings (Dhofar) - Nizwa

Oman 2013 – Part 5 - March 2013: Western Hajar Mountains

Al Ain, Eastcoast & Ras al Khaima - United Arab Emirates with our car in April 2013 - part 3

Iran - part 1: Ferry Port Bandar Abbas-Shiraz-Persepolis-Pasargad (between Persepolis and Yazd) – May 2013

Iran - part 2: Pasargad (excl.)-Yazd-Esfahan – May 2013

Iran - part 3: Esfahan (excl.)-Chelgerd-Hamadan-Sanandaj-Orumiyeh – May 2013

Turkey - Esendere-Hakkari-Van-Dogubayazit-Kars-Ardahan-Hopa-Georgia Border – May/June 2013

Georgia - part 1: Ajaria-Gori-Tbilisi-Kakheti-Azerbaijan Border – June 2013

Azerbaijan: Georgia Border-Balakən-Şəki-Lahıç-Baku-Xınalıq-Quba-Laza-Baku-Gəncə-Georgia Border – June 2013

Georgia - Part 2a: Azerbaijan Border-Tbilisi-Armenia Border – June/July 2013

Armenia part 1 – July 2 to 9, 2013: Georgia Border - Akhtala - Haghpat - Dilijan - Lake Sevan - Selim - Arates - Nagorno-Karabakh

Nagorno-Karabakh: Armenia-Stepanakert-Gandzasar-Martakert-Tigranakert-Tnjri-Shoushi-Armenia – July

Armenia - Part 2: Nagorno-Karabakh-Goris-Tatev-Noravank-Khor Virap-Echmiadzin-Yerewan-Geghard-Gyumri-Georgia Border – July 2013

Georgia - Part 2b: Armenia Border-Ninotsminda-Tbilisi-Mtskheta-Kazbegi-Kutaisi-Zugdidi – July 2013

Georgia - Part 3a: Zugdidi-Swaneti-Zugdidi-Abkhazia Border – July/August 2013

Abkhazia: Georgia-Sukhumi-Tsebelda-Novyy Aton-Lake Ritsa-Gagra-Pitsunda-Georgia – August 2013

Georgia - Part 3b: Abkhazia Border-Poti-Ferry to Ilyichevsk/Ukraine – August 2013