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Other Lakes
If you feel lake-addicted after Bishoftu and Hora, follow the road to the north past the Defence Engineering College and Agriculture Research Centre until you reach a fork marked by a painted ‘Galilee Center’ sign. Continue straight to Lake Babogaya (formerly named Bishoftu Guda),
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Archaeological Museum
This well-laid-out museum in the Northern Stelae Field contains an interesting variety of objects found in the tombs, ranging from ordinary household objects, such as lamps and incense burners, to quite sophisticated glassware. You’ll also see beautiful lion gargoyles, a charming p
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Lake Awasa
With its mountainous backdrop, Lake Awasa is a lovely sight. You could easily spend a few pleasant hours strolling the lakeshore trail at the end of town, watching men fishing from papyrus rafts, seeing the various shorebirds feeding in the reeds, and stopping for fried tilapia and
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Ashetan Maryam
Set at 3150m, atop Abune Yosef mountain, the local priests believe they’re ‘closer to heaven and God’ here, and it’s easy to see why. The monastery’s construction is believed to span Lalibela’s and Na’akuto La’ab’s reign; some even claim King Na’akuto La’ab lies buried in the chape
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Bet Abba Libanos
Bet Abba Libanos is hewn into a rock face and is unique among Lalibela’s churches in that it’s a hypogeous church. In English, that means only the roof and floor remain attached to the strata. Like Bet Amanuel, many of its architectural features, such as the friezes, are Aksumite.
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King Bazens Tomb
Despite being the crudest of tombs, roughly hewn into solid rock instead of constructed with fine masonry, this place has a slightly magical feel about it. A rectangular pit above the tomb contains a row of burial chambers, including a few that appear to be unfinished. Judging from
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City Gates
There are six gates: five 16th-century originals and the car-friendly Harar Gate , also known as Duke’s Gate after Ras Makonnen, the first Duke of Harar, who added it in 1889. The photograph on this gate is Emir Abdullahi, the last of Harar’s 72 Emirs and the city’s last Muslim lea
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Abuna Abraham
Rectangular in shape, with six massive freestanding pillars, this large and impressive 14th-century church (AKA Debre Tsion) is known for its diverse architectural features, including decorated cupolas, bas-reliefs and carved crosses on the walls and ceiling. It also has beautiful,
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Feres Magala
The main square is a bustling place with several minor points of interest. Most conspicuous is the monument to those who died fighting against Menelik’s conquest of Harar. It shows the five original gates. To the north, the Egyptian-built building that’s now Wesen Seged Hotel was o
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Gebriel Wukien
In a grove of trees on the other side of the same mountain as Abba Yohanni, this architecturally interesting 15th-century church, entered through a rock-hewn trench, has three aisles and four bays with well-carved details; six massive, finely hewn freestanding pillars; and three cu
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Tana Cherkos
It’s said the Ark of the Covenant was hidden at Tana Cherkos for 800 years, which would seem to indicate it’s an interesting destination; but the present 19th-century church and its modern paintings are rather modest. Its unique feature is its ancient Judaic sacrificial stones. Tan
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Guzara Castle
Though there’s little solid evidence about its history, this tall castle peering out over Lake Tana could have been built in the 1580s by Emperor Za-Dengel, founder of the Gonder dynasty, and thus would have been the prototype of Gonderian design. Or, it may have been built later b
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Monastery of Abba Garima
Up in the mountains about 5km due east of Adwa is the monastery of Abba Garima . Said to have been founded by one of the Nine Saints in the 6th century, it’s known for its collection of religious artefacts, including what may be Ethiopia’s two oldest manuscripts, perhaps dating to
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Las Geel
Las Geel is undisputably Somalilands pièce de résistance . Hundreds of magnificent neolithic rock art paintings in perfect condition adorn the walls of several interconnected caves and shelters. Some paintings exceed one metre in length and their state of preservation is exceptiona
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Konso Museum
High above the town, across from Kanta Lodge, this new centre provides a very brief introduction to Konso culture, but it’s the excellent collection of totemistic waga that makes it a must-see. These carved wooden sculptures are raised in honour of Konso warriors after their death
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Arthur Rimbaud Center
Near the middle of the walled city, and often mistakenly called Rimbaud’s House, is this museum dedicated to the poet Arthur Rimbaud with a series of illustrated wall panels (mainly in French) about his life. It’s in an attractive Indian merchant house built on the site of an earli
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Queen of Sheba’s Bath
Despite the colourful legends, this large reservoir wasn’t where Sheba played with her rubber duck. It was an important reservoir rather than a swimming pool or gargantuan bath. Nobody is totally sure of its age, but it’s certainly been used as a water source for millennia. Its lar
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Debre Maryam
The original 14th-century (some say 12th-century) church at Debre Maryam was rebuilt by Tewodros in the 19th century. It’s unattractive both outside and in and the treasury is meagre. The main reason to visit is that sometimes men make tankwa here. Also, it’s across from the outlet
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Abuna Yemata Guh
Although less impressive architecturally than most, this church is among the most rewarding. It’s spectacularly located within a cliff face, halfway up a sheer rock pinnacle 4km west of Megab. The first 45 minutes of the climb is mildly challenging, with a couple of tricky sheer se
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Petros We Paulos
Only partly hewn, this wood, stone and mortar church, now out of service, is built on a steep ledge and is more interesting from the outside than in, though the old, rapidly deteriorating murals of saints and angels are delightfully unsophisticated. Behind the church the skulls of
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