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Medhane Alem Kesho
Also known as Adi Kesho, after its location, this church is one of Tigray’s oldest , tallest and finest rock-hewn churches. Its exterior and interior walls are roughly hewn, which only makes the elaborately carved coffered ceiling that much more special. Ask to watch them unlock th
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Portuguese Cathedral
Near Susenyos’ palace is the Portuguese Cathedral he funded. The decrepit state (due largely to a 1995 earthquake) symbolises his failed attempt to force Catholicism on his people. The Spanish government has funded some restoration and research here. Except in the rainy season, you
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Bilbila Giyorgis
Lying west of Arbatu Ensessa, around 32km from Lalibela, Bilbila Giyorgis is also attributed to King Kaleb. It resembles Bet Abba Libanos in design. According to tradition, five swarms of bees took up residence shortly after the church was completed. They still reside here and thei
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Lake Bishoftu
The best way to appreciate this lake is from the crater rim at Dreamland Garden Restaurant, drink in hand. The view is superb. To get up close and personal with this body of water, scramble down one of the cattle trails and join the children for a swim. But take care: according to
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Fantale Crater
Towards the west end of the park, 600m above the plains (it would have been twice as tall before it collapsed) lies Fantale Crater (2007m). With its terrific vistas, total quiet and cool air, this dormant volcano makes a great trek. At the top (a two- to three-hour walk; the 4WD tr
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Harar Brewery
Built by the Czechs in 1984 and purchased by Heineken in 2011, this is a very modern brewery. Half-hour tours take you through pretty much the whole facility and at the end you can even drink unpasteurised beer direct from the bottling line. They might give you a free shirt and hat
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African Quarter
The vast Place Mahmoud Harbi (Place Rimbaud), which was being renovated at the time of writing, is dominated by the minaret of the great Hamoudi mosque , Djibouti City’s most iconic building. Eastward, the chaotic Quartier 1 is a criss-cross of alleyways where stalls and shops are
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Kebran Gabriel
Though the 17th-century church at Kebran Gabriel is beautiful, it’s no longer open to the public and the museums (one each for men and for women) have nothing you won’t see elsewhere. It’s 20 minutes away by boat directly on the way to Zege Peninsula, which is why guides encourage
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Geneta Maryam
Geneta Maryam is thought to have been built around 1270 by Yekuno Amlak, who restored the Solomonic line. With its rectangular shape and 20 massive rectangular pillars that support it, Geneta Maryam resembles Lalibela’s Bet Medhane Alem. It’s also known for its remarkable 13th-cent
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Asni Gallery
Housed in the 1912 villa of Lij Iyasu’s minister of justice, the Asni Gallery annually hosts six or seven splendid contemporary-art exhibitions of emerging and established Ethiopian artists. Other events include workshops and lectures; look for announcements in the Addis Tribune or
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Mekina Medane Alem
Two to three hours’ walk from Geneta Maryam and six hours’ walk from Lalibela, this remote church was, according to Ethiopian tradition, constructed by three virgins during the reign of King Gebre Meskel in AD 537. The church is constructed under an overhanging rock in a natural ca
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Traditional Adare Houses
Visiting a traditional Adare house is a must. The best way is to stay at one of the guesthouses. Even if you aren’t sleeping in one, guides usually take people to see them as part of their standard tour; a Birr20 tip will be expected. Also, some families have opened souvenir shops
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Ras Tafaris House
Within pouncing distance of Rimbaud’s House is the conspicuous Ras Tafari’s House. The house was built by an Indian trader and many of its features, such as the Ganesh carving above the door, are Eastern in origin. Haile Selassie spent his honeymoon here: hence the house bears his
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Abraha We Atsbeha
Architecturally speaking, this 10th-century church is one of Tigray’s finest. It’s large and cruciform in shape, with cruciform pillars and well-preserved 17th- and 18th-century murals. The obtrusive portico was an attempt by Italians to win over locals by proving they weren’t Musl
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Wukro Cherkos
This crooked cruciform sandstone church is semimonolithic and boasts beautiful cruciform pillars (notice the swirling sandstone laminae), cubical capitals, an outstanding Aksumite frieze and a barrel-vaulted ceiling. In 1958 Haile Selassie himself, apparently, ordered the angular r
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Tiya Stelae Field
The World Heritage–listed Tiya Stelae Field is the most important of the hundreds of stelae clusters dotting the countryside from here all the way down to Dilla. Tiya contains 41 stelae up to 5m in height (including the buried portions), engraved with enigmatic symbols including sw
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King Ezanas Inscription
On the way up to the tombs of Kings Kaleb and Gebre Meskel, you’ll pass a little shack containing a remarkable find which three farmers stumbled upon in 1988: an Ethiopian version of the Rosetta Stone. The pillar, inscribed in Sabaean, Ge’ez and Greek, dates from between AD 330 and
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Na’akuto La‘ab
Lying 7km from Lalibela, just off the airport road, this is a simple but attractive church (apart from the outer security wall). It’s attributed to King Lalibela’s successor and is built under a natural cave. It was almost certainly the site of a much older shrine. Empress Zewditu
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Afewerk Tekle’s Home & Studio
A member of several international academies and with a drawer full of international decorations – about 100 at last count, including the British Order of Merit – Afewerk Tekle is considered among Africa’s greatest artists.It used to be possible to organise a 90-minute tour of Villa
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L’Escale
In the early evening, the walk along the causeway northwest of the centre makes a very pleasant stroll. The Moorish-inspired presidential palace (not open to the public) marks one end, the harbour of L’Escale, the other. The little marina is home to a variety of boats, from the tra
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