Through the Omo Valley with Simon and Garfunkle

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My “must have” packing list for Ethiopia didn’t include tapes of American folk music, but then I never knew Joseph would be my driver. Any of my old tapes gathering dust would have been prized possessions for Joseph, especially anything with Johnny Cash or any of my old Beatles tapes. Joseph’s one Beatle tape was broken, so we made do for the week with Simon and Garfunkle.

The southern half of Ethiopia is unlike any place I have seen. It is not only vastly different from other parts of the African continent, it is nothing like the northern part of this amazing country. The north or historic route, encompasses ancient sights from Azum’s St. Mary of Zion church, supposedly the final (and still) resting place of the Ark of the Covenant, to the Portuguese-influenced castles of Gondor or the beautiful churches and monasteries of Lake Tana.

In Axum, the unpretentious nature of St Mary of Zion seems to add to the mystery. Is this really the site of one of history’s most important artifacts? Conveniently, no one is allowed to confirm its existence. There is one curator/guardian, and only he knows for sure. All requests to enter the vault, from heads of state to the Pope to Queen Elizabeth, are denied. But we commoners can see a true wonder: a huge thousand-year old book weighing 15 kilos (33 pounds, or the weight of my entire duffel!), plus old crowns ranging in dates from thousands of years old to a (mere) few hundred.

Axum has other wonderful sights. More time than our rushed itinerary allowed should be spent to fully appreciate the stellae park, including the largest stele ever built (broken before it could be erected) and the one finally returned from Italy, still in its original crates. A little museum houses beautiful pottery, ranging form the 8th century BC to Roman times, barely protected from the pervasive dust and dirt in a thin-walled cabinet. A huge slab of Sabean writing sits unannounced by a wall. In another room is a model of the Queen of Sheba’s palace complex and some stone pieces from the excavation. The ruins of the palace are part of Axum’s sights to see, along with the tall “Rosetta” stone, a tablet of Greek, Sabean, and Ge’ez dating from the 4th century, and the catacombs.

The archeological sights of Northern Ethiopia are full of surprises, but the same cannot be said for the hotels. A government chain called Goha dominates accommodations in the north. The settings may vary (Lake Tana being the most beautiful), the lobby areas may hint at creature comforts, but the rooms are uniformly basic. Very basic. Each one is identical, to the point that it is hard to remember individual hotels. There are variations—some rooms have water in the shower, some even hot water, some have functioning toilets. Scrounging a towel may or may not be a chore. Regardless, the Ethiopian staff are always pleasant and try to accommodate Western desires like soap and water. Considering the living standard of the typical Ethiopian and the manual labor that is part of their everyday existence, a tourist is actually very pampered.

After too little sleep (a characteristic of this trip) we are off to Lalilbela, to the incredible rock-hewn churches regarded as one of the wonders of the world. According to legend, King Lalibela, ruler of the Zagwe dynasty lasting from the 10th to 13th centuries, built the huge complex in merely a dozen years. “Huge” does not begin to describe the structures carved out of solid rock, mostly below ground, which translates into a lot of walking over rocks and along narrow ledges. These incredible structures are not just old ruins; they are revered centers of the unique Ethiopian Church. Monks closely guard the inner sanctums with double scepters symbolizing the particular church and region. The walls are often covered with beautiful paintings, depicting an array of stories from the Old and New Testaments, plus a few uniquely Ethiopian legends. As a group, the magnitude and majesty of the churches is overwhelming. Just when you think there can’t be anything else to see, there is the first sighting of St. George, or Bet Giyorgis. Probably the one photo most easily identified with Ethiopia is the carved roof of the over 15 meter high monolith, an Ethiopian cross first sighted from above before climbing down the curved path toward the entrance. It is a sight no one forgets, an astonishing climax to the already stunning sights.

Our endurance test came the next day. Again, up too early, no hot water, we lined up for the mule ride to Asheton Maryam, the church perched at the top of a mountain, barely discernable from the town. This excursion is described as a combination mule ride and walk for the breathtaking views as well as another church. The description doesn’t mention the exhaustion of a 6-hour ordeal or the exhilaration of finally reaching the top. My muleteer was a wonderful young fellow (everyone is assigned their own), and was not going to let me fall. As with many of the young men, the money earned from guiding out-of-shape tourists can make the difference between staying in school or supporting his younger siblings. I can’t imagine doing this several days a week. Between middle-aged Dr. T, our intrepid guide, practically scrambling to the top, and the obligatory monk with his two scepters, we were a bunch of western weaklings. It was an exhausted group who listened to the history and explanations of the structure and artwork, and an even more exhausted group who finally reached the hotel. It is still not clear how we were dragged after lunch to yet another group of unbelievable churches.

While many of Ethiopia’s treasures are rooted in either the beginning of Christianity or medieval times, there is also an area of striking European influence. Gondor, the next stop on our agenda, shows influences of the Portuguese with 16th and 17th century ruins, of the British, who were mostly concerned with their other interests in Africa, and of the Italians who occupied Ethiopia during World War II. The complex of ruins is fascinating—the setting seems more like Europe than Africa. Particularly unique is the complex stone sauna system. Horns in the old walls serve as hangers and inside is a system of adjoining chambers that would fill with steam by water dripping onto a huge heated stone and funneled through vents.

European architecture in Gondor is interesting, but, like the rest of Ethiopia, it is the old churches that really deliver. Gondor’s elaborately painted Debre Birhan Selassie is lavish beyond description. Every square inch of wall is covered in fantastic paintings of every imaginable possible Bible story and every stage of Jesus’ life. It is not surprising that many experts consider Debre Birhan to be the finest example of this art in all of Ethiopia.

Looking at a map of Africa gives no indication of Ethiopia’s uniqueness. It is indescribably beautiful. There are mountains covered in lush vegetation, meandering rivers, vistas that look untouched by human occupation. This is, after all, the land where Lucy walked 3 million years ago, and where you can still see the huge cascade of water that begins the Blue Nile. The peoples of Ethiopia are as unique as their land. The striking frescoes and famous paintings of Ethiopia are not an exaggeration. The eyes of Ethiopians really are large and black, the faces angular and elegant. They are great runners, often tall and elegant.

It was our next destination that, for me, really melted Ethiopia’s past and present together into a cultural whole. Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile, is exquisite. While our hotel is the usual standard issue in terms of rooms, the dining area, right on the lake, is large and bright. It is even rumored (false) that we might see hippos from the grounds. No hippos are seen from the shore, but there are boat trips to magnificent monasteries. Lake Tana is dotted with medieval monasteries, mostly accessible by boat. Of the many options, we visited Ura Kidane Mihret, considered the most beautiful of the Tana churches, and Intols. Most monasteries are men only, but there is an interesting restored woman’s monastery we visited. Men, it seems, are not prohibited from the women only sites!

The beauty of the ancient man-made churches is matched only by the breathtaking magnificence of the Blue Nile falls. Forget guidebook recommendations to the contrary—the falls are beautiful and powerful. Again, the sense of history is as overwhelming as the physical sight. This is one of two sources of the great Nile River, the cradle of a great civilization. It is another reason the experience of Ethiopia surpasses all expectations. It is unlike any of the neighboring countries, and cannot be compared to taking an East African safari or visiting South African cities.

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