ISSN 1993-8616
2008 - Number 8
Ethiopia: three millennia of legend and history
© UNESCO/Jasmina Šopova
Wall painting at Nagra Silassie Church, detail.
In honour of the recent reinstallation of the Aksum Obelisk in its original location in northern Ethiopia, the UNESCO Courier revisits a few of the country’s cultural sites.
Along this off-the-beaten path itinerary, another treasure is unveiled, less monumental than the castles of Gondar, less visible than the Lalibela rock-hewn churches, but just as impressive: Ethiopia’s intangible heritage.
Through these feature articles, the Courier joins in the celebration of the Ethiopian Millennium, proclaimed “a millennium for all Africa” by the African Union. More
Silent giants
Three parks planted with giant stelae, a labyrinth of royal tombs, vestiges of the Queen of Sheba’s palace, an “Ethiopian Rosetta Stone”, the Ark of the Covenant containing the ten commandments… an incredible treasure, poised between myth and history, is hidden in Aksum, where the heart of ancient Ethiopia still beats. More
Roha the Wonderful
Perched at an altitude of 2,500 metres in the Amhara region, the small village of Lalibela has been home to an astonishing gem of religious architecture for the last eight centuries. Constructed of single blocks of stone, the village’s churches were added to the World Heritage List in 1978. More
The Country of the King With the Protruding Tongue
The Royal City of Gondar was founded by the Ethiopian Negus Fasilides in the 17th century. Several of his successors built their palaces in the same court, forming a complex of rare beauty. The site was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1979. Not far away, the ruins of a more ancient castle left in solitude have another story to tell. More
The Intangible Treasures of Lake Tana
The country could be subject to fire and sword, but no invader ever troubled the serene peace of Lake Tana. For that reason, the Ethiopian kings safely hid their treasures in churches on the lake’s islands. But upon careful observation, another treasure is revealed as one discovers the mural paintings in these churches: they can be read like a book of Ethiopian history. More
A Prehistoric Tale Told in Pictures
Not far from Addis Ababa, in the Soddo Region, is a field that contains stelae found nowhere else in the world. A cemetery was uncovered, with bodies buried in the position of prayer. We are in the very mysterious archeological site of Tiya, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1980. More
