Things to see and do North

Carved out of sandstone, the church is organized around a three-aisle plan supported by cruciform pillars linked by arches. The atrium features fine ^15th-century wall paintings; the ceilings are carved with crosses, a motif also found on the side entrances. This semi-monolithic church was damaged by the armies of Queen Gudit in the ^10th century. Recent improvements, such as a new roof, have been carried out to combat seepage.

The church is only revealed at the last moment (perhaps hence its name "Hidden Mary"), near a small cloister. While the columned façade is imposing, the dark, damp interior - no doubt due to the sacred water basin it houses - is devoid of decoration. Before setting off on your walk, it's a good idea to make sure that the priest will accept your visit, for which permission is sometimes required. To reach the sanctuary, drive to Werkamba, 20 km north of Abbi-Addi on the road to Adwa, then to Adiha 14 km further on. From there, it's a 1-hour walk.

Hidden in the greenery, 16 km from Abbi-Addi on the road to Adwa, the monastery church dominates a superb panorama. The entrance door is entirely painted, but poorly preserved. The iconography depicts the Annunciation protected by archangels, the three martyrs of Babylon and, higher up, the Trinity and enigmatic figures. The three-aisled interior is magnificently carved, leading some specialists to suggest that the monument dates from the ^15th century. For priests, there is no doubt that the church is contemporary with King Gabra Masqal (^6th century).

Mékélé is a hub for salt from Danakil. If you're hoping to come across a caravan delivering salt, you have to travel to the Danakil desert on Lake Assalé, or get to the salt market in Agulae, 35 km from Mékélé, early in the morning. A 4/5 kg block of salt sells for between 20 and 25 birr. Once free, the market is now organized into small corrugated iron stalls, which have lost some of their charm. The permanent spice market is well worth a visit.

This multi-cavity hypogeum sanctuary, located close to a more recent church, was almost certainly excavated in pre-Christian times before being converted into a church. For specialists, its unusual location on the plain and its small size prove its original function as a tomb. Unless we're dealing with a pagan place of worship, which could provide clues as to the origin of dug-out churches. But these are only hypotheses. After the rainy season, it's not unusual for the crypt to flood.

Considered one of the oldest churches in Tigray, it dates back to the ^10th or ^11th century. On the façade, imposing pillars seem to support the top of the rock in the form of a natural roof. Once past a sort of atrium, the sanctuary is entered through two doors decorated with massive Axumite-style wooden frames. The vast interior (10 m x 10 m) features superb sculpted decoration, with no frescoes to disturb the perfect layout.

A 20-minute walk from the Petros and Paulos church, this sanctuary can be spotted on the side of an isolated rock surrounded by a clump of eucalyptus and olive trees. Access, through a strangely low doorway, opens onto an interior dug into the mountain (it's a hypogeum church), whose decoration is dominated by symbolic sculpture carved into the rock, in the dome, and in a complex and unprecedented style. The church has no paintings, however.

Partially excavated and partially constructed, the church appears to be suspended in the middle of the wall, whose ascent is in a somewhat difficult place. The sanctuary has beautiful frescoes, unfortunately in a poor state of conservation since the place is decommissioned. The tabot was transferred to a new church, carved in the rock, between 1982 and 1996, by a priest in the region. To explain the reason for his book, Alaka Halefom, his director, declared that he had ordered the Archangel Gabriel.

There's nothing on the façade to suggest the refinement of the interior of the sanctuary, entirely excavated from the rock. The kené malhet (where the choir is held) and the naves are supported by openwork pillars with capitals. The domes and 9 m high ceilings are decorated with Greek crosses, and the lintels of the blind windows are in the Axumite style. Recent paintings complete the decoration. As the church is isolated (2 hours from Hawzen, or more depending on the state of the track), take a guide who will be able to contact the priest before you get there.

The church is hemmed in by narrow sandstone walls that open onto two doors, one for men, the other for women. The vast interior (10 m wide, 13 m deep and 6 m high) is surprisingly well decorated. The well-preserved paintings are in a primitive style unseen in the region. The iconography, featuring Adam and Eve, the Virgin and Child, the Apostle Paul and various equestrian saints from the Ethiopian tradition, is marked by Byzantine and Nubian influences. Impressive and mysterious.

Bacaffa the Merciless was a dark negus of Ethiopia. He built the last palaces in Gondar, including a vast banqueting hall, partly restored after the British bombardment in 1941, and stables. When he fell ill at Lake Tana, he was cared for by Berhan-Mogasa, whom he married and who, once empress, took the name of Mentewab. The future Iyasou II was born of their union. Mentewab's castle, decorated with religious motifs, now serves as a library.

Iyassou the Great is considered the most important ruler of the Gondaran period. Louis XIV's envoy, the physician Charles Poncet, who visited the sovereign, described the splendor of his court. His palace, decorated with ivory, precious stones and rich furnishings, was considered the most sumptuous of all. The building's originality lay in its vaulted ceiling, the arches of which can still be seen. Among the ruins, the domed steam baths have survived.

The island of Deq, 5 km in diameter, is the largest on the lake. It is largely covered by crops and also produces a large amount of honey. Little visited, the place has a little extra soul, and the priest enjoys chatting with visitors while he displays the church treasure. It takes a full day's boat trip to reach the Nerga Selassie Church. The most accomplished example of Lake Tana church architecture and religious art, built in the ^18th century, is dedicated to the Trinity. This is the highlight of a visit to the churches of Lake Tana, especially for women, who are forbidden to enter several major monasteries. Nerga Sélassié is one of the most richly decorated churches on Lake Tana, adorned with well-preserved paintings in shimmering colors. Nerga Sélassié is one of the finest examples of Gondaran-style circular churches, with an exterior gallery. The sanctuary was built by Empress Mentewab, wife of the Gondaran dynasty's Negus Bacaffa and regent during the reign of her son Iyassou II (1730-1755). She is depicted at the foot of a Virgin and Child. In the midst of classical iconography depicting the lives of Jesus and Mary, we note the Church's struggle against pagan beliefs, including that of sea monsters, symbolized by a fish carrying a church on its back and pierced by an angel's spear. Note also the ogre cutting out his tongue.

The eponymous island can be reached from the eastern shore of the lake, on the road to Gondar, or via the lake, in a 30-minute boat ride from Bahar Dar. It is possible to hire the services of a tankwa, less expensive than an official tour boat, just for this nearby monastery. In this case, the crossing can be a little wet. Rebuilt in the ^19th century on the site of an earlier sanctuary, the monastery has no major interest beyond the small treasure it preserves. It is rarely visited, except perhaps by travellers short of time and money.

The island is less interesting for the rectangular church it houses, which is undoubtedly recent, than for the legends that surround it and give it its historical importance. It was here that the Holy Family fled to Egypt, taking refuge even further south. It is also where, according to tradition, the Ark of the Covenant was housed for eight to ten centuries before reaching Aksum. The priests, steeped in mythology, will show you the traces of the passage of all these distinguished residents.

This is one of the highlights of a visit to the religious sites of Lake Tana, unfortunately reserved for men only. It's a 30-minute climb to reach the sanctuary from the small boat harbor. Allow around 1h30 for the round trip. The monastery-church on an islet is home to the largest monastic community on the lake: some two hundred monks are recluses here. Legend has it that the monastery was founded by a saint in 1268, sailing on a stone boat, which can still be seen halfway along the path. Restored in the ^19th century, the sanctuary preserves, alongside contemporary paintings, canvases and paintings from the prosperous ^15th and ^16th centuries. But that's not why visitors come here. The centerpiece are the mummified bodies of Ethiopian sovereigns, encased in glass sarcophagi. The reason for the presence of the remains of emperors who reigned during the long Gondaran dynasty remains unclear. Here lie the remains of Yekouno Amlak (^13th century), Dawit ^I and Zara Yakob (^15th century), Libne Dingle (^16th century) and Fasiladas (^17th century). Having collapsed several years ago, the monastery is still being rebuilt and the monks are hard at work. The mummies can be seen in a small temporary museum at the top of the hill. No explanations in English or any other language on site, so take a guide to Bahar Dar if you want to find out more.

The nearest monastery island, Bahar Dar, is around 30 minutes away by boat. It is home to a community of some forty monks in a serene wooded environment. The church, rebuilt in the ^17th century, features a series of paintings in a poor state of preservation, but of great interest. Nearby, a small, well-appointed museum displays a collection of crosses and manuscripts of the utmost importance. The library is said to contain over 200 of them! The monk in charge of the tour is full of explanations.

The sanctuary is hidden away at the top of Mount Asheten, which dominates the town from its rocky peak at 3,200 m altitude, just below the Nakuto Lab church. It takes around 2 hours to reach it on foot via the path that starts in the outskirts of Lalibela, opposite the Seven Olives Hotel. A new road allows access by car or badjaj, for those who want to save time on the first day of a trek, for example. Near the entrance to the sanctuary, a small carved grotto, partly collapsed, marks the site of an ancient church dedicated to Saint Michael.

Accessible via a small tunnel dug into the tufa, the church itself is monolithic, exposed on only three sides of the rock. It appears nestled in the grey rock. Like most other churches, Asheten Mariam is encased in protective scaffolding that prevents a bird's-eye view from the upper walls. In the courtyard, a cavity, the kené malet, has been cleared to accommodate the deftara choir. The interior features a motley collection of icons and paintings from various periods. Probably begun during Lalibela's reign, the church was completed by his successor Nakuto Lab in the ^13th century. To the left of the monument, a natural terrace offers a magnificent circular panorama. This church can be a good starting point for a two- to four-day trek in the Lasta mountains, with an ascent of the nearby Abuna Yossef peak, which we warmly recommend.

Founded, according to legend, by King Yekouno Amlak, restorer of the Solomonic dynasty in 1270, to mark his power, the monument is a fine example of a monolithic church. Carved out of pink tufa, the 20 m x 16 m x 10 m high edifice is surrounded by twenty-four pillars forming a gallery that symbolizes the elders of the Apocalypse, while the four inner pillars symbolize the evangelists.

The church is adorned with numerous frescoes. One, in the atrium, depicts the parable of the foresighted virgins who saved their oil for the coming of Christ and the others who did not; below, St. George and the temptation of Adam and Eve by the serpent. Turning along the nave to the left, we see the wedding at Cana, the martyrs, the Holy Trinity, the prophets, Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac and the entry into Jerusalem. In the background on the right, the flight into Egypt guided by Gabriel, Saint Mercurios killing Galianos, the king who persecuted the Christians, as well as other iconography and a bestiary of more uncertain decipherability. On the pillars, the prophet Daniel, Dawit and his musical instrument, and the meeting of Yekouno Amlak and Takla Haymanot, the monk who played an essential role in restoring Solomon's lineage before becoming a venerated saint.

To the left of the holy of holies, a now-filled tunnel is said to contain emnet, a miraculous powder used to dispel evil spirits, which the faithful sprinkle over their faces.

If there's one must-do excursion from Lalibela, this is it! The church of Yemrehanna Kristos is spectacular and a must-see, built inside a huge cave. The ^12th-century, Axumite-style sanctuary is attributed to the ruler Yemrehanna Kristos, Lalibela's predecessor in the Zagoue dynasty, who reigned from 1132 to 1172.

How to get there. This little wonder can be reached by cab or 4x4 hire. It's also possible to cover the 20 km on a mule, or a five-hour walk - the reward will be well worth the effort! You can also combine your visit with the end of a trek in the Lasta mountains (Abuna Youssef massif) after reaching the summit (Ethiopia's third highest at 4,190 m). A trekking combination we warmly recommend. In the center of the village of Bilbila, a signpost indicates the way to the church, at the end of a 12 km trail. We reach a small village where a path leads to the church. After a fifteen-minute walk through a forest, you arrive at the church, hidden at the bottom of a cave, behind a breeze-block wall supposed to protect it from seepage.

The church. A three-aisled Axumite-style basilica occupies the southeastern part of the cave. Built of stone and wood brought from Jerusalem, Egypt and Syria, it rests on a flooded base and is said to symbolize Noah's Ark. Legend has it that the angel Gabriel intervened in the construction of the sanctuary, as well as on several occasions during the saint's life. A triumphal arch marks the entrance to the sanctuary, flanked by two sacristies(pastophoria). The two-tone facade (wood and plastered masonry) is pierced by eight windows, all different, framed by monkey heads and recalling the eight humans aboard the Ark. The interior is astonishingly richly decorated, with marvellous multicoloured paintings on the ceilings symbolizing the seven heavens. The same ceilings feature countless astonishing geometric and figurative motifs in Arab-Coptic style: crosses, men, horsemen, birds, animals, trees, boats... A series of Coptic-style wall paintings depict the life and Passion of Christ. From the richly painted barrel ceiling fall gold and precious stone pendants (diamonds, according to the priest) with which the sovereign would have adorned his edifice before being called back to greater modesty by God. Pillars surmounted by sculpted, polychrome capitals, semicircular arches and floor paving give this astonishing church an impression of perfection.

The grotto. Note the impressive dimensions of the grotto that houses the church: it is 10-12 m high and 50 m wide! It also includes another building, which may have been the residence of Yemrehanna Kristos, as well as the mausoleum of the priest-king, whose veneration is the object of numerous pilgrimages. A 3 m-high wall marks the boundary of a part of the cave reserved for worship. The treasure room is a simple construction 17 m long, 8 m wide and around 4.50 m high, divided into two rooms. Venturing into the darkness of the cavern, visitors will discover the bones of over 5,700 pilgrims, some of them contemporaries of the ruler Yemrehanna Kristos, lying on the floor.

It is located 5 km along the road to Yemrehanna Kristos. The church of the "four animals", in reference to the four evangelists, is cut out of the rock on three sides (it is semi-monolithic). The monument is decorated in the Axumite style. Dated to the ^6th century, it is believed to have been built during the reign of King Kaleb, but was rebuilt in the 1950s. The paintings inside are modern and cover almost all the walls and ceiling. Nearby, a spring produces water that is obviously sacred.

Overlooking the entrance to the city, the museum is housed in a former mansion built by the Italians during the occupation. In addition to its collections of musical instruments, traditional handicrafts and religious objects, the place is interesting for the beautiful view it offers over the city and the former palace of Ras Mikaël, founder of the city at the end of the ^19th century, enthroned on the hill opposite (closed to the public). The museum is currently being renovated with financial support from The Ethiopian Heritage Trust, an NGO.

Monday is the day of one of Ethiopia's best-known markets, which has given its name to a pentatonic scale and numerous songs. Bati is a magical name, evocative of a thousand scents, an immemorial meeting of very different peoples - Afar, Oromo or Amhara - from the lowlands where the Awash River meanders or from the high plateaus of Wollo and Choa. Bati is a Wenna Dega, i.e. a medium altitude, and the temperature is very mild. The market is actually made up of three very different markets: the cereal market (tef, barley, wheat, oats and others), the livestock market (sheep, goats, zebus as well as camels and donkeys) and the all-public market where you'll find extraordinary varieties of honey, very good butter, very cheap and natural incense, woven and embroidered cotton clothes, very beautiful colored loincloths, very beautiful handmade jewelry, knives chiselled on makeshift forges of very good quality with goatskin sheaths sometimes reaching impressive sizes, medicinal clays reserved for women, green tomatoes, red onions, wickerwork mesob with lids used to present dishes, baskets and different kinds of honey alcohol or kosso as well as all sorts of things and of course a heap of colorful chinoiseries piled up under canvas to protect from the sun.

Before 10 a.m., it's cooler and less crowded, as people sometimes walk more than 5 hours from their homes to reach the market. Nomads are asked to leave their Kalashnikovs at home - which they do. There's no security problem, but it's good to be accompanied by a local or a friendly translator, who can help you take photos, for example, or negotiate decent prices, even if it means buying more for less. When you've made a deal, shake hands with the merchant and say "Gezo". You'll find nickel jewelry, but also silver, such as the beautiful ^18th-century coins bearing the effigy of Maria Theresa of Austria, which served as the local currency and were often worn as pendants around the necks of Oromo women.

At the end of the market, when the heat is overwhelming, you can see the men quenching their thirst with tella (traditional light beer)... and with a bit of luck, an azmari will come along accompanied by his wife and her instrument. It's also possible to buy a bundle of khat and offer it to Ethiopian friends.

About 10 km before the town, a track leads off to the right at Tchekorti. After 4 km, a small path (local children will be able to show you the way) leads, in just half an hour's walk, to this lion carved into a rock. A monumental and very impressive sculpture, also known as the Tchika Beret lion. Letters engraved in the Sabaean language date it to the Axumite era (that of the Queen of Sheba). But, as with the Gobedra lioness near Aksum, the significance of such a sculpture is not known.

Along with Dabra Damo, the Gishen monastery is one of the most venerated in Ethiopia. Founded, according to legend, in the^5th century under King Khaleb, it is most famous for the important relics it houses. From Dessié, it takes about a day to get there and visit the site. The beauty of the site and the original shape of the Gishen plateau flanked by four sanctuaries, three of which are symbolically erected to the north, south and west, following the layout of Ethiopian church doors, justify the excursion. According to tradition, it was in the ^14th century, during the reign of King Dawit (1379-1413), that important relics arrived in Ethiopia, including a fragment of the true cross, probably from Constantinople, where it had been brought from Jerusalem by Queen Helena. At the time, there was a festival in this city celebrating the cross, which is undoubtedly the origin of the Ethiopian festival of Masqal, which attracts thousands of pilgrims here every year. King Zara Yaqob (1434-1468), son of Dawit, searched long and hard for the ideal place to house the precious artifacts, eventually choosing the amba (tabular plateau) of Gishen, predestined by its cruciform topography. Locked away in four successive caskets of iron, bronze, silver and gold, the fragment of the cross has rested to this day in a twenty-metre-deep shaft, hidden from view, beneath the Egziaber Ab church. Along with the Ark of the Covenant, this myth constitutes the second great enigma of the sacred possessions claimed by the Ethiopian Church.

The sanctuary, located on a peninsula, is home to a community of around 30 monks and as many nuns, living in separate quarters. According to legend, the first church was founded here around 862, when local people honored the cult of the snake with animal sacrifices. It was the saintly Abouna Salama who had the sanctuary built. He is said to have convinced the locals to convert if he succeeded in killing the monster. Legend has it that he made the snake disappear by striking it with the cross. This storyline is widely shared by other accounts of church foundations, but the story becomes more specific from the ^13th century onwards. In 1240, the Estifanos monastery was founded under the auspices of the saintly Iyasus Mo'a, who made it one of the country's most renowned centers of monastic learning. He played an active part in the restoration of the Solomonic dynasty towards the end of the ^13th century. It was from here that Takla Haymanot, one of the most venerated saints of Orthodox liturgy, left to found the monastery of Dabra Libanos, after years of study under the guidance of his spiritual father. Like so many others, the monastery suffered from looting by the Gragn armies in the ^16th century. Not far from the church, a small hut serving as a museum houses precious manuscripts, the sacrificial stone that would have received pagan offerings, and heavy cross-shaped stones carried by the monks as a sign of self-sacrifice during their long prayers.

A detour to the shores of Lake Hayq ("lake" in Amharic) provides a very peaceful stop-off for a picnic and a good spot for birdwatching. It is surrounded by fertile hills and giant cacti - the opuntia, very common in the region. There are a number of cafés on the lakeshore (the restaurant offer is more than limited), providing good vantage points and an excuse to take a break, not least to watch the fishermen balancing on their frail papyrus skiffs, identical to those on Lake Tana.

A shrill hiss echoes from the path between two rock faces. According to legend, this is a snake imprisoned in the cliff by the monastery's founder. It was from here that the holy man is said to have thrown a tree trunk into the river, symbolizing the vanquished monster, and vowed to build a sanctuary on the spot where it would be washed ashore. This monastery was at the head of a monastic network considered heretical in the ^15th century, the stephanite movement, which refused the Marian cult imposed by the king. It remained a major intellectual center.

The gigantic bridge spanning the waters of the Blue Nile on the road to Addis Ababa was built by the Italians. The aesthetically pleasing structure is the object of special attention, as two vehicles cannot drive over it at the same time. Linking the provinces of Choa and Godjam, previously separated by this chaotic natural border, this unique link is truly strategic for the country's economy. In this area, you'll come across gelada baboons on the side of the road, waiting for truck drivers to throw them some bread.

Only a few ruins remain of what was the king's palace during his short reign from 1607 to 1632. It was built by Pedro Páez, the Spanish Jesuit sent from Goa as a missionary to Abyssinia. Páez befriended Emperor Susenyos, who invited him to his coronation in Aksum in 1609. It was with his help that he later converted to Catholicism. In gratitude, the emperor offered him a piece of land in Gorgora. Pedro Páez's architectural skills enabled him to build the Jesuit church of Debre Sina and the Susenyos palace.

Like many churches in Ethiopia, this church bears the name "Mount Sinai". Built in 1608 by Emperor Susenyo when Gorgora was the capital, it features rich paintings from an original monastery built in the ^14th century, in a good state of preservation. The site is particularly beautiful, on an outcrop of land on the shores of Lake Tana. Local belief attributes healing powers to the painting of Saint Mary the Egyptian, which is different from the others.

This young team of 20 local guides has created its own trekking structure, supported by the municipality and a few expatriates who helped them set up the project. The 6-day trek is exclusively camping, which is cheaper than the huts offered by Tesfa Community, but also colder! You need to be equipped for the extreme temperatures at night in the high mountains. You won't be integrated into village communities; this is purely a trek.

It is one of the most venerated monasteries in Ethiopia. Its founder, Takla Haymanot, occupies a special place among Ethiopian saints. The monk, trained at the Estifanos monastery on Lake Hayq, is known for having played a key role in restoring the Solomonic dynasty to Yekouno Amlak at the end of the ^13th century. Once his mission was accomplished, he retired to a cave in the south of the kingdom to lead an ascetic life.

According to legend, the holy monk lived for many years on his feet, without eating or drinking, fed only once a year by a bird that dropped a seed into his mouth. But the feat didn't end there: one day, his femur broke off, and the saint managed to spend the last seven years of his life balancing on one leg... It was on the site of these feats that the monastery was founded, the holy man having attracted many faithful to his side.

Nothing remains of this original monument after the passage of the Gragn's destructive campaigns. While the recent church, built in 1961, is only of interest for its stained-glass windows by the artist Afewerk Teklé, the natural setting is serene and ideal for a stroll. The recent paintings are nevertheless very beautiful.

One path follows the stream to a small village, while another leads to the cave where Takla Haymanot lived. On the way back, 2 km away, there's a beautiful Portuguese bridge, simply indicated by a roadside sign.