Travel Guide Debre Birhan

Altitude: 2,740 m. Population: 110,500. Distance from Addis Ababa: 130 km, 2 hours' drive.Debre Birhan, populated mainly by Amhara, was one of Ethiopia's first capitals, then the capital of the Choa kingdom, along with Ankober. It was founded in the 15th century by the Negus emperor Zara Yakob. Believing he saw a divine light one evening in the sky, he decided that God approved of the stoning to death of heretics that he had ordered. He had a local church built on the spot where they were killed, followed later by a palace and a second church dedicated to Saint Cyriacus. Unfortunately, none of these buildings have survived, and the central church was built in 1906 by Menelik II in place of the old one. The town is renowned not only for its carpet production, but also for its wool factory and the production of araki, a brandy distilled in the backyards which, according to connoisseurs, is of very high quality. The town has the distinction of being twinned with the French town of Blanc-Mesnil (Seine-Saint-Denis), a very active twinning arrangement that gives rise to numerous Franco-Ethiopian exchanges. We recommend a stop here to visit Ankober, the former imperial capital, before continuing northwards.In the vicinity. 40 km from Debre Birhan is a beautiful panorama to the west, and 43 km away a second equally beautiful panorama, also to the west. Exactly 46 km from Hotel Eva in Debre Birhan, the road reaches its highest point at an altitude of 3,200 m, and in the distance to the east, the Afar country opens up, offering a splendid view. Don't hesitate to brave the wind and cool temperatures (12-15°C) to lean out through what some have dubbed "the Afar window", a rock-cut gorge offering a truly impressive bird's-eye view. We recommend stopping again 1 km further on, in a small fir forest. After a few meters through the undergrowth, you reach the edge of the rocky escarpment, from where you can enjoy a view for which no superlative would be too strong. Colonies of monkeys are a common sight. Children wrapped in thick blankets offer the traditional woollen hats of these altitudes. Hats are sold for between 50 and 100 birr. A hat made from the hair of the gingero, a species of monkey whose males have an impressive pectoral mane, costs considerably more. A guaranteed success at a fancy dress party. Further on, the road enters the Termaber Pass tunnel, dug in 1938 by the Italians and now restored by the Chinese. Then begins a long descent to the small town of Debre Sina, then to Robit, established along the fertile banks of a tributary of the Awash, which marks the lowest point of the road, at around 1,100 m.