Lallibela
and the North on Ethiopia's Holy
Route:
In The Queen of Sheba's Footsteps
by
Jerry W. Bird
x
Lalibela's
Bet
Giyorgis, most famous of the eleven
rock-hewn churches in this mountainous
area, is believed to have been built in
the late 12th or early 13th century by
King Lalibela. These incredible edifices,
which were carved inside and outside from
solid rock, are ranked among the wonders
of the world.
Our
team of North American journalists came to
Ethiopia with few preconceived notions,
yet each had some special areas of
concern. For every member of the group, it
was a first time journey to this ancient,
mysterious, storybook land. What a
spiritual awakening it proved to be. The
tour of Ethiopia's Historic Route began in
Addis Ababa, the capital and geographical
center. For starters, Ethiopian Airlines,
flew us north to Lalibela, the holy city;
to Gondar- Africa's Camelot, and to Bahir
Dar on Lake Tana, source of the Blue Nile.
Dire Dawa and the walled city of Harar in
the eastern sector completed the agenda.
Nothing
I had read about the Holy City of
Lalibela, its mysteries, legends, saints
and monarchs, could have prepared me for
what we were about to encounter on this
trip. The brief morning flight from Addis
Ababa's Airport north was a delight,
winging through the cloudless skies, as an
ever-changing panorama of awesome gorges,
deep canyons and broad plateaus unfolded
below.
Everything
that I had read about Ethiopia in Wilbur
Smith's novels, the River God and Secret
Scroll, was as he described. As we learned
later from Hon. Yusuf Abdullahi Sukkar,
Ethiopia's Tourism Commissioner, airport
construction enjoys a high priority, and
on the high plain south of Lalibela, a new
terminal building is in the final stages
of completion. Our temporary waiting area
was a baggage shack, where we basked in
the morning sun, awaiting the commuter
bus.
A
Storybook
Land:
I've never been to Tibet, but the
spiritual presence and views we saw during
our corkscrew journey up the hillside
would easily fit that image. Small wonder
this storybook land has such a spiritual
presence, a proud tradition and a way of
life that has survived three millennia,
despite an outside world of hate,
conquest, treachery, trial and turmoil.
The thatched villages, shepherd boys,
terraced farming methods, simple forms of
irrigation and donkey power, attest to the
fact that time has stood still &emdash; as
well it should. Coming from North America
it's hard for us to realize that this is
the way it has been in this part of the
world since time immemorial.
Rocks
of Ages: During
my recent African excursions, I have been
awed by mankind's glorious creations,
offset by a Jekyll and Hyde capacity for
evil. While we were shocked by the slave
castles of West Africa's Gold Coast and
Zanzibar's dungeons, we saw the result of
godly forces at work in the 12th century
rock -hewn churches that have made the
Holy City of Lalibela a magnet for
Christian pilgrims and historians.
Many come
for the famous church festivals in
Ethiopia, such as Timket (Epiphany) and
other times of celebration and devotion.
Souvenirs of King Lalibela are everywhere,
as a continuing tribute to his glory and
greatness in creating these wonders of the
world. Our official photographer, Robert
Eilets couldn't get over the abundance of
photo opportunities in Lalibela's streets,
at the famous stone churches and around
every bend in the road leading to this
remote highland community. Next time, we
vowed to allow an extra day for
photography
alone.
Footnote:
Back in Addis Ababa, it was our turn to be
interviewed -- this time by Ethiopian
press, radio and television. To a person,
each journalist agreed it was a positive
experience with no feelings of concern or
anxiety about personal health and safety.
The climate in mid February was perfect,
and the hospitality of the people was
second to none. What a beautiful prelude
to the ATA congress, Africa's 1st major
tourism event of the new
millennium.
More
to come, including map and
photos.
Continued:
(Holy
Route
North)
Gondar- Ethiopia's Camelot
Jerry W. Bird is President of ATA Canada
Chapter, Editor and Publisher of Africa
Travel Magazine, and Webmaster for the ATA
site www.africa-ata.org. He is also
Publisher of Air Highways Magazine, the
Journal of Open Skies, featuring aviation,
tourism, transportation and business
worldwide. His career began with the
Edmonton Journal Daily Newspaper, and
expanded into the full spectrum of media -
radio, television, magazines and Internet.
He has won international awards for
creativity in audio visual and print
production.
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