Debre damo best tourist destination for hikers allafrica. Debre damo is the name of a flattopped mountain, or amba, and a 6th century. Debre damo and debre salam are both reached by rope up a perpendicular wail of rock, and legends abound on how their founders made the first ascent. Debre damo beckons you to a lifechanging adventure. Debre damo is usually a firstday stop on tigray rockhewn church tours out of aksum. A detail of debre damo s exquisitely carved coffered wooden ceiling dating from the 6th or 7th century. Wikipedia one interpretation of gudit is derived from the work of a contemporary arab writer, ibn hawqal. Ethiopian quadrants debre damo monastery ethiopian.
Monastery of debre damo adigrat 2020 what to know before. It is dedicated to saint abba aregawi, one of nine syrian christians who came to spread christianity in ethiopia in the 6th century. Reviews of debredamo hotel this rating is a reflection of how the property compares to the industry standard when it comes to price, facilities and services available. Aussereuropaischer kulturen german edition 9783895008900. Debredamo offers a total of 102 refined rooms, all clean and spacious and equipped with numerous comforts to make your stay in addis ababa pleasant and relaxing. Difficult to imagine today debre damo as a centre of learning as it is said it was in long past history. The book is a history of the jewish people thought to be based upon the writings of josephus, in eight parts.
Some 76 kilometers from axum is the monastery of debre damo closed to women, which is said to have the oldest existing intact church in ethiopia. The monastery of debre damo can only be reached by rope pulley. Debre synonyms, debre pronunciation, debre translation, english dictionary definition of debre. The monastery of debre damo is set inside a hidden world atop a rock, accessible only by way of a leather rope up and only accessible to men. We recommend booking monastery of debre damo tours ahead of time to secure your spot. Travelling the route by plane, car or both will offer you a glimpse into a truly remarkable past. Debre damo monastery is situated on an isolated mountain in northern part of. Debre damo monastery is situated on an isolated mountain in northern part of tigray. Debre damo has long been used as a safeguard for religious treasures and its collection includes some of ethiopias oldest illuminated manuscripts. Debre damo 6th century monastery church is situated on an isolated mountain in the northern part of tigray.
The mountain is steeply rising plateau of trapezoidal shape, about by 400 meters. One of them was saint aregawi who settled on the mountain of debre damo. But now i know that the flat summit of debra damo turned out to be a small town refectories, churches, grazing cattle, rockcut cisterns, drystone lodgings. The orthodox tewahedo broader new testament canon has eight additional books. Apr 01, 2019 adult vocations from any sector of society are rare, and even more so from among the educated class. African history african culture african art black history books ivory coast ancient architecture guinea bissau new york public library history facts. Debre damo monastery located in the northern part of the country, tigray region, was believed to have been built during the reign of king gebre meskel in the 6th century ad. Debre damo monastery ethiopia, church building, africa. It is unique compared with most ethiopian monasteries. Debre damo oldest existing intact church in ethiopia.
Tracing the origins of a mysterious ancient queen of. The 6th century monastery of debre damo, which perches on a plateau in northern ethiopia, is a true wilderness. Thats precisely what jeff discovered within the 4th century monastery atop an obscure plateau in northern. Getting to it is arduous the last stretch is achieved via an 80 foot rope. This remarkable architectural feature includes 30 wooden panels of elephants, lions, rhinos, antelopes and camels, as well as abstract byzantine patterns. History of ethiopia christian monasteries established in the 6th century ethiopian orthodox.
Debre damo, the mystical experience a journey back in time is certainly what debre damo ofers, the oldest preserved ethiopian monastery, and an emblematic situation of the ethiopian monastic experience. A few feet from the top my arms gave out and i couldnt move. Book the debredamo hotel stay at this 4star businessfriendly hotel in addis ababa. The gift, ancient secrets of solomons wisdom, a novel jeffery mitchell on.
If you book with tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. Debre damo monastery, rock climbing into 1400 years of ethiopian history january 17, 2016 january 19, 2016 tesfaye abebe 4196 views 0 comment debre damo monastery they dont make it easy to get into debre damo monastery. The mountain is a steeply rising plateau of trapezoidal shape, about by 400 meters in dimension. The history of debre damo is centred on the nine saints who came to ethiopia from syria to spread christianity in the tigray region.
Ancient and medieval ethiopian history to 1270 sergew hable. Our meeting rooms are equipped with all the latest conference technologies and provide a memorable professional setting for your meetings, conferences, presentations, family events. Christianity for centuries, many books and manuscripts have been written and. No wonder the monastery at debre damo has survived unmolested for. Eventually, tekle haymanot left debre damo with his followers to return to shewa. The monastic community of ethiopia an ethiopian journal. The debre damo monastery, which dates back to early aksumite times, is said to possess the ethiopias oldest existing church. The mountain is a steeply rising plateau of trapezoidal shape, about by 400 m in dimension. Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles. Debre damo is the most famous monastery that must be approached in this manner, but he also visits abba salama, which requires the supplicant to walk along a narrow ledge halfway up a cliff, climb. E, it sits at an elevation of 2216 m above sea level. Christian chronicle coins consecrated conti rossini cosmas debre debre damo dhu nuwas. Debre damo monastery is located on an cut off mountain within the northern. Debre damo was built, in the sixth century ad, with curved wood panels, painted ceilings and walls dedicated to the legend of saint abune aregawi.
Debre damo monastery is a place that needs to be seen to be believed. The gift, ancient secrets of solomons wisdom, a novel. One of hundreds of thousands of free digital items from the new york public library. One of them was saint aregawi, who settled on the mountain of debre damo. There is a tradition that gudit sacked and burned debre damo, an amba which at the time was a treasury and a prison for the male relatives of the king. Legend has it that abba aragawi, one of the nine saints, while wandering at the foot of the cliff, judged that the plateau above him was a suitable place to live a solitary life. Medhane alem church and meskel square are local landmarks, and travelers looking to shop may want to visit shola market and zefmesh grand mall. Empire arab archaeological army bete bishop budge caleb caliph century a. Emperor lalibela had most of the churches constructed in his capital, roha, in the hope of replacing ancient aksum as a city of ethiopian preeminence. Debere damo hotel addis ababa ethiopia about debredamo. Local tradition says that abune aregawi, one of the nine saints, built the church in the 16th century. In the ethiopian culture, it is a sign of respect to refer to elders and religious leaders with theythem pronouns.
Some may reflect, as they make their way to the top, that because of this arduous, dangerous ascent the art treasures of debra damo have remained intact through the monasterys 1,400 tumultuous years of history. Debre damo hotel the unforgettable memories is one of the best four star hotel in addis ababa ethiopia which is found in 22 area haile gebresilasie street, only 6 minutes drive from bole international airport. The expert craftsmanship of the lalibela churches has been linked with the earlier church of debre damo near aksum and tends to support the assumption of a welldeveloped ethiopian tradition of architecture. I was green with envy when my friends were climbing the rope. Passing deep canyons and terraced barley fields, the road running southeast of debre damo towards adigrat, with its distant views of the adwa mountains. Visiting the 6th century debre damo monastery in ethiopia. Ethiopians werent just fighting the hated arabs and somalis but people from all over the muslim world i hate how history books try to make the somalis look like a better warrior class. By tsegay hagos the ethiopian herald ethiopia is very marvelous country which is endowed with natural and manmade treasures. No wonder the monastery at debre damo has survived unmolested for some 900 years among the vast tigrayan mountains of northern ethiopia.
The treasures secreted within, kept intact through the countrys 1,400 tumultuous years of history because of that arduous, dangerous ascent, include an extensive collection of illuminated manuscripts, among them the oldest surviving fragments of texts anywhere in ethiopia. The welltrodden path through ethiopias famous and fascinating historic site takes you through a scenic, magnificent world of fairytale names, such as lalibela, gondar, debre damo and bahar dar. Debre damo monastery, ethiopia ethiopia, africa travel. While aregawi settled on debre damo, the other nine saints all settled in this region and have similar churches dedicated to them. Monks lower a safety rope which visitors tie around their waists. Ethiopias historic selfconfidence writ large in the. Debre damo monastery travel story and pictures from ethiopia. Dec 19, 2015 the 6th century monastery of debre damo, which perches on a plateau in northern ethiopia, is a true wilderness. Places like debre damo, simply because no women or better yet female ever steped on the flat and holy summit of the ambra. Debre damo is the name of a flattopped mountain, or amba, and a 6th century monastery in northern ethiopia. Debre damo is the name of a flattopped mountain, or amba, and a 6thcentury monastery in northern ethiopia. The history of debre damo is centred on the nine saints who came to.
Debre damo monastery, rock climbing into 1400 years of. Clicking on the pictures enlarges them and enables you to send the picture as a free ecard or download it for personal use, for instance, on your weblog. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Debre damo, 9786200876201, 6200876207,9786200876201. This was a great historical event in ethiopian history because after ezana embraced christianity, the latter faith became official religion of ethiopia and the first ethiopian church was established and for the last one thousand and seven hundred years, the church occupied a center stage position in the annals of ethiopian history. Popular attractions african union headquarters and shola market are located nearby. Personal travel impressions both in words and images from debre damo monastery ethiopia. Ethiopian treasures debre damo monastery ethiopian. Debre damo is one of ethiopias most important monasteries and is thought to date back to aksumite times and the 6thcentury reign of king gebre meskel. Monastery of debre damo adigrat 2020 all you need to. See all 4 monastery of debre damo tours on tripadvisor. Tour debre damo monastery, unique attraction of ethiopia.
The monasterys location, sitting at 2216 meters above sea level on top of a flattopped mountain with sheersided cliffs, sets a dramatic scene and, once youve reached the top of the cliffs, the views are spectacular. The end of the 5th century ad brought the famous nine saints, a group of greekspeaking missionaries who established wellknown monasteries in the north of the country, including debre damo. It was built, in the sixth century ad, with curved wood panels, painted ceilings and walls dedicated to the legend of saint abune aregawi. To know the ancient ethiopian figurative situation this is the right book. Ethiopian amazing debre damo abune aregawi gedam monastery. Typical aksumite architecture, the monastery of debre damo. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. At this time, the bible was first translated from greek into geez. Tradition says this site was sacked and burned by gudit. Work out when and for how long to visit monastery of debre damo and other adigrat attractions using our handy adigrat sightseeing planning app.
The dangers of debre damo monastery ethiopia youtube. Monastery of debre damo adigrat 2020 all you need to know. The debre damo hotel is the ideal base to explore the entire city. This includes air conditioning, satellite tv, radio, minibar, electronic safe, direct line telephone. Jan 23, 2011 debre damo is the name of a flattopped mountain, or amba, and a 6th century monastery in northern ethiopia. The history of debre damo is focused on the nine saints, who came to ethiopia from syria to spread christianity in the tigray region. Debre damo the very name exudes mystery with a hint of intrigue. The 6th century monastery of debre damo is situated 76 kilometers from axum which is said to have the oldest existing intact church in ethiopia. This is an ethiopian monastery built on a mountain top. History of ethiopia lonely planet travel information. Go search best sellers gift ideas new releases whole foods todays deals amazonbasics coupons. The mountain is steeply rising plateau of trapezoidal shape, about by 400 meters in dimension, having an elevation of 2216 meters above sea level, and located west of adigrat in the zone of the tigray region. Historical attractions in ethiopia lalibela, bahir dar.
Ancient manuscripts tell the history of abune aregawi and the establishment of the place. The trek up to the base of the rock is by way of climbing approximately 525 steps. The chains of heaven share book recommendations with your. These are the four books of sinodos, the two divisions of the book of the covenant, ethiopic clement, and the ethiopic. It has an elevation of 2216 m above sea level and it has a collection of manuscripts and for having the earliest existing church building in ethiopia that is still in its original style. Adult vocations from any sector of society are rare, and even more so from among the educated class. As such, tekle haymanot was frequently referred to with these pronouns in religious texts even though he was one person.
The monasterys location once allowed aksumite monarchs to coop up excess male members of the royal family here, thus removing possible threats to their reign. Visit monastery of debre damo on your trip to adigrat or ethiopia. The other eight saints settled around tigray countryside and all have their own church named after them. Then they use a second, thicker rope to climb with. Debre damo used to possess abundant lands from which rent the monastery lived. Book your tickets online for monastery of debre damo, adigrat. Ethiopias historic selfconfidence writ large in the monastery at.
History and culture ethiopias wealth of historic sites, and an identity defined by its own history and. The chains of heaven share book recommendations with. Difficult to imagine today debre damo as a center of learning as it is said it was in long past history. Many books have been written there and distributed to churches throughout ethiopia. One of the masterpieces of the kingdom is a monastery called debre damo.