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Ethiopia
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The
Historic Route: In The Queen of Sheba's
Footsteps 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. 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. Watch for a
Focus
on Ethiopia Trade and
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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.
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