Mule Trek to Ashatan Maryam monastery
October 25, 2019 in Ethiopia ⋅ ☀️ 15 °CA very steep ride and walk (where it is too steep for the mules!) up to a rock hewn monastery above Lalibela.
A very steep ride and walk (where it is too steep for the mules!) up to a rock hewn monastery above Lalibela.
The rock hewn churches are simply incredible. The imagination and the effort to create them were immense.
A *very* long day in the bus. Great fun seeing the camel market and lots of beautiful scenery again.
Abreha Wo Atsebeha and Wukro Cherkos are both near Wukro. They are semi-monolithic (carved into the rock but you cannot walk all around outside.
Very difficult to capture all the hard work in a photo.
Our first rock hewn church. It is quite incredible to think of the years of effort that must have gone into it, patiently scraping away at the rock face. Photos don't do it justice.
Visit to this pre-Christian temple built out of large blocks of stone and standing 14m high. Nearby is a slightly older palace complex which is still being excavated.
First the Stelae of Aksum. Then the Palace of the Queen of Sheba. Finally a visit to the church of St Mary Zion where they keep the Ark of the Covenant in an adjoining chapel.
Very long drive from Debark to Axum. Over mountains, down valleys, across plateaus. Such stunning scenery.
Trekking across the park at 3200m. Lots of Gelada monkeys. And great views of the lowlands when the clouds moved away.
First the church of Debre Birhan Selassie with typical wall paintings and the angels painted on the ceiling. And then Fasilides Baths, as used during the Timkat festival.