PLACES TO BE VISITED – HISTORICAL ATTRACTIONS
AXUM
Axum is the ancient town which is situated in the northern Ethiopia particularly Tigray. The very recent obelisks describe adoption of Christianity by King Ezana in the 4th century. And it has long been considered as holy city for Ethiopian Orthodox church. Axum is a place where the Arc of the covenant is seated. It was brought from Jerusalem to Axum by King Menelik son of King Solomon of Israel and Queen of Sheba.
The church was destroyed and rebuilt number of times. And the current structure is built by King Fasiledes of Gondar in the 17th century. But the new church of St.Mary of the Zion near the old one in which the Arc of the Covenant is housed was built by Emperor Hailesilase.
Once Axum has been the seat of Kingdom of Axum but presently it’s a town of tourist destination. If you are planning to visit this gorgeous spot, you are bound to see archaeological remains, graves of kings, foundations of a palace, inscribed tablets, great carved obelisks. These all reflect the past civilization Axum had.
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LALIBELA
 Lalibela was originally a monastic settlement. Latter it became the permanent capital of the Ethiopian central government next to Axum in the 12th century during the period of Zagwe dynasty. Today Lalibela is the leading tourist site in Ethiopia. It is usually identified with h eleven rock-hewn churches. Those are amongst the eight Ethiopian sites registered in the World Heritage List by UNESCO. Unofficially it is considered as the eight wonders of the world.
The incredible architectural design and the marvelous paintings always leave visitors speechless. |
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GONDAR
 Gondar was founded by King Fasiledes in 1632 and served as the capital of the country for nearly 200 years .It was the third permanent capital city in Ethiopia next to Axum and Lalibela respectively. It is found 50 kilometers north of Lake Tana and 700 kilometers north of Addis Abebba. Gondar nestles in the foothills of the Semien mountains at an altitude of 2200 meters above sea level. The Gonderine period is very popular mainly in the building of castles and churches. The castle building tradition was first established by Emperor Fasiledes and then followed by his successors. Fasiledes built the huge and graceful castle.
For a long time, since its establishment, Gondar served as an important administrative, commercial, religious and cultural center in Ethiopia. And today the presence of many outstanding royal castles, breath taking churches and other age long heritages makes Gondar to be one of the significant tourist destinations in Ethiopia. |
