Rock churches of Tigray | |
| Information | |
| Departure | Addis Ababa |
|---|---|
| Steps | Hawzien Mekele |
| Arrival | Addis Ababa |
| Duration | 3 days |
| Country |  Ethiopia |
| Location | |
 14 ° 1 ′ 12 ″ N 39 ° 26 ′ 24 ″ E | |
Understand
Read
- The Historical Churches of Tigray. Ethiopian Art by Lepage (Claude) and Mercier (Jacques); Adpf-Edit. Rech. About The Civilians. 2005. Ill. 247 Pp, French-English Bilingual Text. 300 birrs in Addis. Probably the best popular work on the subject. The brief indications, however, make it possible to reach the churches in good conditions.
- Ethiopia's Hidden Treasures A Guide to the Paintings of the Remote Churches of Ethiopia by Maria-Jose and Bob Friedlander; Shama Books Ethiopia (2007) 267 pages, in English, 200 birr in Addis. The author, an art historian, makes a very detailed analysis of the works, but is limited to the churches she visited. The churches of Gondar are also discussed in this book in English only. You will not find precise directions on how to get to the sites, so for English-speaking art lovers.
Cards
- EMA 1: 250,000 cards, EMA 3 series: ND 37-11 sheet
- 1: 50,000 EMA cards, ETH 4 series:
- Gheralta: sheets 1339 A2 "Hawzen", 1339 B1 "Wikro"
- Wemberta: sheet 1339 B1 "Wikro"
Steps
The 120 churches listed by Dr. Abba Teweldemedhin Yosief can be classified according to their geographic location. They are mainly distributed between, from east to west, the massifs of Wemberta, Gueralta and Tenbien. Finally, others are outside the perimeter of these three massifs. The Ethiopian Church has harmonized entrance fees to churches. They are everywhere 50 birr per person (September 2007). For Debre Damo, provide the remuneration of the tailpiece who will ensure you in the ascent of the cliff.
The churches of Wemberta: Wemberta is the amba (plateau) located to the east and the Mekele-Adigrad road. It plunges to the east towards the Danakil depression.
- Agabo
- Debre Selam:
- Gazian:
- Mellehayzengi:
- Mikael amba:
- Mikael barka
- Wukro
- Zarema
The churches of Gheralta: massif located southwest of Hawzien which concentrates the most famous churches and therefore the most visited.
- 1 Abreha we Atsbeha
- Beraqit
- Debre Mear
- Debre Tsion
- Degum
- Guh
- Harerigwa
- Hawzien
- Korkor, Daniel
- Korkor, Mariam
- Maaqudi
- Papaseyti
- Sella
The churches of Tenbien:
- Abba Yohanni:
- Gabriel Wukien:
- Mariam Hibeti:
The other churches
- Debre Damo:
- Gunda Gunde:
To go
By plane
By Mekele (the shortest) or Axum, regular flights ofEthiopian airline. Then by land.
By car
From Mekele take the road north to Adigrad, turn east to Agula or Wukro for churches in Wemberta and west to Wukro for churches in Gheralta. 4x4 compulsory.
By bus
- From Mekele: there are daily connections to Agula and Wukro. From there, regular connections to Hawzien and Atsbi. To reach the churches themselves, you will have to walk or hitchhike.
- From Axum: Connections to Mekele via Abi Addi or Adigrad.
- From Adigrad: Regular connections to Aksum and Mekele.
Circulate
Do
It is difficult in a few days to visit all the monuments. Some churches are on the side of the road and can be visited during a trip Aksum - Mekele or Adigrad - Mekele. If your program is firmly focused on the churches of Tigray, then three days is a minimum from Addis Ababa. 5 days will give you enough time to have a varied panel. And a week is ideal for visiting churches in the three massifs, so here are some suggested itineraries according to various requirements.
- Long weekend from Addis: This is a possibility, taking into account the flight times. Nevertheless, it will take at least three days.
- Day 1: In the morning, flight Addis - Mekele. Pick up your vehicle in Mekele, lunch on site.
The afternoon (14 h), move to Wukro (1 h), visit of WUKRO church (One hour). Then travel to Hawzien, visit of the church of Abréha We Atsbéha (One hour) before reaching Hawzien for dinner and overnight.
- Day 2: TO 7 h, leave for Mariam and Daniel Korkor. TO 7 h 45, departure for the walk from the car and climb to the churches (2 h). Visit of churches (1 h 30) and descent (2 h). After a lunch break, on the way to Mekele, visit of the Degum church located at the edge of the road (1 h). Early evening in Mekele for dinner and overnight.
- Day 3: Return to Addis Ababa.
- The "drive-in": These are the churches that you can visit without having to do more 05 min Steps. They can therefore be incorporated into a larger visit program, or be the end-of-day visit in a multi-day Elise Tigray program or finally bring happiness to those for whom culture is totally incompatible with sport.
- Wukro
- Abréha we Atsbéha
- Degum
- Hawzien
- Mikael amba
- Gazian
- The Jewels: Those which will have to be on the program of a journey of several days. This does not mean that the others are not beautiful. It is simply the rather subjective selection of those which combine the originality of the architecture, the presence and quality of the paintings and the atmosphere of the place.
- Mikael amba
- Maaqudi
- Abréha we Atsbéha
- Debre Tsion
- Guh, Abuna Yémata (Attention, climbing mandatory)
- Sporting: It is a selection of churches which, by virtue of their location, will allow trekking and climbing enthusiasts to find their happiness.
- Abuna Yémata (Guh): two easy climbing passages (IV / 5a max) but without any insurance (except to have your own climbing equipment)
- Maaqudi: two routes are available to the visitor to access it from the place where you leave the car. Either to the south, directly on the slope (one hour of ascent), or to the north, along the mountain that you skirt around before gradually climbing on the other side (several hours). To do a day "trek", take the direct ascent route (south), visit the church and descend by the longer route. On leaving the church, return to the pass then turn right (west) on a path that runs along the mountain for a few hundred meters. Then fork to your right on a path which descends then overlooks the gorges. Follow it until you cross the river that you are following. Cross it and go up opposite. You set foot on a pass (panoramic view not to be missed!). From there turn north - east, that is to say along the mountain on which Maaqudi is located. You will see the path without difficulty. Then it's simple, follow the trail. You will first pass at the foot of superb cliffs (look up, little green monkeys are watching you) to arrive at a very characteristic jagged rock and a grove of palm trees at its base. There, bend your course to the south-east, still following the cliff. After a few hamlets, you come back to your vehicle.
- Quiat: Until the rain-washed track has been repaired, you will need to leave your vehicle a two-hour walk from the church. The path to the church will take you through splendid landscapes and will immerse you in the countryside of Tigray. As you get closer to the cliff in which the church is carved, the path will become narrower and meander between fields and hamlets. There is no difficulty other than the length of the approach.
- Debre Damo: You will need, gentlemen, you unwind with the help of a hemp rope on 15 meters to access the monastery. No other difficulty.
- Gunda-Gunde: The monastery is located at the bottom of a valley east of Adigrad. Allow ten hours of walking in each direction after leaving your vehicle.
To buy
Visiting the Tigray churches is not conducive to souvenir shopping. There are no souvenir shops in the area. Do not especially dare to buy old liturgical objects, crosses or manuscripts. It is strictly forbidden by Ethiopian law and you will certainly be liable to criminal penalties, in Ethiopia and in your home country probably.
Nevertheless, there are shops in Hawzien, Wukro and Atsbi. They are geared towards the Ethiopian clientele, but one can, according to their tastes, find very "authentic" "souvenirs" there if they are not old. Around Maaqudi, especially if you do the proposed circuit, children will offer you marine fossils (1 to 2 birrs), but looking at your feet, you will find some.
Eat
It will be easy to eat in Wukro, Hawzien, Idaga Hamus and Atsbi. In Gheralta it will be more difficult to have lunch. There is a small restaurant in Megab, a fairly central village to which it is possible to return quite easily between visiting two churches.It can happen, especially in the most remote places, that the inhabitants that you will meet on your route invite you. to have lunch or to drink a "buna" (coffee).
Note that apart from the evening meal at the Gheralta lodge, it is not possible to find western cuisine.
Have a drink / Go out
Housing
Cheap
- Hawzien: there are one or two hotels in town, rooms around 25/30 birr but very spartan comfort.
- Wukro: the pension is the best place in town. Double rooms (one large bed) with shower (hot when the individual water heater is on) at 80 birr / night. Basic but recent.
- Atsbi: the Mide Genet hotel offers double rooms for 25 birr / night. Very spartan, the outside WC will give you a good idea of what spartan means. Forget the showers. The restaurant will serve you very correct wots or tibs (about ten birrs).
Luxury
- Gheralta Lodge (At the western entrance to Hawzien)
Single rooms at 200 birr / night and suites at 400 birr / night. Evening meal included, no lunch at noon, bar extra.. – superb base for discovering the churches of Tigray. The architecture, the decoration, the service make it a very pleasant place, and probably the best value for money in all of Ethiopia.
Single rooms at 200 birr / night and suites at 400 birr / night. Evening meal included, no lunch at noon, bar extra.