Hadj to Harar

In nearly every town you'll recognize the red, green, and yellow arched entrances that indicate inside resides an orthodox church. But as soon as you enter one of the five gates in the old walled city of Harar, the crosses are less common and crescent moons and stars take their place. This 1 square kilometer town is home to over 100 mosques. Believe me, call to prayer has never been louder!

Formed as a Muslim state between the 7th and 11th centuries, this was a center for Islamic culture in this part of Africa. A world apart from the rest of Ethiopia, it even had its own language (Adare) and currency. Walking through the streets again reminds you of Zanzibar and Lamu, with its narrow, winding streets, beautiful stonewalled buildings, old wooden balconies, colorful markets and Arab-Indian trade culture.

One of the 5 gates

The best lentil and leek samosas!

The famous poet Rimbaud made his home here in the late 1800s. Here is also where Ras Tafari Mekonnen (aka Emperor Haile Selassie) spent his first few days of married life. Dad was governor here so a spacious honeymoon palace was no problem.

Palace of One love

Our dream home in Harar...

Our actual home for 2 days...

Zubeyda's house - one of only two traditional guesthouses in town

A snooze in the living room

Tuk-tuk or Peugeot 404?

 And after dark, hyenas are ready for dinner:

Between a Rock and a Holy Place

Holy rock

Cathedral-sized churches chiseled out of one piece of solid granite, the chapel of the Ark of the Covenant, 33 meter tombstones, fairy tale castles, and paintings of cherubs and St. George slaying the dragon.

Sounds like fantasy, huh?

Welcome to Ethiopia's popular northern attractions, where the unreal actually exists.

Arc of the Covenant in this chapel? Ask Indiana Jones.

Axum's great claim to fame are the the tablets of the ten commandments allegedly housed in this church. No way can you get close to that gate to even make an attempt to bribe the guard for some actual information. Instead, they try to distract you with a museum of former emperors' crowns and church crosses.

However, there's no denying that the pre-Christian Axumites were skilled craftsmen. The stelae reaching heights of up to 33 meters and carved from quarried granite are living proof. Here are the tombstones of the rich and famous.

View from our hotel. The only good thing about the hotel.

Engineering almost right

Alright, my subjects, let's make a place just as holy as the holy land. We're gonna one-up the folks in Jerusalem. These were the thoughts of emperor turned saint Lalibela who with his own hands created a series of jaw-dropping rock-hewn churches. Tools for the job: hammer and chisel.

Bete Medhane Alem

Interior pillar and window

Bete Gyorgis: the cherry on top

Side view of Bete Gyorgis

Bete Emmanuel

It wasn't too hard playing the part of princess in Gondar. Several old castles throughout the town made a very convincing set.

King Fasilades' (and Alex's) playground

By its exterior, you would never guess the extent to which its decorated inside. From floor to ceiling Debre Berhan Selassie is painted with saints' stories and hundreds of sweet cherubs look down on you from the ceiling.

Debre Berhan Selassie Church

The monks of Lake Tana scored not just with stunning island locations for their monasteries but the organic and beautifully decorated interiors they have to look at everyday when they pray.

Bamboo, stone, mud and straw

Guardians of the holy of holies painted on a juniper door

 

Bell to prayer

A monk showing ancient religious items and texts

Black headed weavers making homes on papyrus

Going Tribal in the Omo Valley

A visit to the southwest corner of Ethiopia in the Omo Valley is sheer visual candy. Not only are the landscapes incredibly variable, so are the many tribes that inhabit this area. Most are pastoralists and farmers who have continued their way of life despite the modern world imposing its ways.


Arbore

Accessorize!

Kara

Fresh pot

Hamer

Grandma's musical instruments

What do you do with a broken flip-flop? Make a necklace with it of course!

 School playground in the village. Almost none of the children attend school since they are busy tending the cattle, farming, and/or helping out at home.

Dassanech

Mobile homes

Mursi

Ready for marriage

 

Plate-less

Konso

Chief's compound

Former chief's grave marker

Terraces of various crops that are rotated to maintain soil integrity

Trimming for typical Konso skirts

Back breaking work of women

Aari

Charlie Brown home

From this...

 

to this: corn-based injera ready to sell at the market

Distilling home brewed araki

Benna

Groom at the market

Versatile airtime phone credits

 

Dorze

How to Make False Banana Bread
Step 1: Scrape all flesh of false banana trunk off

Step 2: Leave to ferment in leaves for a few days

Step 3: Chop into small pieces

Step 4: Cook on banana leaves over fire

Step 5: Eat with spicy sauce!

Bamboo bark beehive home

Neither rain nor mud will keep us from the market!

Perfect muddy market shoes