“Now the Ethiopians, as historians relate, were the first of all men and the proofs of this statement, they say, are manifest. For they did not come into their land as immigrants from abroad but were natives of it.” — Diodorus Siculus, 60 BC
Yesterday, I arrived in Addis Ababa to start a two-week press assignment in the ancient, mythic land of Ethiopia. This is not my first trip to the “land of origins,” but it will be my first opportunity to leave the bustling capital city to see the some of the most breathtaking scenery and significant religious monuments in the world: the walled imperial city of Gondar, the ruins of biblical Aksum, the stone churches of Lalibela, and the mystical Semien Mountains. We start, however, in Addis on the eve of Timkat, the festival of Epiphany according to the Ethiopian calendar.
Follow along as I explore the vast and transformative empire of Ethiopia.
Image courtesy Andrew Moore via Flickr