Ethiopia’s tourist attraction sites was a popular holiday destination - Axum Lalibela, Gondar and Bahir Dar - make up the best known Historic Route.

Once upon a time, the kingdom of Aksum rivaled Rome, Persia and China. And as any empire should, this one had buildings, sculptures, and monuments that celebrated its grandeur. One of the kingdoms’ monuments was a 152-ton granite obelisk built in the first century A.D. Now, in the midst of a little town, a world Heritage site since 1980, is a majestic symbol of Ethiopians and tribute to this African nation that was never colonized. Visitor’s can see stelae (the largest single pieces of stone erected anywhere else in the world), the tombs and castles of kings, Aksum museum and Mariam Tsion  Church, built on the site of Ethiopia’s first Church. A chapel within the Church compound is believed by Ethiopian Orthodox Christians to house the Ark of the Covenant, or the tablets of Moses.

The Aksum Obelisk

Italian soldiers who had invaded Ethiopia, loot the obelisk cutting in three pieces on the ground and took it to Rome, Italy, in 1937. Peace agreements in 1947 called for its return. In 2007, after 70 years away from home, it finally returned to Ethiopia. This was no easy task. The largest aircraft in the world had to be used to transport the three enormous pieces of the monolith.

A visit to Aksum can be extended to take in the 5th century BC pre-Aksumite temple of Yeha, 55 km east of Axum, sub Saharan Africa’s oldest building, and a little further the 4th century monastery at Debre Damo (women are not allowed to enter the latter, and the only access is by rope.)

At the end of the 12th and beginning of the 13th centuries. King Lalibela of the Medieval zagwe Dynasty built a series of Rock hewn Churches. Today, it is a hold village /town and world Heritage site still visited by the devoted on their pilgrimages. The Churches are built from the Volcanic rock on which they stand. The magnificently carved stone Churches of Lalibela, built in the 13th century, also point to the southern ward movements of Christianity and the post-Aksum civilizations that followed.

There are 11 Churches with in the town named after the king Lalibela, and outlying Churches (recommended are Ashetun Marian and the cave Church of Yemrehane Christos) that can be visited on a second day.All are still in use today. It is estimated that the churches in Lalibela took 25 years to construct Legend has it that this rock-hewn church was built by a man and a team of angels.                                                       

Gondar was the capital of the Ethiopian Empire from the 17th to mid 19th centuries. The establishment of the Ethiopia’s capital at Gondar around 1636 was a major Land mark in this period of Ethiopian History. Not only did Ethiopia come to have a fixed capital after many years, but it also acquired a city that developed into a center of learning and culture. Fasiladus and his successors built a series of impressive castles as palaces. Around which the town grew. The castles gave the city an impressive character and unusual grandeur. The successive kings built many churches in an around the city which built excellent schools of church learning, particularly, Debre Birhan Sellassie, the walls and ceiling of which are completely covered in murals. On a second day, visitors could make a day tripe to the simian mountain national park or travel south ward to Gorgora, at the Northern end of lake Tana, and visit the very fine and recently restored medieval church of Debre Sina Mariam.

Bahir Dar is situated on lake Tana, which is dotted with islands monstries and churches. Many are closed to women but the churches on the Zeghie peninsula, with their excellent murals, are open to both sexes. It is possible to cross the lake by boat, from Bahir Dar to Gorgora or vise versa. South of the Lake is the Source of the Nile, which feeds in to the Lake Tana and exits north of Bahir Dar to create the spectacular Blue Nile falls, some 30 km down stream.

The easiest and fastest way to get around the Historic Route is by air, by Ethiopian airlines’ domestic flights, although that means missing out on some stunning. Scenery and other interesting through less well known sites. The Historic route can be done by road, or by a combination of road and air travel. If it is added such as the markets of senbete and Bati, where the lowlanders and highlanders meet for trade, the rock hewn churches of Tigray, and some days waking in the Siemen mountains. Ideally, two days in each place should be allowed for Aksum, Lalibela, Gondar and Bahir Dar. Two weeks plus should be allowed for doing the Historic route by road.