Recognized as the cradle of ancient Ethiopian civilization, Tigrai is a vast region in the northernmost part of the country which shares common borders with Eritrea in the north, the State of Afar in the east, the State of Amhara in the south, and the Republic of the Sudan in the west. The region covers […]

Abraha we Atsbeha Rock-Hewn Church The small town of Wukro, a 47km drive north of Mekelle is close to Abreha we Atsbeha church, one of the best and largest of the rock-hewn churches of Tigrai. It is supposed to have been built in the 4th century by the two royal Axumite brothers, Abreha and Atsbeha […]

Negash is a small village located 60 km east of Mekele, the capital of Tigrai region and 10km north of Wukro. You can visit Negash as a day trip from Wukro. It lies on a plateau commanding a view of the spectacular mountains of Gheralta. It serves as enduring reminder of the warm welcome extended […]

Gheralta , northwest of Mekele, capital of Tigrai Regional State, is the home of a quarter of the rock -hewn churches of Tigrai. Some are famous for their stone workmanship, ancient paintings, and old manuscripts, and others for their magnificent views and difficult ascents. Such great churches as Abune Yemata (Guh), Mariam Korkor, DebreTsion (Abune […]

Perched 11km north of the Axum- Adigrat zigzagging road, Debre Damo (admission for men only) is thought to date back to the 6th century reign of King Gebre Mesqel. Within its premises is found what’s likely to be the oldest standing church in the country (10th or 11th century AD), which is also a great […]

The magnificent Temple of the Moon at Yeha is located just 27km past the historic town of Adwa, the site of a decisive Ethiopian victory over invading Italian forces in 1896 that changed the course of history by affirming that Africans were indeed capable of defeating the superiorly armed European colonialists. Yeha’s huge and remarkable […]

The ancient Axumite civilization, whose capital was the town of Axum, the oldest town in Ethiopia and a world heritage site, was one of the greatest empires in existence during the height of its power, its lands reaching all the way from the Ethiopian highlands across the Red Sea to present day Yemen in Southern […]

The present church, built in the mid-17th Century under the Emperor Fasilidas, is located south of the original five-aisled church built at the time of the Axumite Empire. The outline of the 4th century building, considered to be the oldest church in Africa south of the Sahara, can be traced in the 3.4m high podium […]