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Debre Damo Monastery
Some 4 hours drive from Axum plus a further 2 hours stiff uphill walk from the point where the road ends lies the spectacular monastery of Debre Damo, situated on a clifftop in one of the wildest part of Tigray.

Debre Damo is unique and unforgettable although, as with most Ethiopian monasteries, women are not allowed to enter it.

Only means of access is a climb of 25 meters up a sheer cliff. Monks lower a safety rope which visitors tie around their waists. Then they use a second, thicker rope to climb with.

 

 

 

 


The treasures include an extensive collection of illuminated manuscripts, among them the oldest surviving fragments of texts anywhere in Ethiopia.

There are no murals as such, but a large number of paintings are preserved there including several that depict the legend of the foundation of Debre Damo by Abuna Aregawi who is a saint believed to have been lifted onto the cliff top by a giant serpent.

According to the legend expressed in a number of the paintings, the Archangel Gabriel stood by with a sword ready to slay the snake if it attacked Abuna Aregawi.

The bluff on which Damo stands is a real-life Shangri-la. Remote and beautiful, far from the hustle and bustle of the 21st century, the cool celestial island of rock offers panoramic views over the surrounding countryside and complete seclusion and peace for the hundred or so monks and deacons who live there.

 

   

 

Nomadic Ethiopia Tours, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, tel. Ethiopia (+251) 911121424. (+251) 911196873, tel. Poland: (+48) 602285242, Email: info@nomadicethiopia.com,