Gemechu Tussa
Ethiopia has a
number of religious and cultural heritages that could be added to UNESCO. So
far, the Aksum, the Fasil castle, Gondar
Region, the Harar Jugol, the Fortified Historic Town, the Konso Cultural
Landscape, the Lower Valley of the Awash, the Lower Valley of the Omo, the
Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela and the Tiya have registered as world heritages.
The ancient city
of Axum is located in Tigrai Regional State. Axum and its
archeological sites were inscribed in the List of World Heritage Sites by
UNESCO in 1980.
Lalibela is
located in Amhara Regional State. Rock
hewn churches of Lalibela date back to 13th-century at the time of King
Lalibela. The churches are hewn from red volcanic rock. Four of the churches are attached to their
mother rock only at the base, while other churches have parts attached to the
parent rock. Lalibela still has big value among Ethiopian Orthodox Christians
and it is also one of the pilgrimage sites in Ethiopia. The rock hewn churches of
Lalibela were put in the list of World Heritage Sites in 1978.
Emperor
Fasiledes founded Gonder in 1636 with intent to settle in a single capital
unlike his forfathers. Emperor Fasiledes, has built the big castle, which is still
called after him. The Fasil Ghebbi was
inscribed in as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979. The Simien Mountains
National Park is found in Amhara Regional State. The park’s spectacular
landscape is part of the Simien Mountain. It is of global significance for biodiversity
conservation. The park was added to the list of World Heritage by UNESCO in
1978.
Awash Lower Valley
is found in Afar Regional State.
There remains found in the Awash Lower
Valley. The oldest remain so far discovered date back at least 4 million years.
The Lower Valley of Awash was included in the list of World heritage sites in
1980.
The Lower valley
of Omo is found in South Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State. Alike
the Lower Awash Valley, hominid remains discovered in Omo Lower Valley have
unique characteristics that has contributed in human evolution studies. Omo Lower
Valley was inscribed to a
list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1980.
Tiya is also found
in the Soddo area in South Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional
State. They are believed
to be marks of the large prehistoric burial complex. This archeological site
joined World Heritage Sites list in 1980.
Jugol, this wall
was built between the 13th and 16th centuries. Harar Jugol, is said to be the fourth holiest city of Islam according to an
article from UNESCO. Harar Jugol bears exceptional testimony to cultural
traditions related to Islamic and African roots. Harar Jugol is also an
outstanding example of a type of architectural and urban ensemble. Harar Jugol
became part of World Heritage Sites in 2006.
UNESCO has also added
Konso Cultural Landscape to the list of World Heritage Sites. This place covers
55km2. It is live demonstration of heritage which has an interwoven blend of
landscape design, engineering and natural conservation. It becomes World
Heritage Site in 2011. There are also efforts gto inscribe the Ethiopian
religious festivity Epiphany as a world heritage.
Ashenda or
Shadey is another significant heritage. It
is a festival celebrated every years in
August both in the Tigray and Amhara Reginal
States. Ashenda marks the end of a two-week-long fast
known as Filseta, Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
followers gather to honor the Virgin Mary.
Ashenda means
the "tall green grass", estimated at around 80–90 cm minimum height
that girls wear around their waists during the holiday. Ashenda is a holiday
celebrated by women in Northern Ethiopia
mostly in the Tigray region. It
corresponds to the end of a two week fasting period for Ethiopian Orthodox
Christians commemorating the Virgin Mary, but the holiday has grown way beyond
that now.
In the tradition
of this religious festival, blades of grass are strewn on the floors of homes
and shops as a kind of welcome mat. The festivity of Ashenda has no common name
throughout the country. The festival of Ashenda has cultural, religious and
economic importance, and encourages industriousness. Once traditionally a
girls' festival, it has since gained widespread recognition and popularity in
the northern part of the country and among communities of the Ethiopian Diaspora.
It is mostly for
girls and young women, which they await very eagerly every year. It is unique
to the people in the state of Tigrai and Amhara in northern Ethiopia. The young
women and girls dress the best traditional dresses called tilfi which is a
cotton dress decorated with amazing embroidery from the neck to toe in front of
the dress. The girls also adorned them selves with array of beautiful jewelry.
After they gather
in the village or city center they divide in to small groups and they go house
to house singing and playing their drums. They stop at ever house and sing and
dance for the people in the houses. It is customary for people to give them
money, food and drinks and other items for their efforts.
They continue
the whole day going from house to house and occasionally stopping in a village
or city center and singing and dancing for a while before they go on again on
their tour. A week or so after the celebrations started, the event comes to an
end with all the girls from the village or the town coming together in the
center of the town or a village singing and dancing until sun down. This time
the young boys join in more like spectators than active players.
All the girls get
new outfits, headbands, hairstyles, and jewelry to beautify themselves. They set out with a hand drum to collect some
donations. Once they target you, there is really not much you can do to escape
politely. One must give them a donation. If it’s enough, they’ll praise your
name. If it’s too little, they’ll make
fun of you and call you cheap. The
amount you give depends on the size of the group, their age. Each district has its own stylized dance with
a lot of variability, depending on the girls performing it.
It is one of the Ethiopia heritages that should be inscribed as world
heritage. Available documents indicated that the cultural and religious celebration
of Ashenda increases tourist flow to Tigray Regional State,
It has attracted numerous foreign visitors and diaspora families of the region.
Last year, there were about 659,800 tourists who had visited the region.
The number of tourists last year has risen by 352,000 as compared to
the year before it. The sustainable peace and development ensured at regional
and national level has contributed for the increment in the flow tourists.
Tigray regional state is endowed with tremendous religious, historical,
cultural and natural heritages including Aksum,
Mekele, Yeha, Wekero and Hashenge. This
religious and cultural heritage should be inscribed as world heritage.
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