Published in "Sawubona" magazine

Ancient Ways

With its own alphabet, calendar and clock, Ethiopia is a truly unique place. But, add the ancient culture, astonishing diversity and beautiful people and you have a rare gem of a country that's still unspoilt by the modern world.

Story : Keri Harvey

The wizened old gatekeeper dressed in a miss-matched military ensemble welcomes us with a wide, creased smile. Behind him rises a giant stone monolith, or stela, standing 23m high in solid granite. But it's just one of about 100 other stelae in Axum's stelae field, all thought to have been erected by various kings as a show of power. Yet the biggest stela of all lies shattered on the ground where it fell, all 500 tons of it. Believed to be the single largest piece of stone that humans have ever attempted to erect, this stela dwarfs all similar attempts by the Egyptians.

For over 2 000 years, these stone towers have lent an eerie feel to Axum, most ancient and holy of all cities in Ethiopia. Right in the far north of the country, Axum is where the Ark of the Covenant is said to reside, where the Queen of Sheba lived, and where Ethiopia's special brand of Christianity first came to life. Dominating daily life, Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity is practiced by the majority of the population and is a generous blend of Judaism, paganism and Catholicism, with a few Egyptian saints and St George also included. Wednesdays and Fridays are fasting days, as well as the 40 days of lent, but there are also plenty of feasting days to render balance. Church services start early on Sunday mornings and last at least two hours, so, in the absence of seating, pilgrims lean on specially made prayer sticks to keep their heads up.

All over Ethiopia, antiquity is tangible. The finely chiseled features of the people tell of an elegant, regal nation, who still practice the same traditions they did a millennia ago. And the landscape has a rawness and roughness that has completely escaped any modern influences. People live in neat earthen homes, often with grass matting used as wallpaper on the outsides, and donkeys carry comfortable loads as their owners walking sedately alongside. In some areas, horses are the mode of transport and are highly decorated with coloured tassels, while riders are clad in flowing robes and headscarves resembling biblical attire.

Actually, it's 1997 in Ethiopia. With a unique 13-month calendar, there are 12 months of 30 days and one month of just five days during which people receive no salary and pay no rent. Even more confusing to the outside world is the traditional 12-hour clock, which starts with sunrise and ends at sunset. So six o'clock is one o'clock in Ethiopia and the end of the day is at 12 o'clock, and the night time works accordingly. The official language of Amharic is constructed from an alphabet that's completely unique in all the world, with letters that look like dancing figures. But for foreigners, it's the definitely the clock that's most confusing.

In Lalibela we feel at least a few centuries out of sync with the rest of the world. Here life continues as it always has. There is still no bank nor pharmacy in the town, donkeys and people throng through the narrow dusty roads that wind around the mountain sides. This ancient town with its fantastical rock-hewn churches may be a World Heritage Site and a sacred place of pilgrimage, but the residents go about their business completely oblivious to the importance of their town.

Built during the reign of King Lalibela, in the 12th and 13th centuries, the rock-hewn churches are quite fantastical in appearance. There are dozens of these magnificent structures, all free-standing and carved from a single piece of volcanic rock with their roofs at ground level. Each church is surrounded by trenches and courtyards, which were hewn first before the inside was hollowed out. It still defies calculation just how many thousands of people it took to create these incredible red rock churches, but locals believe that when the day workers went home, divine masons took over for the night shift to speed up construction. Some of the churches are connected by chiseled rock alleyways, and others by secret underground tunnels, all in a bid to escape conversion to Islam.

As you step inside the auspicious rock churches, it's cool and dimly lit and the smell of incense and beeswax candles fills the still air. Priests in white robes topped with vibrant cloaks waft silently around the interiors, or finger colourful handwritten manuscripts while praying intently for hours on end. Each church also has its own unique and symbolic cross and even the architectural design of each church carries intricate symbolism. Vibrant paintings adorn the interiors and tell religious tales from long, long ago; there's St George slaying the dragon, Jonah and the whale, the Virgin Mary and many more. Yet, believers still use the churches daily as they always have, in their high-altitude "Jerusalem".

Lying comfortably in the foothills of the Simien Mountains is an African Camelot. The city of Gondar surrounds a clutch of six medieval castles in the Royal Compound. With Indian, Portuguese and Moorish influences, each of the castles has a slightly different appeal, but all look strangely out of place in East Africa. A series of tunnels and walkways connects the castles, the largest of which was built by Gondar's founder, Emperor Fasiladas, in 1640. With his political clout, Gondar was the capital city for 250 years and Ethiopia flourished under his feisty rule.

Heading south, Lake Tana lies in milky turquoise splendour. Believed to be the source of the Blue Nile, this huge languid lake has many reminders of Egypt - not least of which are the papyrus boats that locals use for daily transport. Dozens of little islands sprinkle the lake and these buoyant boats make it much easier to visit your neighbours and the mainland. On market days, locals load their grassy craft with firewood and paddle their way to the town of Bahir Dar on the mainland, to trade wood for food and other essentials. It takes most of the day to get there, but the trade off is a peaceful life on one of Africa's great lakes. Of course, the islands also have their own churches and monastries to serve local congregations in Orthodox Ethiopian style.

Though Ethiopia is a place of living antiquity, that is not the only drawcard to this enchanting country. There are wild areas that are rugged and untouched, inspiring and completely different to anywhere else. The Simien mountains in the north are a trekkers' playground, through layer upon layer of water-coloured ridges and rock faces, where solitary shepherds guard tiny herds of goats. You can go days without seeing anyone else and the peace and tranquility are tangible. Down south, the Bale Mountains are another high-altitude wilderness area populated by rare Ethiopian wolves, endemic mountain nyala and unusual Menelik's bushbuck. There is also enormous diversity in birdlife, but it's the orange-coated wolves that are most intriguing to wildlife enthusiasts. With just 500 left, they are the most endangered carnivores in Africa and live on the thin air of the 4 000m Sanetti Plateau. Amidst towering giant lobelias and red-hot pokers, all shrouded in cool mist, the wolves hunt giant mole rats when the sun is out. The rest of the time they are curled up keeping warm.

For humans, the traditional Ethiopian dish of injera and wat provides instant internal heat. The injera, a face-cloth looking giant pancake of sour tef, is covered with little mounds of fiery sauce or wat, some with meat and others not. It's a clever idea that doesn't require plates or utensils, as you break off bits of the "pancake" to mop up the sauce. And if you have the courage, you can chomp on chillies in between. The meal is followed by a tiny cup of potent coffee, which should really be obvious since Ethiopia is the home of coffee in Africa. A brief Italian occupation also added pasta and cuppacinos to the Ethiopian menu.

This is indeed a county of contrasts, unique in every way, ancient throughout and completely charming. The entrenched media images of famine and desperation are in the distant past, and a nation of proud and generous people has arisen. Ethiopia is a place of intrigue and rare beauty. Africa and not, at the same time.