Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE BATTLE OF ADWA
In September 1895, as the rains began to dwindle, Emperor Menelik II issued a decree: all the able-bodied men of
his empire should gather for a march north, a march for all of Ethiopia. Behind the vast army trundled 40 cannons,
hundreds of mules and 100,000 rifles. In the north, the Italians were ready.
Initial skirmishes followed and amazingly the Ethiopians and their sturdy mules captured the Italian strong-
holds at Amba Alage and Enda Iyesus. Serious shortages of food soon followed, leading both sides to sue for
peace, but Italy's continued insistence on their protectorate claim meant an agreement couldn't be reached.
In February 1896 Francesco Crispi, Italy's prime minister, sent his famous telegram to General Baratieri. In it
he declared the motherland was 'ready for any sacrifice to save the honour of the army and the prestige of the
monarchy'.
In the early morning hours four days later, the Italians made their move. Stumbling over difficult terrain, with
inaccurate maps and with no communication between the three offensive brigades, the surprise attack was a disas-
ter. Menelik, whose spies had long before informed him of the forthcoming attack, met the Italians with thunder-
ing artillery and fierce fighting on every front.
Nearly half the Italian fighting force was wiped out (over 10,000 soldiers were injured, captured or killed) and
of the five Italian field commanders, three were killed, one was wounded and another was captured. Finally, lay-
ing down their arms, the Italians ran. Though the Ethiopians had lost almost equal numbers, the day was clearly
theirs.
To this day the Battle of Adwa is celebrated annually and, like the Battle of Hastings in Britain or the Declara-
tion of Independence in America, it's the one date (1 March 1895) every Ethiopian child can quote.
Yeha
Yeha is considered the birthplace of Ethiopia's earliest known civilisation nearly three
millennia ago. Many features here, such as the immense, windowless, sandstone walls of
the so-called
Great Temple
are identical to those found in temples in Saba, Yemen and
debate continues among scholars as to whether it was founded by Sabaean settlers from
Arabia or by Ethiopians influenced by Sabaean ideas. The current thinking is that it was
created by a mix of the two groups.
Yeha's
ruins
(admission Birr100, personal video cameras Birr50)
, now in the midst of
a major restoration, are impressive for their sheer age as well as their stunning construc-
tion. The 7th-century BC Great Temple's limestone building blocks, measuring up to 3m
in length, are perfectly dressed and fitted together without a trace of mortar. The whole
temple is a grid of perfect lines and geometry.
Just northeast, behind a little restaurant that has some photos of the site from 1906 on
its walls, are the remains of
Grat Be'al Gebri
, a monumental structure with the oldest
