Ethiopia
offers myriad archaeological sites for the adventurous tourist to visit. Philip
Briggs reports on one of the lesser-known rock stelae fields, south of Addis
Ababa.
Ethiopia’s claim
to be the richest archaeo-historical treasure trove in sub-Saharan Africa is
difficult to dispute. From the myriad ancient hominid fossils that have been
unearthed in the eastern deserts, to the Biblical-era giant stelae of Axum and
medieval rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia’s overwhelming sense of
history invites a response that is equal parts wonderment, disbelief and
delighted speculation.
Only a handful of Ethiopia’s historical
riches have drawn serious attention from the tourist industry, which means that
independent-minded travellers are faced with an embarrassment of exciting and
accessible off-the beaten-track options. A visit to one of the hundred-odd
rock-hewn churches scattered around Tigray, or any of the country’s dozens
of remote island and cliff-top monasteries, makes nonsense of the current media
debate, prompted by the release of the film The Beach, about the way in which
guidebooks and thronging backpacker trails have practically destroyed genuinely
independent travel. Pack the whingers off to Ethiopia for a month, say I,
forbid them from going anywhere near the country’s half-dozen
semi-established tourist sites, and they’ll return home imbued with the
sense of genuine discovery that is supposedly lost to the modern traveller.
A mere 100km by road from the capital Addis Ababa, and only 500m from a
public transport route and local guest house, Tiya is the perfect example of
the sort of accessible yet practically unvisited gem I’m talking about.
Marking the northern limit of a belt of engraved obelisks that stretches right
across southern Ethiopia, the Tiya stelae field consists of roughly 40 stones
which stand between one and two metres high. Recent excavations revealed that
the stones mark mass graves of both males and females who died between the ages
of 18 and 30 and were laid to rest in a foetal position. Three engraved symbols
predominate: circles, swords, and what appear to be podgy leaves rising on a
stem from a rectangular base. The circles might represent the sun or moon, the
swords speak for themselves, while the twin-leaves look like so-called false
bananas, a type of plantain grown widely in the area.
If the
symbolism behind all this is open to speculation, so too is the nature of the
people who erected the stelae. Local people associate the stones with the 15th
Century Muslim leader Ahmed Gragn, but the non-Judaic symbols and greater age
of the stones makes this unlikely. Like the much older and larger stelae at
Axum — the only comparable constructions that I’m aware of in
sub-Saharan Africa — the Tiya stelae appear to pre-date the local arrival
of Christianity and to have been erected as grave markers. The southern stelae
belt passes through the heart of the modern territory of the Gurage, whose
language is closely affiliated to Tigrigna (the language spoken in Axum). This
tempts one to ask whether these might be relics of a forgotten offshoot of the
pre-Christian stelae-building tradition at Axum.
Only 30km north of
Tiya lies the most southerly of Ethiopia’s rock-hewn churches, Adadi
Maryam, a subterranean monolith excavated in the 13th Century at about the same
time that Tiya’s stones must have been erected. Visiting the two sites in
conjunction creates the strange feeling that one is crossing the medieval
boundary between pagan and Christian Ethiopia. But where Adadi Maryam is very
much an active site of worship, the stones of Tiya stand mute and mysterious,
neither revered nor feared by the local children who treat the stelae field as
a playground. These are simple constructions, it is true, and yet the
repetitive intent that lies behind the crude engravings is deeply haunting.
Perhaps it is the sense of discovery I referred to earlier, but
Tiya’s impact on me was every bit as powerful as that of the more famous
and grandiose stelae of Axum.
Philip Briggs is a regular
contributor to Travel Africa. He is the author of eight African guide
books.
Tiya factfile
Tiya is about 30km from Melka Awash, a village 60km or more
south of Addis Ababa. Cars can be hired (with drivers) in Addis but are
expensive. There is direct public transport to Tiya. This leaves from the main
Autobus Terra in Mercato before 9am. After that it is necessary to pay full
fare on the Butajira bus and ask to be dropped off at Tiya.
The
engraved stelae lie about 500m from Tiya. Coming from Addis Ababa the turn-off
is on the left side near the telecommunication signpost. Follow this for about
200m, turn right. The stelae are enclosed behind a fence on the rise ahead.
The rock-hewn church of Adadi Maryam lies west of the Butajira road on a
small hill five minutes walk from the village of Adadi. The important stone-age
site, about a 20-minute walk from Melka Awash, is also of interest.
The Awash River gorge, with its three low, but powerful, waterfalls, is worth
exploring if you have time.
There are dollar-a-night hotels in
Butajira, Tiya and Melka Awash and a slightly smarter establishment on the main
road. However most visitors, other than backpackers, return to Addis
Ababa.
