Tsegaye Ebabey Demissie

Purpose: This study aims to document the hypogea churches in Lay Gayint Woreda, South Gondar, to provide information for future tourism development practices and serve as insurance against loss of value due to unmanaged deteriorative factors. Design/methodology/approach: The study followed a descriptive research design with qualitative research approach. Data were collected through field observations, interviews and written sources examination. Findings: The study explored the lesser-known hypogea churches, which have significant tourist attraction values, including environmental, historical and architectural significance. However, the use of these potential cultural resources for tourism development is not yet attempted, and their conservation status is found to be critical. This documentation work is significant both for the sake of future tourism development plans and as insurance against looming cultural losses. Research limitations/implications: This study did not record the ancient treasures of the churches because of the current political instabilities that hindered the access of data. However, it has implication for the need of an extensive documentation activity to trace the cultural resources in the remote areas of the country for future tourism development and conservation practices. Originality/value: This paper documented the remote hypogea churches not only for the purpose of future tourism development plan but also as an insurance of their values against unmanaged destructive factors.

This study explores the historical and architectural heritage of Wukro Medhane Alem, a least-known monolithic rock-hewn church in South Gondar. Primary and secondary sources of the study were collected through fieldwork, interviews, and literature review. The study shows that it is one of the medieval churches traditionally attributed to King Lalibela (r. 1181-1221). The hypogeum has a rectangular plan being deeply excavated out of bedrock. There is a built-up feature added over the roof's edge of the rock-hewn church. It imitates a Gondarine architectural tradition, implying the transition from the earlier rock-hewn tradition to the building architectural orientation of the Gondarine period (1636-1769). Its hypogeum reflects an Aksumite and medieval architectural tradition. Internally, the basilica is partitioned into kine mahilet (chanting), kiddist (holy) and mekides or kiddiste kiddusan (sanctuary) rooms through the arranged rock-hewn pillars, which are refined with arches, capitals, and entablatures that create the ceiling of the roof which is also decorated with engraved cruciform, geometrical, quadrifoliate, and crown-like protruding features. The kiddiste kiddusan has six sub-sanctuaries with doubled circular domed roofs and rectangular altars cut from the main rock. The hypogeum, thus, has such potential values to be promoted as an alternative tourist site in historic Gondar, which is mainly known to tourists for its built palaces.

Gedeo is the area where Africa’s largest megalithic stone concentration is found. This research aims to assess the heritage management problems of megalithic sites in Gedeo Zone, Ethiopia, with a focus on the Tutu Fella and Chelba Tututi sites. Methodologically, the study employed primary and secondary sources, which were collected through a literature review, field work, and interviews with local informants. The study shows that the megalithic stones have historical, archaeological, symbolical, artistic and commemorative significances which enable the sites to be major source of tourism development in the area. However, these multifaceted collective past memories are subjected to mismanagement activities that have a negative impact on the preservation of the megalithic stones. These problems are associated with the lack of awareness among the local community about the values and the need for the management of the megalithic stones, the expansion of Christianity and the subsequent socio-cultural changes in the area, the mismanagement of the site’s tourism activity, which is not supported by regular and legal means of collection of tourist entrance fees, the weakness of the local culture and tourism offices to employ protection activities for the sites, and the absence of continuous recording and promotion works on these features. The study also recommends the need for creating public platforms to increase the local community’s awareness of the importance of the sites, continuous recording and promotion, the use of legal frameworks to support heritage management and tourism development in the sites, and recognition of the sites as national heritage.

This study aims to explore Däbrä Aron, a least known monastic rock-cut church of the 14th century of Christian Ethiopia. Däbrä Aron is named after abba Aron, a famous Ethiopian monk, the founder and hewer of the monastery, which is established at Däbrä Daret, a mountain situated along the upper course of Täkkäzze River. It is a monastery that integrates troglodytic and mountainous monastic landscapes. Like Däbrä Gol, where Aron experienced his monastic life, Däbrä Daret was centre for coenobitic monastic life and opposition against immoral practices ofSolomonic kings who in different times exiled Aron and other monastic men. The church is excavated in to a white soft tuff rock and it is one of the few instances for the declining rock-church tradition of the Solomonic period. Expansion works are made internally by using gudəb, abba Aron’s ax-like excavation tool which is still preserved in the church. It has a complex layout constituting different parts – elongated anteroom, aisles, nave, tripartite sanctuary and compartmented chapels – separated by unevenly shaped columns with rough capitals and arches. This caveis unique largely by its səqurät, aperture of the cave’s roof opened into the sky. The nave’s səqurät, rectangular in shape, allows, except rainfall droplets, entrance of sunlight into the church. The reputation of Däbrä Aron is partly associated with the acceptance of this feature as icon of the architectural excellence and spiritual devotion of abba Aron by whom many Christians were attracted into his monastic life. The cave also has an engraved processional cross decorated with symbolical trifoliate motifs

Ethiopia is endowed with incredible rock-cut churches embodying great architectural, aesthetic and artistic significance built over its past. However, these priceless cultural antiquities are frequently confronted with different threats. This study aims to explore potential threats and associated impacts evidencing with least known and threatened rock-cut churches. Several rock-cut churches are subjected to different problems such as stripping, cracking, degradation, breaking and demolition that badly affected their significant values. Different natural and anthropogenic agents are responsible for these problems. Recycling rainfall and sunlight, among others, are the major natural factors that caused deterioration or destruction of various rock-cut churches. Uninformed local intervention, one of the major anthropogenic factors, not only has failed to restore lost structural, architectural and aesthetic elements of the rock-cut churches but it also has replaced original rock-cut features by culturally unfamiliar contemporary buildings. Previous war and conflict, the sixteenth-century war of the Islamic Sultanates against the Christian Kingdom, for instance, were also the other man-made causes of destruction, abandonment and plundering of many rock-cut churches that are evidenced in different areas. Above all, the absence of governmental attention towards heritage management is costing the country with a profound loss of its incredible built heritages particularly in the remote areas. All the evidences presented in this study are indicators that the country’s cultural heritage management is at its critical situation which needs the engagement of concerned stakeholder to preserve the country’s past.

Most of the rock hewn and cave churches of Ethiopia to the west and south of Lalibela have escaped the notices of scholars who in different times visited the rock hewn churches of Lalibela and its surroundings. Nazugn Maryam, one of the ancient rock hewn churches of this area is neither scholarly researched nor professionally conserved. The main objective of this study was to document the architecture and the conservation problems of this hypogeum. Data of the study was collected through interview, field observation and analysis of the archives. The study intimates that the church is traditionally believed to have been carved by Abunä Musé, who is regarded as the second bishop of Ethiopia. Being carved out of a single rock, it is rectangular and monolithic. Pointed and arched styles of both opened and false windows, buttresses, and horizontal beam are some of the dominant architectures of the church projected on its exterior facades. Internally it has a basilica with aisles divided by pillars, with no arches and capitals. However, its architectural values are deteriorating due to natural agents such as torrential summer rainfall and sunlight. Besides, the elements attempt at conservation since 1950s have also contributed to its deterioration. New materials like cement and basaltic stone were introduced during the restoration and this has exacerbated its deterioration endangering this important hypogeum. This paper examines how this introduction of new material poses challenges to the future conservation decisions.