Tag: Ethiopia

Sunrise on the Trail from Buyit Ras to Sankaber, Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia, 2007

Sunrise on the Trail from Buyit Ras to Sankaber, Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia, 2007

Sunrise illuminates the trees on the cliff and reveals the shapes of ridges receding into the distance at the beginning of the second day of hiking in the Simien Mountains.

I sat on this for several years, not sure that I could bring out the light in the way that I wanted to. I have definitely improved my processing skills over that time, though the specific quality to the light that I want is just a little further out of my reach. In any case, I thought I would share it with you, and stop hiding it in my Lightroom file.

Better viewed larger.

Horses Grazing, Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia, 2007

Horses Grazing, Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

Horses graze in pastureland in the Simien Mountains, on the way from Debark to Buyit Ras.

Larger sizes available on the flickr page.

Tukul and Clouds, Ethiopia, 2011

Tukul and Clouds, Ethiopia, 2011

As we were driving along the China Road (between Bahir Dar and Woldia), we passed a spring and then turned to find this juxtaposition of farmed land, homes, and peaks in clouds. It was a welcome respite from the first part of the drive, which had been relentlessly clear and sunny.

Evangelist Portrait of John and the Beginning of the Gospel of John, Kebran 1 Gospels, Kebran Gabriel Church, Lake Tana, Ethiopia

Evangelist Portrait of John and the Beginning of the Gospel of John, Kebran 1 Gospels, Kebran Gabriel Church, Lake Tana, Ethiopia

The Evangelist portrait at the beginning of the Gospel of John, in the famous Kebran 1 Gospels, a notable example of manuscript arts held on the isle of Kebran in Lake Tana.

The Baptism of Christ, Kebran 1 Gospels, Kebran, Ethiopa

The Baptism of Christ, Kebran 1 Gospels, Kebran, Ethiopa

Christ with a golden-crossed halo receiving the Holy Spirit during Baptism. The Kebran 1 Gospels are one of only a few Ethiopian manuscripts known to use gold, and interested me for this reason and for the excellent depictions of scribes in the Evangelist portraits.

Farmstead, Zigora, Ethiopia, 2011

Farmstead, Zigora, Ethiopia, 2011

A farmstead in the rural village of Zigroa, outside of Mekane Eyesus (Iste) in South Gonder. The crop in the front is tef, the national staple crop of the highlands, with maize in the background. Eucaluptus, an introduced species, is the most common type of tree seen in Ethiopia, where it is used as a building supply, for firewood, shade and windbreaks.

Rooftop Cross, Hayq Estifanos Church, Wollo, Ethiopia, 2011

Rooftop Cross, Hayq Estifanos Church, Wollo, Ethiopia, 2011

The golden cross on the roof of Hayq Estifanos (The Church of St. Stephen at Hayq). Hayq Estifanos is a monastic community on a peninsula in Lake Hayq (Lake Lake) in the Wollo area of Ethiopia. It was an important early site of monasticism South of Tigray and today is a pleasant place birds sing and monks grow crops.