Afar: where it all began | Ethiopia

Postcard
The Awash valley in Ethiopia contains one of the most important groupings of paleontological sites on the African continent. The remains found at the site, the oldest of which date back at least 4 million years, provide evidence of human evolution which has modified our conception of the history of humankind.

The most spectacular discovery came in 1974, when 52 fragments of a skeleton were found. The skeleton became known as Lucy.

Lower Valley of the Awash is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Lower Awash Valley paleo-anthropological site is located 300 km northeast of Addis Ababa, in the west of the Afar Depression. It covers an area of around 150 km2.

Flags of the World | Ethiopia

Postcard
The current flag of Ethiopia was adopted on 06 February 1996. The green, yellow and red were used for the flag of the Ethiopian Empire in 1914.

Lower Valley of the Omo | Ethiopia

Postcard
The Lower Valley of the Omo is located in south-western Ethiopia. It extends over an area of 165 km2. The age old sedimentary deposits in the Lower Omo Valley are now world renowned for the discovery of many hominid fossils, that have been of fundamental importance in the study of human evolution.

Lower Valley of the Omo is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Church of Saint George | Ethiopia

Postcard
Lalibela is a town in the Amhara Region in northern Ethiopia. It is famous for its monolithic rock-cut churches. These churches date from the seventh to thirteenth centuries.

The Church of Saint George is one of eleven rock-hewn churches in Lalibela. It is part of UNESCO World Heritage site Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela.

Harar Gate | Ethiopia

Postcard
Harar is a walled city in eastern Ethiopia, about five hundred kilometers from Addis Ababa at an elevation of 1,885 meters. The fortified historic town of Harar is located in the eastern part of the country on a plateau with deep gorges surrounded by deserts and savannah. The walls surrounding this sacred Muslim city were built between the 13th and 16th centuries.

Harar Jugol, the Fortified Historic Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Simien National Park | Ethiopia

Postcard
Simien National Park, located in northern Ethiopia, is a spectacular landscape. Massive erosion over millions of years has created jagged mountain peaks, deep valleys and sharp droppings, some 1,500 m. The park is home to some extremely rare animals such as the Gelada baboon, the Simien fox and the Walia ibex, a goat found nowhere else in the world.

The park is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Fasil Ghebbi | Ethiopia

Postcard
Fasil Ghebbi is the remains of a fortress-city within Gondar, Ethiopia. It was founded in the 17th and 18th centuries by Emperor Fasilides (Fasil) and was the home of Ethiopia's emperors. Its unique architecture shows diverse influences including Nubian styles.

Fasil Ghebbi, Gondar Region is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia

Postcard
Addis Ababa is the capital and, with over 3,5 million inhabitants, largest city of Ethiopia.

There are more than 120 international missions and embassies in Addis Ababa, making the city a hub for international diplomacy concerning Africa. The headquarters of the African Union and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) are both in the city.  Addis Ababa is therefore often referred to as "the political capital of Africa.

Archaeological site of Tiya | Ethiopia

Postcard
Just outside the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, the archeologically wondrous Tiya Stelae can be found, mysterious carved stones whose purpose is still unclear.

Tiya is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Konso Cultural Landscape | Ethiopia

Postcard
Konso Cultural Landscape is a 55km2 arid property of stone walled terraces and fortified settlements in the Konso highlands of Ethiopia. This is a spectacular example of a living cultural tradition adapted to its dry hostile environment, stretching back more than 400 years.

Stamps
The bushbuck is the most widespread antelope in Sub-Saharan Africa. Of the two Ethiopian species, Meneliki and Powelli, the latter is the more common and somewhat smaller.

Aksum | Ethiopia

Postcard

The ruins of the ancient city of Aksum are found close to Ethiopia's northern border. They mark the location of the heart of ancient Ethiopia, when the Kingdom of Aksum was the most powerful state between the Eastern Roman Empire and Persia.

The massive ruins, dating from between the 1st and the 13th century, include monolithic obelisks, royal tombs and the ruins of ancient castles.

Aksum is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Lucy from Ethiopia

Postcard

The Awash valley in Ethiopia contains one of the most important groupings of paleontological sites on the African continent. The remains found at the site, the oldest of which date back at least 4 million years, provide evidence of human evolution which has modified our conception of the history of humankind.

The most spectacular discovery came in 1974, when 52 fragments of a skeleton were found. The skeleton became known as Lucy, inspired by a Beatles song that blasted out of a cassette player as the researchers celebrated their discovery that evening. It shows, for instance, that our distant ancestors began to walk upright on two legs long before they developed big brains.

 

The latest news about Lucy: a closer look on the bones suggests that one of the bones may in fact  belong to a baboon.

The Lower Valley of the Awash is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Thx Steve!

Traditional Ethiopian Leather Painting Postcard

Postcard

Ethiopian art comes in many forms. One of these is the painting on leather goatskin. Yes you already guessed it, this is actually a postcard made of a piece of worn leather. Beautifully painted in the unique Ethiopian style. 

A ‘childlike’ style of painting, figures are drawn in two dimensions, almost cartoon-like in their direct and simplistic portrayal, with strong colors and clear lines. The large almond-shaped eyes are a particularly appealing characteristic. And look at those feet.

Stamps

Two definitive stamps, Menelik’s Bushbuck. This time the value of 2 Birr and 5 Birr. In Ethiopia two types of Bushbuck can be found: Meneliki and Powelli. Both are fairly widespread and can be seen in much of Ethiopia's highland forest.

The Hamar from Ethiopia

Postcard

The Hamar (or Hamer) are a tribe inhabiting southwestern Ethiopia. They are cattle herders and practice agriculture. They will stay for a few months wherever there is enough grass for grazing, putting up their round huts. When the grass is finished, they will move on.

The Hamar practice various rituals like the bull jumping as a rite of passage for the man, whose female relatives demand to be whipped as part of the ceremony. This is extremely painful and causes severe scaring on the women. 

Stamps

Definitive stamps Menelik Bushbuck (2002). In Ethiopia two types of Bushbuck can be found: Meneliki and Powelli. Both are fairly widespread and can be seen in much of Ethiopia's highland forest.

Thx one more time Steve!

Bustling and colourful Mercato, the largest market in Africa

Postcard

In the centre of Addis Ababa, capital city of Ethiopia, lies one of the world’s largest open air markets: Mercato. This market has been in existence from the early 1900s. When the Italians came to Ethiopia in the 1930s, they named this market Mercato, which means market in Italian.

 

Stamps

Definitive stamps Menelik Bushbuck (2002). In Ethiopia two types of Bushbuck can be found: Meneliki and Powelli. Both are fairly widespread and can be seen in much of Ethiopia's highland forest.

Tukuls from Ethiopia

Postcard

Tukuls: a cone-shaped mud hut, usually with a thatched roof, found in eastern and northeastern Africa. Tukuls are the typical housing for southern Ethiopia, a simple and basic but useful home for many Ethiopians. About 85% of its 90 million inhabitants live in rural and remote areas.

Did you know that Ethiopian calendar is seven years and eight months behind the rest of the world? The time difference goes back to 1582, when the rest of the Christian world adopted the new Gregorian calendar. However, Ethiopia kept the old Julian calendar.

Stamps

Definitive stamps Menelik Bushbuck (2002) and Critically endangered species: the Black Rhino. 

This postcard travelled almost 4 months to reach its destination. Well, Ethiopia is far away, but….. there is another reason. Our local mailman decided not to deliver all of the mail, but save some in his garage. He was caught recently and a week ago I found appr. 60 postcards in my mailbox. My missing postcards since 2011!

Sumrema Girl from Southern Ethiopia

Postcard

Ethiopia is a land locked country located in the Horn of Africa. Its is the second-most populated nation on the African continent, with over 91,000,000 inhabitants. Ethiopia is one of the oldest sites of human existence.

It is estimated that the Omo Valley is home to over 200,000 tribal people. Suri, also known as the Surma people live in the southwestern plains of Ethiopia.

Stamps

The bushbuck is the most widespread antelope in Sub-Saharan Africa.

From a set of 23! stamps, all picturing a Golden-backed Woodpecker.

A postcard from Ethiopia

Postcard

Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Djibouti and Somalia to the east, Sudan and South Sudan to the west, and Kenya to the south.

The country is a land of natural contrasts, with waterfalls and volcanic hot springs. Ethiopia has some of Africa's highest mountains as well as some of the world's lowest points below sea level. It has the largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Africa.

Want to know more about or travel to Ethiopia, go visit http://www.holiday-to-ethiopia.com/.

Stamps

A Menelik’s Bushbuck and a Black Rhinoceros (The species overall is classified as critically endangered, and one subspecies, the Western Black Rhinoceros, was declared extinct by the IUCN in 2011).