Tigray Churches Tour 5D and 4N

The tour includes the main stelea park. These famed granite obelisks are relics of this time and have gained UNESCO World Heritage site status. The tallest , the Great stelea, has fallen and broken in to six massive pieces , but when standing was 33 meters (108 feet) tall and weighed about five hundred twenty tones and other remarkable pre –Christian monuments .

King Ezanawas one of the great Axumite King and he defeated his enemies in different battle areas . He was the first christian King and he wrote many inscriptions but this site was founded by farmers in their field in 1981 G.C around a bit further north of the stelea park and now kept in a stone house . This inscrption was written in three languages ; Geez , Greek and Sabean and the story tells about King Ezana war story.

This site is found 2 km north of the stlea and it belongs to the tomb of Father and Son / King Kaleb and G/Meskel . It was discovered in 1906 by the German Archaeologists . The found big palace with two separate tombs for each of them . The tombs were built in amazing stone building and the stone art fitting perfectly.

St. Mery Zion church is the first church in Ethiopia and built by the two brother Kings of Axum King Ezana and Sayzana in the 4th c . The two new churches built by different kings in different times . This is the most orthodox christian holiest place in Ethiopia as well as in Africa and called the second Jerusalem. This is the place or church where the Ark of Covenant kept and guarding mostly by one holy man .

The pool was built by Queen of Sheba for her own recreational purpose according to the local tradition but people call it Mayshum means the chieftain water . Local people are using to day for swimming , timket festival and cleaning materials .

To day we drive to gheralta en route we stop at the great temple of Yeha to see the ancient sabean civilization , the outstanding temple , church museum and the new archeological site called Grat Beal Gibri -where the kings used to collect taxes from the farmers and related people .

on the way to Adigrat we stop at the ancient Ethiopian Monastery called Debre Damo built by one of the nine saints , Abune Aregawi in the 6thc A.D . The only access to the top is just using leather rope 15m high and only men can climb to the church and women will stay at the bottom of the church .

Adigrat is a town found in the eastern zone of Tigray and very famous for food tour and Meskel celebration every year . So we stop for lunch then drive to Hawzen town in the late afternoon.

After breakfast , we drive 12km to west of Hawzen to see the famous church of Abune Yemata built by one of the nine saint, according to the clergy men 6th c A.D ,this church is difficult to climb but truly adventure place with a panoramic view and best paintings inside .

Afternoon , we drive 5km north of hawzen town to see another beautiful ancient rock church of Giorgis/St.George/ Maykado built in the 4th c .A.D by King Ezana and Sayzana and caved from the mother rock . This church is rich in treasure and nice paintings as well the vicinity is gorgeous with beautiful tigray stone houses . After we return back to the town we will walk and explore the town.

Those churches built on a very high mountains of Gheralta but very astonishing view point to see the whole gheralta and gheralta mountains in general. The tour is an hour hike 2 hours visit and 1 hour returning back but the trekking and climbing is a bit challenging for older people and those who have breathing health problems . Afternoon, we a head to another amazing church near to the first one , Mariam papasit . We drive around 20 km from the main road to get there then we will have a beautiful walk via a green area and river as well as farm land . The church was built at the bottom and has many beautiful paintings .

In the morning , we drive to south of Hawzen town to see the really amazing church of Abune Abraham , an hour hike and once we get there you will be amazed by the architecture , landscape , church treasure , paintings and the longest tunnel then we return back to our car for another drive to see again the most finest and oldest church of Abraha we Atsibeha . This church is easy accessible for any one and it beautiful view of gheralta and the village . It was built in the 4th c by the two kings of Axum and finally, buried in side the holy of hollies as well the it has beautiful 17th c paintings.

Wukro museum has a lot of beautiful collection staffs found by archaeologists and local people from wukro surroundings and hawzen sites and they're well displayed with their illustrations.

Afternoon , we drive 45km to Mekelle ,the capital city of Tigray and the head sit of Tigray regional government office . Mekelle is the second largest city in Ethiopia next to Addis Ababa. We pass via the dawn town of the city to Mekele airport to transfer to Addis .