The Guardian call this a “warm and illuminating tale of immigrant hopes and the role of memory” and it certainly lives up to this. and it certainly lives up to this – exploring the meaning of the American dream, home and memory with vivid prose. This is a beautiful novel which asks some difficult questions about our empathy and ability to connect with immigrants which is especially important during the refugee crisis currently playing our across Europe.
This sizeable work of fiction, from American (but Ethiopian-born) author Abraham Verghese, is a truly ambitious and wonderful saga charting the lives of two twin brothers during the turbulent final years of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie’s crumbling autocracy.
Verghese’s background, as the son of two Indian teachers working in Addis Ababa at the end of Haile Selassie’s reign has clearly had a profound impact on the author, and he brings this to bear here.
He has brought a real understanding of life in Addis and Ethiopia, which enriches this sumptuous novel with the vibrant sounds, smells and experiences of life in Addis Ababa, from 1954 to the 1970s.
Fiction inspired by the idea of the Prester John legend that hit Europe in the Middle Ages.
Excerpt from Prester John:
I mind as if it were yesterday my first sight of the man. Little I knew at the time how big the moment was with destiny, or how often that face seen in the fitful moonlight would haunt my sleep and disturb my waking hours. But I mind yet the cold grue of terror I got from it, a terror which was surely more than the due of a few truant lads breaking the Sabbath with their play.
The town of Kirkcaple, of which and its adjacent parish of Portincross my father was the minister, lies on a hillside above the little bay of Caple, and looks squarely out on the North Sea. Round the horns of land which enclose the bay the coast shows on either side a battlement of stark red cliffs through which a burn or two makes a pass to the waters edge. The bay itself is ringed with fine clean sands, where we lads of the burgh school loved to bathe in the warm weather. But on long holidays the sport was to go farther afield among the cliffs; for there there were many deep caves and pools, where podleys might be caught with the line, and hid treasures sought for at the expense of the skin of the knees and the buttons of the trousers.
A Waugh classic, to be read for the absurdity that he intended!
‘We are Progress and the New Age. Nothing can stand in our way.’ When Oxford-educated Emperor Seth succeeds to the throne of the African state of Azania, he has a tough job on his hands. His subjects are ill-informed and unruly, and corruption, double-dealing and bloodshed are rife. However, with the aid if Minister of Modernization Basil Seal, Seth plans to introduce his people to the civilized ways of the west – but will it be as simple as that?
Lord Copper, newspaper magnate and proprietor of the Daily Beast, has always prided himself on his intuitive flair for spotting ace reporters. That is not to say he has not made the odd blunder, however, and may in a moment of weakness make another.Acting on a dinner-party tip from Mrs Algernon Smith, he feels convinced that he has hit on just the chap to cover a promising little war in the African Republic of Ishmaelia. One of Waugh’s most exuberant comedies, Scoop is a brilliantly irreverentsatire of Fleet Street and its hectic pursuit of hot news.
Non-fiction
After the deposition of Haile Selassie in 1974, which ended the ancient rule of the Abyssinian monarchy, Ryszard Kapuscinski travelled to Ethiopia and sought out surviving courtiers to tell their stories. Here, their eloquent and ironic voices depict the lavish, corrupt world they had known – from the rituals, hierarchies and intrigues at court to the vagaries of a ruler who maintained absolute power over his impoverished people. They describe his inexorable downfall as the Ethiopian military coup approaches; strange omens appear in the sky and courtiers vanish, until only the Emperor and his valet remain in the deserted palace, awaiting their fate. Dramatic and mesmerising, The Emperor is one of the great works of reportage and a haunting epitaph on the last moments of a dying regime.
The Chains of Heaven is a lyrical, contemplative but always exhilarating non-fiction journey (on foot!) across Ethiopia. The author journeyed across the highlands with a pair of mules and meets many colourful characters, and hears many tales, along the way.
He takes in the stunning and ancient geography, history and culture of Ethiopia; through its remote mountaintop monasteries and the isolated monks who dwell within them, to the people affected by Ethiopia’s turbulent recent history.
After nine years investigating the exact location of the ultimate religious icon, the Ark of the Covenant, British researcher and investigative journalist Graham Hancock reveals his status-quo shattering discoveries. Part mystery thriller, part true adventure and part travel book, this gripping piece of historical research challenges society’s principal religious preconceptions and takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride through ancient history.
A fascinating narrative excursion into a bizarre episode in 19th century Ethiopian and British imperial history featuring a remote African despot and his monstrous European-built gun. On one of Addis Ababa’s main roundabouts today sits a huge recently installed mortar. This is a replica of ‘Sevastopol’, a 70-ton lump of ordnance commissioned by one of the most extraordinary leaders Africa has ever produced – King of Kings of Ethiopia, the Emperor Theodore. In 1867, as his kingdom collapsed around him, Theodore retreated to his mountain-top stronghold in Magdala. It took his army six months to haul ‘Sevastopol’ through the gauges and passes of the highlands. Sixty miles to the north, a British expeditionary force under Sir Robert Napier – consisting of more than 10,000 fighting men, at least as many followers and 20,000 pack-animals, including a number of Indian elephants – had been ferried to the Red Sea Coast and built a railway line through the desert. Their object: to rescue the British consul and sixty Europeans, held prisoner by the increasingly erratic Theodore, who had taken to massacring his prisoners-of-war and pitching captives over the cliffs of Magdala. The resulting fate of Theodore and his mortar forms the climax to this strange extravaganza, in which an isolated medieval kingdom came dramatically face-to-face with an ascendant Europe. Philip Marsden tells the tale with all his proven narrative skill, deep love and first hand knowledge of Ethiopia.
Henry Salt was one of the most important figures in early 19th century travel, archaeology and diplomacy. Celebrated for his expeditions to Abyssinia, Salt later became British Consul-General in Egypt, where he played an important diplomatic role. However, it is for his involvement in the re-discovery of ancient Egypt that he is best remembered. This study is an appreciation of this significant figure and brings to life a fascinating period in the history of Egypt and Abyssinia.
An interesting account of 1930’s Ethiopia – in French, of course!
‘Half-man, half-snake’ was how the Emperor Haile Selassie was described by one of his most ferocious rivals, the eunuch Balcha, who had commanded the artillery at the battle of Adwa where the first Italian invasion of Ethiopia was bloodily repulsed. Forty years later the old Galla warrior was to die, machine-gun in hand, once again attempting-this time without success-to halt the Italian intruders. Anthony Mocker’s immensely readable epic history is divided into three parts. First the scene is set in Ethiopia, still feudal, and in Italy, newly fascist. The second part describes in compelling detail the Italian invasion and the battles in the north: it ends with the invaders in undisputed control of their new Roman Empire and with Haile Selassie living in apparently hopeless exile near Bath. The final section recounts how, following Italy’s entry into World War II, British Somaliland was invaded and conquered and fears of a British debacle spread all over East Africa. But then the tide of battle turned. As Mussolini’s dreams crumbled into dust and his armies into defeat, the ex-Emperor, supported by the bold but amateurish troops of Orde Wingate’s Gideon Force, fought his way step by step back into full control of his Empire, despite all the attempts to stop him by Italians, Ethiopians, and even by his allies the British. First published in 1984, this new edition of Anthony Mockler’s acclaimed history contains a new foreword by the author. Praised as ‘a memorable book’ by John Keegan in the Sunday Times, Haile Selassie’s War remains an epic tale of colonial ambition, warfare and heroism.
Personal memoirs of the Liberation Campaign written by Brian Fraser Macdona with supplemental documents.
Brian Macdona was a leading member of the British team that assisted the ex-Italian East African empire in the rebuilding of its financial infrastructure on the eve of collapse of Italian rule. In that capacity, he traveled extensively through most of Horn of Africa in a journey that lasted four weeks and often involved extremely contrasting experience. Written in a lively and witty narrative, his memoir demonstrates his rare skill for observation and passion for documentation. He deals with many issues, providing a unique eyewitness account of a highly neglected historical period. Sometimes opinionated but always thoughtful and stimulating, Macdona has written an informative and engaging memoirs that should be required reading for anyone interested in the critical period of East African history, in general, and the ex-Italian possessions, in particular. –Haile M. Larebo, Associate Professor of History at Morehouse College
There are excellent memoirs of the military campaigns of 1941 of the plans and the operations, the battles and the hardships of the campaigns to liberate Ethiopia from Fascist rule from participants, both Ethiopians and British. We know about the heroes and the villains. It is for the first time that a banker comes along to tell us his story. Ethiopia in Wartime: A Memoir is written by a career banker who narrates how they put the banks back into operation and how finally they sorted out, what was called at the time, the currency chaos in the Horn of Africa following the liberation of Ethiopia and the former colonies of Italy. It is written with a great deal of verve and humor and so it makes an excellent read. More importantly to the historian, it feels a yawning gap in our knowledge the tedious task of establishing administration, particularly banks and currencies and the exchange rate after the dramatic events of war were over. The story is every bit as important as the clashes of arms. –Shiferaw Bekele, teaches History at the Addis Ababa University
One of the great traveller’s stories. Searching for the source of the Blue Nile in the 1760’s.
Ethiopia is a land of hidden treasures, and among the greatest are its remote churches, whose richly decorated interiors amaze and astound with their vibrant colours and extraordinary illustration. Yet steeped in ancient legend, and often situated in remote locations, a true appreciation and understanding of these unique churches and their spectacular murals has been restricted to a select few. Now, in Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia, Maria-Jose Friedlander provides a unique guide to the churches, their architecture and decoration. Ranging from the rock-hewn churches of the Tigray region to the spectacular timber-built cave church of Yemrehane Krestos, Maria-Jose Friedlander provides detailed descriptions of the wonderful murals and of the stories behind them. Many of the wall paintings contain inscriptions in Ge’ez – the ancient language of Ethiopia – and full translations of these scripts are given. Detailed plans show the exact location of the paintings within the churches and the superb colour photographs by Bob Friedlander show the many aspects of the churches and their decoration in rich detail.
Ethiopia is one of the oldest countries in the world. As the Aksumite Empire, it became a world power, its Emperor Ezana coverting to Christianity in 330 AD. Alone in sub-Saharan Africa, Ethiopians developed coinage and writing systems. This volume traces the country’s expansion southward during medieval times, its resistance to Muslim invasion and, under energetic leaders, its defence of its independence during the European scramble for Africa. Paul Henze’s history of Ethiopia is not only concerned with kings, princes and politicians but includes insights into daily life, art, architecture, religion, culture, customs and the observations of travellers, and is enlivened by the personal reminiscences of Ethiopians.
War-time love story set in Abyssinia, Eritrea and the Yemen 1935-1945. Amedeo Guillet is still alive and living in County Meath, Ireland. Khadija is lost.
This is the story of Amedeo Guillet – an Italian calvary officer who was sent out to Abyssinia as part of Mussolini’s army to establish and command a troupe of 2,000 Spahis – or Arabic calvary. He met and fell in love with Khadija – a beautiful Ethiopian Muslim. Together they held up the British lorries heaving up the mountain road to Asmara and blew up the important Ponte Aosta. Eventually captured, Amedeo went on the run disguised as an Arab, eventually making it to Yemen, only to be thrown in jail.
This is a rare view of the Second World War from an Italian perpective; particularly valuable are the chapters that tell the story of Italian resistance to the Nazis, and their subsequent withdrawal from Italy in 1943.
There are few stories more cinemagraphic than this – Fascist Italy, his early years in Ethiopia commanding the Cossack-like Spahis, the brutal Abyssinian war waged by the Duce, Italian and British colonial rivalry; Amedeo led the last ever cavalry charge the British army faced (Eritrea 1941 – they were massacred by tanks and sub-machine guns), defeat and guerrilla warfare against the British; then flight, disguised as an Arab, imprisonment in the Yemen and a great love lost as he leaves his beloved Khadija behind to face her future alone and returns to Italy, to his fiancée and a career as a distinguished Italian diplomat and Arabist.
Amedeo is still alive and living in County Meath, Ireland. Sebastian O’Kelly is a journalist for the Mail and Telegraph and has Amedeo’s full co-operation in writing this book.
This is a very valuable and absolutely stunning story, beautifully told by O’Kelly.
KEBRA NAGAST Lost for centuries, the KEBRA NAGAST (The Glory of Kings) is a truly majestic unveiling of ancient secrets. These pages were excised by royal decree from the authorized 1611 King James version of the Bible. Originally recorded in the ancient Ethiopian language (Ge’ez) by anonymous scribes, The Red Sea Press, Inc. and Kingston Publishers now bring you a complete, accurate modern English translation of this long suppressed account. Here is the most starting and fascinating revelation of hidden truths; not only revealing the present location of the Ark of the Covenant, but also explaining fully many of the puzzling questions on Biblical topics which have remained unanswered up to today. “Only in the Kebra Nagast, and not in the Bible the bold assertion is made that the Ark had gone from Jerusalem to Ethiopia”. “How could the most important Biblical object in the world end up in the heart of Africa? The Kebra Nagast with a great deal of weight and historical authenticity, offers a clear answer to this question, as Ethiopia’s claim to be the last resting place of the lost Ark remains unchallenged.” “The Kebra Nagast’s audacious claim of a massive cover-up and all information about the tragic loss of the Ark during Solomon’s reign had been suppressed, which is why no mention is made of it in the Scriptures”.
An attractive illustrated exhibition catalogue dating from 2007-8. Ethiopian Encounters: A British Expedition to Ethiopia in the 1940’s features works depicting subjects virtually unrecorded in UK collections, executed by artist and explorer Sir William Cornwallis Harris who led a mission to the Court of Shewa in the Highlands of Ethiopia between 1841 and 1843.
This book was originally published prior to 1923, and represents a reproduction of an important historical work, maintaining the same format as the original work. While some publishers have opted to apply OCR (optical character recognition) technology to the process, we believe this leads to sub-optimal results (frequent typographical errors, strange characters and confusing formatting) and does not adequately preserve the historical character of the original artifact. We believe this work is culturally important in its original archival form. While we strive to adequately clean and digitally enhance the original work, there are occasionally instances where imperfections such as blurred or missing pages, poor pictures or errant marks may have been introduced due to either the quality of the original work or the scanning process itself. Despite these occasional imperfections, we have brought it back into print as part of our ongoing global book preservation commitment, providing customers with access to the best possible historical reprints. We appreciate your understanding of these occasional imperfections, and sincerely hope you enjoy seeing the book in a format as close as possible to that intended by the original publisher.
In this eminently readable, concise history of Ethiopia, Harold Marcus surveys the evolution of the oldest African nation from prehistory to the present. For the updated edition, Marcus has written a new preface, two new chapters, and an epilogue, detailing the development and implications of Ethiopia as a Federal state and the war with Eritrea.
An account of the course of the Blue Nile from the Ethiopian Highlands, through the Sudan and Egypt to the sea. The book contains an historical narrative which starts in the eighteenth century and ends in 1869. The period was dominated by four men: James Bruce, the Scot who journeyed to the supposed source of the Blue Nile, and stayed in warring Ethiopia; Napoleon who, needing military glory to further his political ambitions, led a brilliantly conceived expedition to Egypt; Mohammed Ali, the Turkish viceroy, who sent his son to conquer the Sudan in a ruthless quest for gold and slaves; and Emporer Theodore of Ethiopia, a tyrant who held British subjects captive.
Guides
Lonely Planet Ethiopia, Djibouti & Somaliland is your passport to all the most relevant and up-to-date advice on what to see, what to skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Explore the crooked alleyways of Harar, gape at the rock paintings of Las Geel, or experience the calcareous chimneys of Lac Abbe; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Somaliland and begin your journey now!
Of all the African nations, Ethiopia is most prone to misconceptions. The 1985 famine and the cracked barren earth of the Danakil Depression are not images quickly forgotten. This fully updated guide refocuses the lens to reveal an ancient country that continues to surpass all expectations: from the ancient Judaic cultures of the fertile highlands to the colourful animist people of the South Omo Valley, from the Afro-pine moorland of the Bale Mountains National Park to the thundering Blue Nile Falls. Taking you far off the beaten track, the author presents more of this expansive beautiful land, believed to be the cradle of humankind. Bradt’s Ethiopia provides the most comprehensive coverage of any English-language guidebook on the market. Not only does it include towns and villages well off the beaten track, but it goes into greater depth than its competitors, with more detail on the history, culture and sights, and more opinionated and entertaining reviews of hotels and restaurants. In addition, it features detailed information on wildlife, national parks and trekking routes found in no other book.
Haggling at markets, deciphering street signs, chatting to kids, asking someone’s hand in marriage…just some of the situations you might experience while travelling in Ethiopia. Lucky for you, they’re all covered in our Ethiopian Amharic phrasebook. So get reading and start talking!
- Two-way dictionary
- Guide to pronunciation and grammar
- New sustainable travel vocab section
- Handy menu decoder
Colloquial Amharic: The Complete Course for Beginners has been carefully developed by an experienced teacher to provide a step-by-step course to French as it is written and spoken today.
Combining a clear, practical and accessible style with a methodical and thorough treatment of the language, it equips learners with the essential skills needed to communicate confidently and effectively in Amharic in a broad range of situations. No prior knowledge of the language is required. Colloquial Amharic is exceptional; each unit presents a wealth of grammatical points that are reinforced with a wide range of exercises for regular practice. A full answer key, a grammar summary, bilingual glossaries and English translations of dialogues can be found at the back as well as useful vocabulary lists throughout.
A well-illustrated guidebook!
Ethiopia, legendary home of the Queen of Sheba who travelled to Jerusalem to meet Solomon, resting-place of the Ark of the Covenant and battleground of the great emperors from Ezana in the 4th century AD to Haile Selassie in modern times, has inspired many travellers and writers since time immemorial. Recently few have journeyed there or, indeed, have any conception of the extraordinary cultural treasures that await visitors. Stuart Munro-Hay knows Ethiopia intimately, having lived and researched there over many years. He has produced the first truly comprehensive guide to the monuments of this beautiful, culture-steeped country, as well as offering a literary companion. Here is a guide to Ethiopia’s architecture, geography, peoples, art and history, embracing all the major sites of the land over the ages. It will become the classic reference guide.
A guide to Ethiopia, which includes information for both the holidaymaker and business traveller, covering the sights to be seen and details of its economy, outlining the potential investment opportunities.
Books for children
My First Book of Amharic Words has over 400 English and Amharic essential words used at home, school and everyday life. This colourfully illustrated book of words, from author Fitsame Teferra Woldemichael, is a fun introduction to the Amharic language. Each word is presented in Amharic, English translation and transliteration. With a pronunciation guide and introduction to the Amharic alphabet.
In Ethiopia, the origin of coffee depends on who you speak to, and where they come from. The legend of its discovery that still endures today is that of Kaldi. For such an important find, the story has an unlikely cast of characters that include a goatherder, his wife, a monastery of monks, and a troupe of dancing goats.
The classic stories of our childhood–“Cinderella,” “The Sleeping Beauty,” Little Red Riding Hood”–exist only in books today, but they started their lives as oral tales told from one generation to the next. In Ethiopia, however, great treasuries of fairy tales still live in people’s heads and have never been written down. Old people sit together in the evenings and tell each other stories that were already old a hundred years ago. Elizabeth Laird–a winner of the Reader’s Choice award and the Children’s Book award–spent two years traveling around Ethiopia and collecting the tales in this anthology. She was told stories by Muslims in the hot, dry deserts of the East; Christians from the cool, central Highlands; and people from even older religions from the warm, humid South. The different faiths and cultures are reflected in the stories, with their varying notions of God, heaven, and the spirit world. You will enjoy the funny stories with a twist, the exciting adventure stories of brave warriors and hunters, the clever stories of cunning and trickery, along with stories about ogres and kings and merchants and farmers and animals.
A thrilling children’s adventure novel based on the true story of an Ethiopian who ended up as a wealthy landowner and as a general in the Russian army – and also managed indirectly to change the course of Russian literary history, since his great grandson was Alexander Pushkin. Most of all it’s the story of a boy who never gives up.
A gripping historical novel, sequel to Abraham Hannibal and the Raiders of the Sands. Based on fact, it’s the story of Abraham, an African boy captured as a slave while on a mission from his emperor to king Louis XIV of France. He survives shipwreck on an uninhabited island, capture by pirates, the humiliation of being sold in the slave market of Istanbul, and a gruelling journey into the snows of Russia. Working as a page-boy for Peter, half-monster, half-genius tsar of Russia, Abraham grows up together with the brand-new city of St Petersburg, and as Russia and Sweden battle for victory, he wins fame and freedom – and at last achieves his mission.
In 1996, Laird set up a project with the British Council in Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Ministry of Education to collect stories from traditional storytellers in the many regions of Ethiopia. The aim of the project was to write readers in simplified English, so that Ethiopian school children could increase their fluency in reading English while learning and enjoying their own cultural heritage.
Over five long journeys, she travelled the length and breadth of Ethiopia, from the blisteringly hot Afar region in the north east, through the cool highlands of Tigray and Amhara, to the lakes and hills of the vast lands of Oromia, the ancient walled city of Harar, the steamy heat of Gambela, the patchwork of languages and cultures in the Omo Valley and the region of Beni-Shangul Gumuz. A great variety of storytellers contributed to the project, and they told her many interesting and beautiful stories. The account of Laird’s journeys, the storytellers and the stories has been published under the title The Lure of the Honey Bird.
All 300 stories collected can be viewed here.
(Please note: You may have difficulty finding copies in the UK)
Elizabeth Laird – Beautiful Bananas
In 1996, Laird set up a project with the British Council in Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Ministry of Education to collect stories from traditional storytellers in the many regions of Ethiopia. The aim of the project was to write readers in simplified English, so that Ethiopian school children could increase their fluency in reading English while learning and enjoying their own cultural heritage.
Over five long journeys, she travelled the length and breadth of Ethiopia, from the blisteringly hot Afar region in the north east, through the cool highlands of Tigray and Amhara, to the lakes and hills of the vast lands of Oromia, the ancient walled city of Harar, the steamy heat of Gambela, the patchwork of languages and cultures in the Omo Valley and the region of Beni-Shangul Gumuz. A great variety of storytellers contributed to the project, and they told her many interesting and beautiful stories. The account of Laird’s journeys, the storytellers and the stories has been published under the title The Lure of the Honey Bird.
All 300 stories collected can be viewed here.
(Please note: You may have difficulty finding copies in the UK)
‘Coffee-table books’
An attractive small coffee-table book written by the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Secretary after his travels. Published to coincide with Christian Aid’s focus on Ethiopia in 1998, this text celebrates the Christian heritage of Africa, and in particular the icongraphy of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
Travel writing
This photographic book charts the Rastafarian author’s journey to Ethiopia, the promised land for his people. It includes the headwaters of the Blue Nile, Olduvai Gorge, where the earliest human remains were found, and the Jama river, from where Jamaicans’ ancestors were taken into slavery.
In the fall of 1996, Rastafarian photographer Neville Garrick fulfilled the dream of a lifetime by traveling to his spiritual homeland, Ethiopia. A Rasta’s Pilgrimage, is the story of Garrick’s journey. Told through 118 vibrant, four-color photographs and memoir-style text interwoven, the book unveils an image of a country where, in Garrick’s words, “God lives”. Contradicting the familiar images of a famine-stricken, war-torn Ethiopia, A Rasta’s Pilgrimage shows a land distinguished by breathtaking natural beauty, fascinating cultural monuments and a lovely, warm people. Beginning in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, the book traces Garrick’s trip to the fertile valley of Shashemane—an area set aside by the Emperor Haile Selassie for the repatriation of Western blacks, the thundering majesty of the Blue Nile Falls, and to Axum, the birthplace of Ethiopian civilization and the home of the church that houses the original Ark of the Covenant. The book follows Garrick as he steps carefully among the ruins of seventeenth century castles, walks the cool aisles of mural-decorated churches, and gazes in admiration at the lovely artifacts and monuments of the Ethiopian regions of Gondar, Lalibela, Dire Dawa, Axum, and Harar. Born of a back-to-Africa movement inspired by the teachings of Marcus Garvey, Rastafari evolved into a full-fledged—if outcast—religion by the 1960s. To Rastas Ethiopia is a spiritual sanctuary; a place of returning, regaining, and belonging.
A Photographic Introduction to Ethiopia Describing Aspects of Its Religions, Architecture, Natural World, and Its People.
Wilfred Thesiger, this century’s greatest living explorer, reveals the events and people that most influenced his travels through some of the most inaccessible places on earth.
As a child in Abyssinia he watched the victorious armies of Ras Tafari returning from hand-to-hand battle, their prisoners in chains; at the age of twenty-three he made his first expedition into the country of the Danakil, a murderous race among whom a man’s status depended on the number of men he had killed and castrated. His widely acclaimed books, Arabian Sands and The Marsh Arabs, tell of his two famous sojourns in the Empty Quarter and the Marshes of southern Iraq. But Thesiger’s true character and motives have until now remained an enigma. In this, his autobiography, he shares some of the experiences that allowed him to live the life of his choice.
In 1966 Dervla Murphy travelled the length and breadth of Ethopia, first on a mule, Jock, whom she named after her publisher, and later on a recalcitrant donkey. The remarkable achievement was not surviving three armed robberies or the thousand-mile trail, but the gradual growth of affection for and understanding of another race.
The mile-deep gorge made by the Blue Nile as it flows out of the highlands of North West Ethiopia into the broad plains of the Sudan is one of the greatest natural features in the world. It remained virtually unexplored until 1968. That summer an expedition supported by the Army, The Daily Telegraph and the Royal Geographical Society set out to investigate this gorge. It also aimed to navigate 500 miles of the crocodile-infested river-known in Ethiopia as the Great Abbai 200 miles of which had not been visited by Europeans, except at occasional fording places. The climax of the expedition, the penetration of the Northern gorge, was unhappily marked by the death of an expedition member by drowning, and by two attacks by bandits. In these harsh conditions a group of scientists-mainly zoologists-were able to carry out a valuable investigation of the area. In The Blue Nile Revealed Richard Snailham, one of those directly involved, tells the story of Great Abbai expedition. While covering the technical and scientific dimensions of the expedition, he also provides a deeply human account of this exciting adventure. First published in 1970, this book has become a classic of African exploration.
The earliest and most influential expeditions of the man now considered to be the greatest living explorer.
The Danakil Diary is the account of two journeys Thesiger made into the Danakil country in Abyssinia, now Ethiopia, in 1930-34 at the age of 24 – which, today, he still regards as the most dangerous he undertook.
It was an extraordinary journey and a remarkable achievement. Thesiger succeeded in penetrating country that had wiped out two Italian expeditions and an Egyptian army before him, discovered what happened to the Awash River (one of the area’s last geographical mysteries to be solved) and managed to survive amongst the Danakil tribesmen, to whom a man’s status depended on the number of men he had killed and castrated.
Besides giving early proof of Thesiger’s descriptive genius – with his portrayal of the beautiful, savage landscapes, and their varied wildlife – The Danakil Diary reveals youthful evidence of his fierce motivation and uncompromising will, which are familiar hallmarks of his sixty years of travel among primitive peoples in some of the harshest and remotest areas of the world.
A fairly brief and personal account of travels in the early 1970’s.
An intriguing and well-written personal account of travels in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia is known today for famine, relief aid and an intractable civil war, but it is also the background to one of the richest and most historical of African cultures. Home of the original Garden of Eden, it is the oldest Christian country and the source of the Blue Nile, and was an inspiration for Dr Johnson and Coleridge and the last home of Rimbaud. Despite its current sufferings, the country still exerts a powerful fascination, as Philip Marsden-Smedley discovered when he set out to trace the physical and cultural map of a surprising and uneasy paradise. This is his account of a journey on which he witnessed the crowning of an Ethiopian Archbishop, was received at ancient monasteries, gazed at the bones of a 14th-century king, talked to Rastafarians and visited the Harenna forest.
Other great books
(Please note, these books may be difficult to source)
Emperor Tewodros II, Joseph Francis (Hamle)
Written in English and Amharic, telling the story of the Magdala Campaign of 1868
Lalibela — a general survey of the rock churches, Baye Felleke (Alem Printers)
Low-quality but interesting book, thorough in its detail
Echoes of Ethiopia, Tim and Beryl Yeadell (Orkney 2004)
A very personal and interesting account of their modern travels to see Kate Fereday and the Kindu Trust
Lalibela – a museum of living rocks, Mengistu Gobezie (Addis Ababa 2012)
Less thorough but more attractive in its presentation
A History of Modern Ethiopia, Bahru Zewde (AAUP)
One of the best accounts of modern Ethiopian history, 1855-1974
Ethiopia off the Beaten Trail, John Graham (Shama Books)
Easy to read, personal guide to the less well-known places in Ethiopia
Why Ethiopia?
You may also be interested to find out why we believe education is so important and why that’s our focus. You can also learn about Link Ethiopia’s approach to changing lives through education. How are we doing? You can explore our results, see our completed projects and hear from students who have benefited from our work. If you’d like to be part of this journey, get involved!
Learn about Ethiopia
- History (Pre-history, Axumite Empire, Middle Ages, 17th Century, 19th Century, 20th Century)
- Geography (Cities, Neighbours, Mountains, Rivers and lakes)
- Culture (Dress, Painting, Food and drink, Music and dance, Transport)
- Religion (Ethiopian Orthodox, Ethiopian Jews, Islam, Religious festivals)
- Wildlife (Animals, Birds, National Parks)
- Facts and figures (Geography, Economy, Government, Transport, People)
- The Pankhurst History Library
- Recommended reading
- School resources
Traveller’s Guide
- Addis Ababa
- Historic Route (Axum, Gondar, Lalibela, Bahir Dar and Tissisat, Lake Tana, Simien Mountains, Mekele, Tigray)
- Rift Valley (Nechisar, Omo and Mago, Gambella)
- East to Harar (Awash Valley, Bale Mountains, Harar)
- Travel tips (Climate, Language, Embassies, Time, Health, Documents, Money, Accommodation, Hassles, Food, Etiquette)
You may also be interested in visiting Ethiopia as a guest on one of our tours, or on a volunteering placement. Or you may be able to get involved in another way. Thank you in advance for supporting Ethiopian education!