1.
http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/sandamichaela-2153115-ethiopia24/

2.
Gondar (also spelled Gonder) is a royal and ancient
historical city of Ethiopia. It was the home of many
emperors and princesses who led the country from
the 12th century to the last decade of the 20th
century, including Emperor Suseneos, Emperor
Fasiledes, Empress Mentwab, Iyasu I, Tewodros II
and Empress Taitu. It is the home of the highest
mountain in Ethiopia, Ras Dashen (4,550 metres),
and the Simien Mountains National Park.

3.
A short way out of town, Debre Birhan Selassie (Trinity and Mountain of Light) Church seems more like a fortress than a church at
first glance. This is because the local churches were once vulnerable to attacks by the Sudanese. There are twelve towers guarding
this church, each representing one of the twelve apostles.

4.
The seven ostrich eggs on the cross mean that you're supposed to be
in church seven days a week. Why ostrich eggs? Because ostriches
never leave their eggs and you should never leave the church!

5.
The Debre Birhan Selassie
(Trinity and Mountain of Light)
Church is famed for its beautiful
examples of Ethiopian church
art. Built by an emperor and
preserved by an archangel, it is
also among the most important
churches of Ethiopia. Churches
like this were once quite
common in the area, but this is
the only church to survive the
Sudanese attacks, making it
even more of a treasure.

6.
Jacaranda mimosifolia

7.
The outside of Debre Birhan Selassie is rather plain, but its
interior has made it one of Ethiopia's top tourist attractions

8.
Icons of the
Holy Trinity
(three identical
men with halos)
and the
Crucifixion
have pride of
place above the
entrance to the
Holy of Holies.

9.
The walls depict
biblical scenes
and saints and
the ceiling is
covered with the
faces of 80
Ethiopian
Cherubs. All the
faces have a
different
expression

10.
Debre Birhan Selassie was
built by Emperor Eyasu II
(also known as Birhan
Seged, "He to Whom the
Light Bows") in the 17th
Century (1682-1706). It
was named Debre Birhan,
"Mountain of Light," after
the Emperor's nickname
as well as in honor of the
church of the same name
in Shewa.

11.
At the Debre Birhan
Church in Shewa, a
miraculous apparition
of the Holy Light of God
is said to have occured
in the Middle Ages
during the reign of
Emperor Zera Yacob
the Great. In exchange
for the right of using its
name, the Gondar
church paid the
Shewan church an
annual tribute.

12.
The mequamia is the
ubiquitous Ethiopian prayer
stick, which is used by elderly
priests, monks, nuns and
churchgoers, but also used
during chanting and other
liturgical events. The beautiful
shape of the head is actually a
single branch of a cross whose
apices curl into "ram's head"
shapes (reference to "the lamb
of God), unique to the country.

13.
The Debteras or
cantors sing hymns
and praise God to the
accompaniment of
musical instruments,
drums, prayer-sticks
and sistra.

14.
The Church of
Ethiopia is one
of the few
Churches of
Christendom
where the
worship of the
primitive church
has been
preserved
The kebero is a
large hand drum
used in the
Orthodox
Christian liturgy

15.
When the Mahdist Dervishes of the Sudan sacked the city of Gondar in 1888,
they burned down every church in the city except Debre Birhan Selassie.

16.
According to
local legend,
when the
Mahdist
soldiers
approached
the church, a
swarm of bees
decended on
the compound
of the church
and kept the
soldiers back,
and the
Archangel
Michael
himself stood
before the
large wooden
gates with a
flaming sword
drawn.

17.
Among the many
ethnic groups in
Ethiopia, the
Amhara are the
most populous,
representing
about one-fourth
of the population.
Their language,
Amharic, is the
official language
of Ethiopia.

18.
The Amhara
people are Coptic
Monophysite
Christians. The
population was
converted to
Christianity in the
fourth century AD
and their form of
the religion has
changed very
little since its
beginnings in
Ethiopia.

19.
Ancient Amhara
culture had a
writing system,
and therefore,
there is a wealth of
texts that have
preserved the
ancient teachings
of Christianity in a
language that is
not spoken by
people today but
remains the
language of the
church. This
language is Geez.
Since Geez is
used only in the
context of Amhara
Christianity, its
function is similar
to that of Latin in
the Roman
Catholic Church.

20.
African white-backed vultures at Debre Birhan Selassie Church
Big eagle in Gondar

21.
Sound: Zerfe Kebede - Amanuel Ethiopian Orthodox Mezmur
Text: Internet
Pictures: Sanda Foişoreanu
Sanda Negruţiu
Jean Moldovan
Alin Samochis
Daniel Scrãdeanu
Internet
Copyright: All the images belong to their authors
Presentation: Sanda Foi oreanuş
www.slideshare.net/michaelasanda