October 16 2015 – Islands Churches – Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

October 16, 2015
Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

Hi,
6 o’clock in the morning and a loud pray in a foreign language wakes me up.
Probably a Muezzin of the village across the valley I think and turn around to hug Atzva that sleeps by me.
It takes me couple of minutes to understand I’m not in Israel but in Ethiopia, and I have never heard a Muezzin in 6 o’clock in the morning. What really bothered me is that Muezzin didn’t call ‘Allahu Akbar’…
So if it isn’t a Muezzin, who wakes me up in 6 o’clock in Sunday morning with those loud prays?!
I got up to the window and realized – it’s the church across the street (it is Sunday morning).
Ethiopia is mostly Christian country (“The Ethiopian Orthodox Church“), more than that – Ethiopia was the first country to adopt Christianity. On the way the Churches have adopted things from Judaism and Islam.
The Churches are half like mosque & synagogue: Muezzin, bowing during the pray and the ritual of leaving shoes in the entrance to the mosque (like in Islam), different entrances for Man and Woman, and rules on woman Tumah (Like in Judaism).
Visiting the churches here remind the The Ethiopian church in Jerusalem – the first Ethiopian Church I ever been to, and a copy of the Churches here

P.S.
The pics are from a tour on a bout among the churches and monasteries in Lake Tana

Take Care
Gad

Leaving the shoes in the entrance to a church in Lalibela

Leaving the shoes in the entrance to a church in Gondar

Instructions for visiting church in Gondar

Bowing in the pray – Like Muslims – Ura Kidanemihret Monsatery in Tana Lake

The Church in Bahir Dar, the one that wake me up 

Lake Tana – The Origin of the Blue Nile

Islands in Lake Tana – Some old Ethiopian churches and monasteries.

Boat Lake Tana – They way to fish and get around the islands

The first stop in our tour – Debre Mareyam Monastery (we didn’t go into it)

The Origin of the Blue Nile near Debre Mareyam Monastery

Second stop in our tour – Betrmariam Monastery

Betrmariam Monastery – outer corridor

Betrmariam Monastery – inside

Monkeys around Betrmariam Monastery

A Church that became a Museum near Betrmariam Monastery

Third stop in our tour – Ura Kidanemihret Monsatery

  The ‘Tourist Mall’ on the Monastery

Ura Kidanemihret Monsatery from outside

leaving the shoes outside Ura Kidanemihret Monsatery

Ura Kidanemihret Monsatery outer corridor

  Ura Kidanemihret Monsatery from inside

A playing Basalt stone near Ura Kidanemihret Monsatery

Inside the museum near Ura Kidanemihret Monsatery

The Cross of Ura Kidanemihret Monsatery from Emperor Amdetsion (1305-1335) – old stuff! 

Tourist ships in Ura Port (The port of Ura Kidanemihret Monsatery)

Our partners from Israel for the tour sleeping on the way back, after a long day sitting on the boat

Our local partners for the tour with their funny hats

Bahir Dar from Lake Tana – The tall building is an expensive hotel

Bajajs in the main street of Bhair Dar

Shoe-shiners in the Main street

A notorious Injera.

A reminder to what we are going back in a couple of days