Crossing Ethiopia

C RO S S I N G E T H I O P I A

john snyder

C ROSSING

smith/kerr associates llc one government street #1 kittery, me 03904 tel: 207.703.2314 / www.smithkerr.com

ETHIOP IA a 1972 photographic journal

retracing the last march of emperor tewodros to magdala

Crossing Ethiopia: A 1972 Photographic Journal Retracing the Last March of Emperor Tewodros to Magdala Copyright Š 2013 by John Snyder All rights are reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from Smith/Kerr Associates LLC One Government Street #1, Kittery, ME 03904 www.smithkerr.com Design and composition by Elizabeth DiPalma Design + www.edpdesignplus.com

Printed in China First Edition

ISBN 13: 978-0-98306-228-8 ISBN 10: 0-983062-285

Dedication To my fellow travelers on the expedition:

JoAnne Kennedy, Don Crummey, Shumet Sishagne, and Michael Bray.

And to four others whose contributions were key to its success:

Dejazmach Bereded, Sven Rubenson, Petros Solomon, and his late friend, Solomon Mengestu.

In memory of Donald Edward Crummey 1/26/1941 - 8/16/2013, for making this expedition possible.

Aknowledgments

I wish to thank those who made major contributions to the creation of this book. First, I am indebted to my wife, Jenny, for persuading me to put it ahead of all other projects, a priority without which it might never have been written. I am deeply grateful to Bill Zinsser for his invaluable comments after patiently listening to two complete readings of the text. For her usual candid advice I thank my daughter, Katherine, a senior editor at Bloomberg News who pointed out what should be retained and what should go. I was guided through the final editing with great skill and mercy by Brenda Gaudet of Seapoint Books whose suggestions shaped the finished text. For their expertise on Ethiopian history and spelling I owe many thanks to Shumet Sishagne and the late Don Crummey. Jim Mairs of The Quantuck Lane Press generously shared with me his expertise and experience in the art of printing books of fine black and white photographs. The complex process of preparing the photographs was professionally accomplished by Dave Ortiz who scanned my 1972 negatives and adjusted the digital images. My thanks to Elizabeth DiPalma for designing the book and reassuring me along the way that everything would come together as it did. Finally, I want to thank Spencer Smith and Jean Kerr of Smith/Kerr Associates and Andrew Rosso-Baldacchino of Printworks Ltd. for turning my text and photographs into this book.

Contents

Maps & Illustrations 11 Introduction 13

Part 1: K Ing Tewodros II

Emperor of Ethiopia 1855-1868

A Short History of Tewodros /

17

Part 2: C ROSSING ETHIOPIA

Retracing the Last March of Emperor Tewodros to Magdala

1. Planning My Expedition /

2. Getting There /

3. The Expedition Begins /

4. Magdala At Last /

5. Epilogue: 40 Years Later /

35

A 1972 Photographic Journal

Photographs /

Afterword 151 Endnotes 152 Bibliography 153 credits 154 index 155

39

47

Part 3: C ROSSING ETHIOPIA

55

33

49

Part 3

CROSSING ETHIOPIA A 1972 Photographic Journal

On the steps of the Parasitology Unit in Kutaber at the end of the expedition.

Left to right: Biologist Michael Bray, JoAnne Snyder, John Snyder, Dr. Donald Crummey, Shumet Sishagne



ďœľďœś

Stone tukuls characteristic of northern Ethiopia.

Asmara (now in Eritrea)

Boy carrying his brother, with the city of Asmara in background.



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Children of Asmara.

Girl in front of mosque.

Asmara

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Eucalyptus trees outside Asmara.

An Ethiopian Airlines DC-3.



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JoAnne about to board DC-3.

Axum

The author, Axum Airport.





Man avoiding camera.

Axum

The crowns of Ethiopian Emperors in Axum, where coronations usually took place.

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Axum’s famous stelae, carved from a single piece of stone. Most are from the 4th century, although some smaller ones are pre-Christian.

Stelae toppled by earthquake.

Axum





Four boys.

Axum

Ethiopian Airlines terminal.

Lalibela

ďœśďœš

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Hillside town of Lalibela.

Peasants in countryside outside Lalibela.

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Begait bull.

Lalibela

Boys on a hillock.

Lalibela





Women carrying water jars.

Lalibela

Boy wearing a mateb around his neck, signifying that he is Christian.

Lalibela

ďœˇďœľ

ďœˇďœś

Pits of rock-hewn churches, from above.

Lalibela

Nun sifting wheat for communal bread, St. Georgis Church.

Lalibela

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Priests at door of Emmanuel Church.

Lalibela

Priests inside Libanos Church.

Lalibela

ďœˇďœš



St. Georgis Church, carved in the shape of a cross.

Lalibela

Wing of St. Georgis Church.

Lalibela





A boy and his sister in a neighborhood of Lalibela.

Saddled mules hitched to a Warka (wild fig) tree outside Lalibela.

