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Noble Amhara
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Location: Abysinnia Highlands

Researcher Marco Vigano's has some interesting photos from possible medieval sites around #AddisAbaba

Post by Noble Amhara » 27 Jul 2021, 16:30

An earlier ruin of the castles in Gondar can be found in Shewa (Tegalut-Berara (Debre Berhan-Entoto Addis Ababa) which were all destroyed by Ahmed gragn




Tale of Two Lost Cities: Tegulet and Barara of the Shoa Amara

As we continued our desk-based analysis of maps and written records, the two lost cities — Tegulet (1315?), the first Restored Solomonic capital, and Barara (1385?), the Holy Grail of lost medieval African cities — asserted their presence. All place-memory of these medieval capitals had vanished. Local chronicles mentioned the importance and general region of Tegulet, but without specifics. Barara, though mentioned throughout Europe’s medieval period as the capital of Abyssinia, remained a mystery. Strikingly, local chronicles never mention that name. It is possible this is another example of cities retaining different names based upon populations.

Utilizing the remote sensing methodology we had devised, we narrowed our search for Tegulet to the drainage basin of the Jemma River, north of Debra Berhan. Within less than a half hour, scanning images on Google Earth, we identified three possible candidates for occupational-site, all with probable architectural features. Hopeful, we ventured forth on an excursion to discover what we believed to be one of the most important sites to enable us to rewrite Ethiopia’s history.

The candidate for Tegulet was exceptional. Foundations of monumental architecture proved a substantial settlement had, at one time, dominated the landscapes, and thus the trade routes. One surprise was a purpose-built road, 12 kms along the ridge, with ruts from wheeled vehicles, dated to a time where no record of wheeled vehicles exists. Cultural material abounded, including quantities of quality ceramics, raw iron and slag, and semi-precious stones traditionally used for vestments, ceremonial crosses, or to adorn valuable manuscripts. Adding to that the many newly identified Washa or cave churches, and it all adds up to a substantial archaeological find in the exact location we could have predicted, using our model and ancient maps.




On our first excursion, we entered the market town of Areda Weyra. An abandoned crossroads most days, this Saturday it bustled, employing every mode of transport or beast of burden: camel, donkey, mule, horse-drawn carriage, motorcycle, and of course, the heads or backs of the panoply of humankind. Like a drama playing out as it had from medieval times, commerce from three distinct regions joined, bartered, and returned with goods in tow. Throughout Africa, each beast of burden is suited to particular loads, climates, and environments. Camels thrive in the dry, lowlands and riverbeds at elevations below 1500 meters. They cannot even breed at higher elevations. Mules and horses are midland animals, mostly suited to the fertile plains and flatlands of the regions south of Addis Ababa and the well-watered grasslands below 2800 meters. Donkeys fit all elevations, but are the exclusive animal for higher elevations, steep ravines, rugged highland trails, and seemingly impossible passes.

Areda Weyra, at 2600 meters, served as a rare intersection for all three species, and by extension, represented well-defined regional cultures, languages, and religious identities. Even if the memory of Barara had long dissipated to dust, watching camels undulate home down a trail used for centuries, or a horse canter across open stretches, or observe overburdened donkeys clatter down a steep, rubble strewn path, there was a sort of mysterious kinesthetic memory at play.

This is what Barara had been; a nexus of cultures and commerce for centuries, and it provided us our first clue to keep us coming back for more. Inquiring of many aged priests, we were excitedly told this was an old place, destroyed by Ahmed Gran. This was a place, from before the religious wars, where emperors once lived, but no one could tell us exactly where. One jovial saint swept his hand across the horizon. “This is a blessed land, very rich, very good.” He smiled, and with a wink stated, “It is our Holy Land.”