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It was a beautiful day and a beautiful drive through some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. Back home, some months earlier, I had read an article in a newspaper about “the monastery at the top of the cliff.” I knew then I wanted to come to Ethiopia. From the junction with the main road, there is an 11 km rough track to the base of the mountain, suitable only for a 4x4; the vehicle struggled hard but gave up after a few kilometres and I had to walk.
Debre Damo is unique and unforgettable. There is a daunting obstacle to the monastery: the only means of access is a climb of twenty-four meters up a sheer cliff. Polished smooth by fourteen centuries of scrambling monks, the vertical rock face looked more daunting the closer I got.
A monk lowered a safety rope which I tied around my waist. He then lowered a second, thicker frayed leather rope that is the monks' lifeline to the outside world. My hands grasped the rope and bare footed I made the ascent. It was almost a spiritual climb, a great feeling was flowing throughout the climb and a power I have not ever felt before gave me the strength to pull myself up. I made the climb, got to the top and as I looked back down I could not believe what I had done.
The monastery is a collection of stone-built houses and several small churches spread over a parched escarpment. About 120 monks live there, along with their protégés and livestock. Local people give food and supplies but the monastic community is virtually self- sufficient. It has its own water reservoirs - spectacular caverns dug deep beneath the surface of the cliff-top centuries ago. Little suggests this is the country's oldest place of worship: a community with roots in the 6th century.
Debre Damo is unique and unforgettable. There is a daunting obstacle to the monastery: the only means of access is a climb of twenty-four meters up a sheer cliff. Polished smooth by fourteen centuries of scrambling monks, the vertical rock face looked more daunting the closer I got.
A monk lowered a safety rope which I tied around my waist. He then lowered a second, thicker frayed leather rope that is the monks' lifeline to the outside world. My hands grasped the rope and bare footed I made the ascent. It was almost a spiritual climb, a great feeling was flowing throughout the climb and a power I have not ever felt before gave me the strength to pull myself up. I made the climb, got to the top and as I looked back down I could not believe what I had done.
The monastery is a collection of stone-built houses and several small churches spread over a parched escarpment. About 120 monks live there, along with their protégés and livestock. Local people give food and supplies but the monastic community is virtually self- sufficient. It has its own water reservoirs - spectacular caverns dug deep beneath the surface of the cliff-top centuries ago. Little suggests this is the country's oldest place of worship: a community with roots in the 6th century.
It was a beautiful day and a beautiful drive through some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. Back home, some months earlier, I had read an article in a newspaper about “the monastery at the top of the cliff.” I knew then I wanted to come to Ethiopia. From the junction with the main road, there is an 11 km rough track to the base of the mountain, suitable only for a 4x4; the vehicle struggled hard but gave up after a few kilometres and I had to walk.
Debre Damo is unique and unforgettable. There is a daunting obstacle to the monastery: the only means of access is a climb of twenty-four meters up a sheer cliff. Polished smooth by fourteen centuries of scrambling monks, the vertical rock face looked more daunting the closer I got.
A monk lowered a safety rope which I tied around my waist. He then lowered a second, thicker frayed leather rope that is the monks' lifeline to the outside world. My hands grasped the rope and bare footed I made the ascent. It was almost a spiritual climb, a great feeling was flowing throughout the climb and a power I have not ever felt before gave me the strength to pull myself up. I made the climb, got to the top and as I looked back down I could not believe what I had done.
The monastery is a collection of stone-built houses and several small churches spread over a parched escarpment. About 120 monks live there, along with their protégés and livestock. Local people give food and supplies but the monastic community is virtually self- sufficient. It has its own water reservoirs - spectacular caverns dug deep beneath the surface of the cliff-top centuries ago. Little suggests this is the country's oldest place of worship: a community with roots in the 6th century.
Debre Damo is unique and unforgettable. There is a daunting obstacle to the monastery: the only means of access is a climb of twenty-four meters up a sheer cliff. Polished smooth by fourteen centuries of scrambling monks, the vertical rock face looked more daunting the closer I got.
A monk lowered a safety rope which I tied around my waist. He then lowered a second, thicker frayed leather rope that is the monks' lifeline to the outside world. My hands grasped the rope and bare footed I made the ascent. It was almost a spiritual climb, a great feeling was flowing throughout the climb and a power I have not ever felt before gave me the strength to pull myself up. I made the climb, got to the top and as I looked back down I could not believe what I had done.
The monastery is a collection of stone-built houses and several small churches spread over a parched escarpment. About 120 monks live there, along with their protégés and livestock. Local people give food and supplies but the monastic community is virtually self- sufficient. It has its own water reservoirs - spectacular caverns dug deep beneath the surface of the cliff-top centuries ago. Little suggests this is the country's oldest place of worship: a community with roots in the 6th century.
