The picturesque town of Bahir Dar is the gateway to 37 ancient monasteries that dot the shores and islands of Lake Tana. It is also the source of the Blue Nile, which fascinated ancient Egyptians and modern day explorers alike. Even 21st Century tourists are still drawn in by the romanticizing tales and exotic flair.
These 16th and 17th Century monasteries do not look like anything we expect a monastery to look like. First of all, they are circular building. Straw maps shield the walkway that circles the very church. The top of the roof is adorned with a heavy iron cross, often decorated with ostrich eggs.
The inside of these monasteries are decorated with the most spectacular colorful wall paintings, telling the story of the bible and many more legends. The many images of heads being chopped off, people being palled, devils burning disbelievers and so forth give testimony of a national passion – Ethiopians’ obsession with martyrs and their immense suffering for Christianity.
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