Konso Cultural Landscape | Ethiopia

Postcard
Konso Cultural Landscape is a 55km2 arid property of stone walled terraces and fortified settlements in the Konso highlands of Ethiopia. This is a spectacular example of a living cultural tradition adapted to its dry hostile environment, stretching back more than 400 years.

Stamps
The bushbuck is the most widespread antelope in Sub-Saharan Africa. Of the two Ethiopian species, Meneliki and Powelli, the latter is the more common and somewhat smaller.

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Aksum | Ethiopia

Postcard

The ruins of the ancient city of Aksum are found close to Ethiopia's northern border. They mark the location of the heart of ancient Ethiopia, when the Kingdom of Aksum was the most powerful state between the Eastern Roman Empire and Persia.

The massive ruins, dating from between the 1st and the 13th century, include monolithic obelisks, royal tombs and the ruins of ancient castles.

Aksum is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

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Lucy from Ethiopia

Postcard

The Awash valley in Ethiopia contains one of the most important groupings of paleontological sites on the African continent. The remains found at the site, the oldest of which date back at least 4 million years, provide evidence of human evolution which has modified our conception of the history of humankind.

The most spectacular discovery came in 1974, when 52 fragments of a skeleton were found. The skeleton became known as Lucy, inspired by a Beatles song that blasted out of a cassette player as the researchers celebrated their discovery that evening. It shows, for instance, that our distant ancestors began to walk upright on two legs long before they developed big brains.

 

The latest news about Lucy: a closer look on the bones suggests that one of the bones may in fact  belong to a baboon.

The Lower Valley of the Awash is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Thx Steve!

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Traditional Ethiopian Leather Painting Postcard

Postcard

Ethiopian art comes in many forms. One of these is the painting on leather goatskin. Yes you already guessed it, this is actually a postcard made of a piece of worn leather. Beautifully painted in the unique Ethiopian style. 

A ‘childlike’ style of painting, figures are drawn in two dimensions, almost cartoon-like in their direct and simplistic portrayal, with strong colors and clear lines. The large almond-shaped eyes are a particularly appealing characteristic. And look at those feet.

Stamps

Two definitive stamps, Menelik’s Bushbuck. This time the value of 2 Birr and 5 Birr. In Ethiopia two types of Bushbuck can be found: Meneliki and Powelli. Both are fairly widespread and can be seen in much of Ethiopia's highland forest.

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The Hamar from Ethiopia

Postcard

The Hamar (or Hamer) are a tribe inhabiting southwestern Ethiopia. They are cattle herders and practice agriculture. They will stay for a few months wherever there is enough grass for grazing, putting up their round huts. When the grass is finished, they will move on.

The Hamar practice various rituals like the bull jumping as a rite of passage for the man, whose female relatives demand to be whipped as part of the ceremony. This is extremely painful and causes severe scaring on the women. 

Stamps

Definitive stamps Menelik Bushbuck (2002). In Ethiopia two types of Bushbuck can be found: Meneliki and Powelli. Both are fairly widespread and can be seen in much of Ethiopia's highland forest.

Thx one more time Steve!

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Bustling and colourful Mercato, the largest market in Africa

Postcard

In the centre of Addis Ababa, capital city of Ethiopia, lies one of the world’s largest open air markets: Mercato. This market has been in existence from the early 1900s. When the Italians came to Ethiopia in the 1930s, they named this market Mercato, which means market in Italian.

 

Stamps

Definitive stamps Menelik Bushbuck (2002). In Ethiopia two types of Bushbuck can be found: Meneliki and Powelli. Both are fairly widespread and can be seen in much of Ethiopia's highland forest.

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Tukuls from Ethiopia

Postcard

Tukuls: a cone-shaped mud hut, usually with a thatched roof, found in eastern and northeastern Africa. Tukuls are the typical housing for southern Ethiopia, a simple and basic but useful home for many Ethiopians. About 85% of its 90 million inhabitants live in rural and remote areas.

Did you know that Ethiopian calendar is seven years and eight months behind the rest of the world? The time difference goes back to 1582, when the rest of the Christian world adopted the new Gregorian calendar. However, Ethiopia kept the old Julian calendar.

Stamps

Definitive stamps Menelik Bushbuck (2002) and Critically endangered species: the Black Rhino. 

This postcard travelled almost 4 months to reach its destination. Well, Ethiopia is far away, but….. there is another reason. Our local mailman decided not to deliver all of the mail, but save some in his garage. He was caught recently and a week ago I found appr. 60 postcards in my mailbox. My missing postcards since 2011!

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Sumrema Girl from Southern Ethiopia

Postcard

Ethiopia is a land locked country located in the Horn of Africa. Its is the second-most populated nation on the African continent, with over 91,000,000 inhabitants. Ethiopia is one of the oldest sites of human existence.

It is estimated that the Omo Valley is home to over 200,000 tribal people. Suri, also known as the Surma people live in the southwestern plains of Ethiopia.

Stamps

The bushbuck is the most widespread antelope in Sub-Saharan Africa.

From a set of 23! stamps, all picturing a Golden-backed Woodpecker.

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A postcard from Ethiopia

Postcard

Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Djibouti and Somalia to the east, Sudan and South Sudan to the west, and Kenya to the south.

The country is a land of natural contrasts, with waterfalls and volcanic hot springs. Ethiopia has some of Africa's highest mountains as well as some of the world's lowest points below sea level. It has the largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Africa.

Want to know more about or travel to Ethiopia, go visit http://www.holiday-to-ethiopia.com/.

Stamps

A Menelik’s Bushbuck and a Black Rhinoceros (The species overall is classified as critically endangered, and one subspecies, the Western Black Rhinoceros, was declared extinct by the IUCN in 2011).

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