Ethiopian historic town listed as world heritage site

 The Ethiopian historic town, Harar Jugol, has been listed as a world heritage site, the United Nations said on Thursday.

According to a statement from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Harar Jugol and other four African sites have been included in the latest world heritage list. The five African sites are among eight new heritage sites declared by UNESCO around the world.

Harar Jugol, seen as the fourth holiest city of Islam, includes 82 mosques, three of which date from the 10th century, and 102 shrines.

The city walls were built between the 13th and 16th centuries.

Ethiopia, one of the oldest nations in the world, is blessed with natural and cultural heritage sites, including the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, the Simien national park, the fortress-city of Fasil Ghebbi, the ancient town of Axum, the lower valley of Awash, the lower valley of Omo, stelae of Tiya.

Source: Xinhua

UNESCO on Harar Jugol

Harar Jugol (Ethiopia). The fortified historic town of Harar is located in the eastern part of the country on a plateau with deep gorges surrounded by deserts and savannah. The walls surrounding this sacred Muslim city were built between the 13th and 16th centuries. Harar Jugol, said to be the fourth holiest city of Islam, numbers 82 mosques, three of which date from the 10th century, and 102 shrines. The most common houses in Harar Jugol are traditional townhouses consisting of three rooms on the ground floor and service areas in the courtyard. Another type of house, called the Indian House, built by Indian merchants who came to Harar after 1887, is a simple rectangular two-storied building with a veranda overlooking either street or courtyard. A third type of building was born of the combination of elements from the other two.

The Harari people are known for the quality of their handicrafts, including weaving, basket making and book-binding, but the houses with their exceptional interior design constitute the most spectacular part of Harar’s cultural heritage This architectural form is typical, specific and original, different from the domestic layout usually known in Muslim countries. It is also unique in Ethiopia. Harar was established in its present urban form in the 16th century as an Islamic town characterized by a maze of narrow alleyways and forbidding facades. From 1520 to 1568 it was the capital of the Harari Kingdom. From the late 16th century to the 19th century, Harar was noted as a centre of trade and Islamic learning. In the 17th century it became an independent emirate. It was then occupied by Egypt for ten years and became part of Ethiopia in 1887. The impact of African and Islamic traditions on the development of the town’s specific building types and urban layout make for the particular character and even uniqueness of Harar. Source: UNESCO

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BBC NEWS

Africa has gained five new World Heritage sites in the latest list published by the United Nations cultural organisation, Unesco.

The new African sites include rock art areas in Malawi and Tanzania, and Stone Circles in Senegal and Gambia.

The historic town of Harar Jugol in Ethiopia is also on the list, as is Aapravasi Ghat in Mauritius.

The five African sites are among eight new heritage sites declared by Unesco around the world.

Unesco describes the stone circles of Senegal and Gambia as "an extraordinary concentration of over 1,000 monuments in a band 100 km wide along some 350 km of the River Gambia".

The four groups, Sine Ngayene, Wanar, Wassu and Kerbatch, include 93 stone circles and numerous burial mounds, apparently dating to between the 3rd century BC and 16th century AD.

Rock art

Malawi's Chongoni rock art area features "the richest concentration of rock art in Central Africa," according to Unesco, while the Kondoa Rock Art Sites overlooking the Great Rift Valley in Tanzania include images of "high artistic value" dating back 2,000 years.

Harar Jugol, seen as the fourth holiest city of Islam, includes 82 mosques, three of which date from the 10th century, and 102 shrines.

The city walls were built between the 13th and 16th centuries.

Algeria's Tipasa archaeological site has been taken off a list of endangered sites thanks to conservation efforts.

Outside of Africa, new World Heritage Sites are the Sichuan giant panda sanctuaries in China, Columbia's Malpelo fauna and flora sanctuary, and Mexico's Tequila region, famous for the alcoholic brew of the same name.

source internet

A morning at the Lion Park in Addis Ababa.

A long time ago, when I was but a little child, my parents took me to the Lion Park to see the lions. I’ve never gone back since then. Not that I haven’t wanted to, I just never got around to doing it.

A couple of weeks ago I decided I had to go sooner or later. When my wife told me that she remembered being able to hear the lions roar on a quiet day, I decided I really needed to go. After all, I’d never heard a lion roar. If they could be heard in Piassa, imagine how nice it would be to hear one roar up close and personal.

So when Saturday came around last week, I headed to the Lion Park with my old friend (and Best Man) Danny and my new friend Matthew.

What is the Lion Park?

Click on the map to go to Google Maps and get your bearings

The Lion Park is actually called the Lion Zoo. I only noticed this yesterday on my way to work. It’s a small zoo at Sidist Kilo in Addis Ababa that’s home to 19 adult lions and 4 young ones – two males and two females. There are nine other animals at the zoo including Gelada baboons, Lesser Kudu, turtles and Egyptian Geese. The lions are the main attraction.

The zoo is a small oasis of green in a city that’s increasingly becoming less green. Apparently it used to be the place for couples to hang out once upon a time.

The zoo was founded in 1940, Ethiopian Calendar (that’s 1947 for the rest of the world), and started off with a couple of lion cubs – Molla and Lulu – that were donated by the Emperor Haile Selassie.

Here’s some of the information from a sign inside the zoo:

Lion Zoo built in 1940 EC by Emperor Haile Selassie.
Lions collected from Western and Southern Ethiopia (Wollega, Elubabur and Sidamo)

What we found at the zoo

We got to the zoo at around 10 in the morning. Entry was 1 Birr per person. Matthew had to pay 10 Birr because he forgot to bring his resident ID card and his Australian accent gave him away as a foreigner. I paid the 20 Birr for my camera only to find out that I had 4 shots left. Someday I must get myself a digital SLR.

Danny and I had to pay 1 Birr again to get closer to the lions. Matthew’s 10 Birr covers everything (except coffee at the café). We then proceeded to walk around and admire the lions. There are 10 enclosures, each with a pair of lions – male and a female – except for one lone female whose mate recently died. I must say that they are beautiful creatures. These lions are Panthera Leo Barbari – called black lions because the males have black manes. It is thought that this sub-species is endemic to Ethiopia. The manager informed us that a study by Max Planck University has almost confirmed this theory. There are only an estimated 500-1000 of these beautiful creatures left in the wild.

The lions all have names. Wubnesh Chala and her mate were my favourite. They seemed closer to each other than the other pairs and would come near the bars and pose for us humans. There was another lion with dreadlocks that grabbed our attention and there was even a geeky one with his mane parted down the middle.

We stuck around for the feeding of the lions. I highly recommend visiting at around 11:30 so you can catch the action. Sleepy lions get up and pace their cells. One lioness rapidly paced her enclosure and every time she got to one end would stand on her hind legs. Photographers repeatedly used the opportunity to get nice pictures of the backs of children’s heads as they turned to look at the lioness behind them.

The two young males, Kenenisa and Haile, love posing too. I repeatedly kicked myself (in my head) for running out of film before feeding time. It’s the lions’ excitement before they get their food that’s interesting to see. A lion eating meat is pretty boring to watch. I even overheard an old man complaining that these lions had no teeth before he turned around and left.

Source internet

Ethiopia is a diverse land filled with wonders -- from its spectacular landscapes of unsurpassed beauty, to its prolific array of wildlife, to its unique mosaic of peoples and their cultures.

Claiming a history that stretches more than 4,000 years as the ancient land of Abyssinia, Ethiopia boasts a proud heritage of being the only African country never colonized (though briefly occupied by the Italians), and as one of the world’s earliest Christian countries. However, Christianity in Ethiopia has peacefully coexisted with Islam, Judaism, and other traditional faiths, for centuries.

It is, in fact, the amalgam of religious beliefs and practices that has nurtured numerous legends: that Ethiopia was the home of the Queen of Sheba; that it was the site of King Solomon’s gold mines, which provided the precious metal for his temple in Jerusalem; that Ethiopia’s emperors were the descendants of a liaison between the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon; that even today, Ethiopia is the home of the Ark of the Covenant, containing the original tablets on which Moses received the Ten Commandments from God.

For some, the legends of Ethiopia are history; for others, a matter of religious faith; for still others, romantic myths. For all, though, the legends are part of the mystery of Ethiopia.

Visitors interested in human origins will revel in Ethiopia’s offerings. Hadar, in the Afar Region of northeastern Ethiopia, is where “Lucy”, the 3.2 million year-old hominid was found. (Her skeleton is secured at the National Museum in Addis Ababa, where a replica is on exhibit for viewing.) Tiya is a site of 36 mysterious stone monuments, 31 of which have inscriptions that have been standing since time immemorial and numerous archaeological discoveries have been made at the Lower Omo anthropological site, in the Omo Valley. These sites, namely Hadar, Tiya and Lower Omo Anthropological sites are parts of Ethiopia’s World Heritage sites.

While Ethiopia has been home to three of the world’s great religions (Christianity, Islam and Judaism), it is the Ethiopian Orthodox (Christian) Church that offers dramatic attractions with its exquisite churches and cathedrals, monasteries, convents, holy sites, and ceremonies and rituals celebrating the world of the Old Testament.

SOURCE iNTERNET

About Ethiopia

So we've moved back the "Give So They Can Live" Benefit Yard Sale to February 6th (Sunday) so that my sister could be here to help us out! It's also the day after the Krispy Kreme Challenge - wooo!

We will be taking material donations up until the day before, so feel free to donate your unwanted materials!

Fun Fact - Did you know 12 million people depend on the coffee exports from Ethiopia? Did you know that the Kaffa Region of Ethiopia is the birthplace of the coffee plant, coffee arabica. Mmmmm...coffee.

"to welcome the opportunity of contriubting to the WORLDS work in the community in which I am placed because of the joy of service thereby bestowed, and the talent of leadership multiplied."

click here to donate to orphans of Ethiopia. every dollar helps.

Dharmasala, India 2009

Abba Jifar II was king of the Gibe Kingdom of Jimma (reigned 1878 - 1932).   Today his castle (see picture) is being rehabilitated and is well worth a visit. You find Jimma 335 km southwest from Addis Ababa in a beautiful, fertile area at the end of a very good road (read more)

King Abba Jifar had several wives: Queen Limmiti, who was the daughter of the King of Limmu-Ennarea; Queen Minjo, the daughter of the King of Kaffa; and Queen Sapertiti, also from Limmu-Ennarea.

In the 1880s, Kin Abba Jifar, said to be 204 centimeter high, conquered a portion of the Kingdom of Janjero which lay east of Jimma, along the Omo River, and incorporated it into his kingdom.

Due to the advice of his mother Queen Gumiti, he agreed to submit to Menelik II, negus of Shewa in 1884. In 1886, he paid tribute consisting of slaves, ivory, bamboo, jars of honey, localy made cloth, spears, shields ornamented with silver plates, and objects of wood (including stools). Because of these "shrewd politics" (Herbert S. Lewis' words), which included providing military assistance to Menelik in conquering the neighboring kingdoms of Kullo(1889), Walamo (1894), and Kaffa (1897), he was able to preserve the autonomy of Jimma until his death. On the other hand, when Jimma was annexed to Ethiopia, Emperor Menelik imprisoned Abba Jifar "for inspiring excessive enthusiasm in his own standing army and trying to entice Abyssinian soldiers to his own service" in Ankober for a year. When he was freed, Abba Jifar again received the throne of Jimma from Menelik, and after that lesson became one of the most obedient of vassals and one of the most regular in paying tribute to the Emperor.

Queen Gumiti also advised him to expand the cultivation of coffeein his kingdom, which provided increased revenue for him and his subjects. Today you find a monument of "the birth place of coffee not far from Jimma. Jimma is the place where the effects of coffee was first detected, and coffee comes from Kaffa (Kaffa province).

Towards his later years, he became senile and his grandson Abba Jofir attempted to take control and re-assert Jimma independence. However, Emperor Haile Selassie responded quickly and sent military forces against Abba Jofir, and brought Abba Jofir back to Addis Ababa, where he was imprisoned.

In 1930, Haile Selassie removed a feeble Abba Jifar II from power and replaced him with his son-in-law, Ras Desta Damtew. Desta Damtew ruled as Governor of Jimma while Abba Jifar II was allowed to remain as King (Negus) in a powerless position as titular head. When Abba Jifar II died in 1932, the Kingdom of Jimma was officially absorbed by the Ethiopian Empire.

 source internet

Hope everyone is having a Marvelous Monday!

*thanks to Lauren Bell for my nifty title :)

It has been a deep passion of mine to become an OB/GYN physician, but to concentrate in reproductive medicine (specifically infertility and preimplantation genetic diagnosis).  With those interests in mind, I am passionate about the youth of the world, and this includes orphans.  I have volunteered in the NICU of a hospital in Delhi, India, Mother Theresa’s orphanage in Agra, India, and a daycare in Dharamsala, India.  I have also volunteered at Victory Junction Camp for disabled children in Randleman, NC.  I love helping children!

82.8 million people populate Ethiopia.  5.4 million of those count as orphans.  This means that 1.2% of the total population does not have a family.  Out of the 5.4 million orphans, 650,000 children were orphaned by AIDS.  Contraceptive prevalence is only 15% throughout the country, and only 5% of deliveries have their costs covered. Extended family would take the love to take the orphan into their own home but simply can not afford it (data from UNICEF).

So, what can you do to help these orphans? Donate…. Donate time, money, or materials.  Donate time to raising awareness, Donate money to the non-profit organization I am going through, Donate materials to my “Give So They Can Live” yard sale.

Think about it: if you could donate just $25, that’s 5 cups of fancy coffee from starbucks.

If you would like to donate things to my yard sale being held at the NC State Fair grounds from Jan 29-30 (we may have cupcakes!) – send me an email at chcoppola@gmail.com.  We already have tons of stuff and it’s going to be tons of fun!

You may also donate to my PayPal account for Projects Abroad…. Click the donate tab above.

If you want more information on Projects Abroad… click any link on my blog.

Daycare in Dharamsala, India - Summer 2009

Payal and I in a daycare in Dharamsala, India. She taught me how to play the recorder.

Hi everyone,

I have set up a Paypal donations website to make it easier for you to make a monetary donation.  The donations go straight to the non-profit organization I am volunteering with, Projects Abroad.

If you aren't able to donate materials for the yard sale (see blog below), this is the easiest method to contribute. Every dollar helps the orphanage and children, and it is tax deductable!

Thanks!!!

I will be having the benefit yard sale at the NC Flea Market (or also known as NC State Fair Grounds) this January 29-30.  We will be there from 9AM - 6PM both Saturday and Sunday.  When I get the booth location, I will post it here.

Please come and bring awareness to this cause! Also, if you would like to make a monetary or material donation, let me know.  I have several individuals who are donating "yard sale things" from their houses, and I will be collecting it up until the day of the sale.  Use this time to get a jump start on spring cleaning, and donate any unused or unwanted clothes, kitchen items, or things that have been stored in the garage or attic for years!  Your contributions are much appreciated!

If you would like me to come pick up things to donate to the yard sale, contact me at chcoppola@gmail.com

See the signs that my sister and I have made for this event.

Many of you know that I am planning on volunteering in Ethiopia.  I will be leaving for Ethiopia mid-May and I will spend between 4-6 weeks in the Addis Ababa Orphanage which is located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  Ethiopia is located on the Eastern side of Africa, is a land locked country, and contains the “blue Nile” (a reservoir for the infamous Nile that travels from South to North throughout the wonderful country of Egypt.  Sudan is to the West and Kenya is to the south.  The national language is Amharic, and like most international cities, English is widely spoken as well.  The predominate religion is Christianity.  Ethiopia is also the site of the excavation of “Lucy” (genus Australopithecus).

Addis Ababa is the capital of Ethiopia, and is also known as the political capital of Africa because of its significant historical and political contributions to the continent.  In Ethiopian languages, Addis Ababa means “new flower”.  Addis Ababa is over 7,000 feet above sea level which means a cooler climate (unlike the hot-sweaty conditions of my past travels to Egypt and India) and no mosquitos (AKA – I do not have to take those dreadful anti-malarials!).  I am very excited to experience the cultural in this urban city of Ethiopia, and especially because there is only ONE physician for every 100,000 people!

Enough about the background on Addis Ababa and Ethiopia – now, what will I be doing? Both urban and rural poverty is still a HUGE issue in Ethiopia, and political issues, the 2008 drought, and the non-oil dependence of the country have all played a part in the countries large poverty.  What happens when there is a large amount of poverty stricken families? Well, there are more street children and orphans.  Kids are left abandoned if they are unable to provide work for their family; children aren’t able to be provided for by their families so they are left on the streets.  I experienced the wonders of an orphanage set up by Mother Theresa in Agra, India during my summer 2008 volunteership.  There, I colored with the kids, took care of the disabled orphans, fed them, helped bathe them, and assisted the attending physician when he came in to check for hepatitis and tuberculosis.  In Ethiopia, I am so very excited to spend a solid month in an orphanage in a country where they need someone to donate time and love to this orphans.  I will play games with them, teach them, love them, and plan activities for the street children.  I will bathe them, teach them hygiene, and make them feel cared for that they might not other wise feel.  During summer 2009 when I volunteered in Anganwadi Ther Daycare in Dharamsala, India, the children began to call me “Didi” which means sister in Hindi.  I will be more than blessed and honored to be a “Didi” to these kids in Ethiopia.

Thank you for reading my blog, and I hope you read it from time-to-time as I will keep up with before, during and after my journey.