When people hear of Ethiopia, sick, thin, hungry children almost always come to mind. This is the result of the posters that International Development and Funding Agencies circulated around the world when they talked about poverty and hunger.
And as you probably know already, the "missing link" which they call Lucy was found in Ethiopia, far from the "cradle of civilization" which is South Africa.
But, did you know that the Ark of the Covenant - the chest containing the tablets of the Ten Commandments that Moses received from God - and Jesus' cross are said to be found in Ethiopia?
They say that these are guarded by one (or more) tribe(s) in northern Ethiopia. Ethiopians claim to have found the true cross of Jesus that they even have an annual celebration for that every September which they call the Meskel Celebration (Meskel being Amharic for Cross).
There may be some merits to their claim about the covenant although I’m skeptical about the cross. You see, an Ethiopian queen, Queen of Sheba, was said to have seduced King Solomon and became his mistress. Historical accounts say that she certainly visited King Solomon. As for being his mistress, there is no concrete evidence. She may have gotten the Ark from King Solomon for safekeeping.
If you have read your bible, you may remember that King Solomon's house/family was the safe keeper of the Ark. Or they may have gotten it when Ethiopia once conquered Egypt.
Nonetheless, Ethiopia is not only about poverty and AIDS, or about children being waited upon by vultures as a meal. Ethiopia has much more history than most people know, enough to whet the appetite of the curious. For me, Ethiopia is the right place for my quest for old civilizations and the origin of mankind.
So if you are looking for some sort of adventure to give you a sense of time travel, or curious about ancient civilizations, Ethiopia is waiting for you...
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