Abuna Yosef (

Amharic Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...

: አቡነ ዮሴፍ) is a prominent mountain in the Lasta massif of the

Ethiopian Highlands The Ethiopian Highlands is a rugged mass of mountains in Ethiopia in Northeast Africa. It forms the largest continuous area of its elevation in the continent, with little of its surface falling below , while the summits reach heights of up to . ...

. At it is the 6th tallest mountain in

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

and the 19th highest of Africa. It is located in the

Semien Wollo Zone North Wollo (Amharic: ሰሜን ወሎ) also called Semien Wollo, is a zone in Amhara Region of Ethiopia. It is bordered on the south by South Wollo, on the west by South Gondar, on the north by Wag Hemra, on the northeast by Tigray Region, an ...

of the

Amhara Region The Amhara Region ( am, አማራ ክልል, Åmara Kilil), officially the Amhara National Regional State (), is a regional state in northern Ethiopia and the homeland of the Amhara people. Its capital is Bahir Dar which is the seat of the Reg ...

Afro-alpine environment

The Abuna Yosef massif is home to

Ethiopian wolves The Ethiopian wolf (''Canis simensis''), also called the Simien jackal and Simien fox, is a canine native to the Ethiopian Highlands. In southeastern Ethiopia it is also known as the horse jackal. It is similar to the coyote in size and build, ...

, Gelada baboons

Erica arborea ''Erica arborea'', the tree heath or tree heather, is a species of flowering plant (angiosperms) in the heather family Ericaceae, native to the Mediterranean Basin and Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa. It is also cultivated as an or ...

Lobelia ''Lobelia'' () is a genus of flowering plants comprising 415 species, with a subcosmopolitan distribution primarily in tropical to warm temperate regions of the world, a few species extending into cooler temperate regions.Huxley, A., ed. (1992 ...

and other afro-alpine vegetation. The Abuna Yosef Community Conservation Area covers about 70 km of the Abuna Yosef massif. Asheten eco trekking +251910879046

Major towns

At the eastern part of the mountain range, the town of Wandatch (on the

Kobo Kobo may refer to: Places * Kobo (woreda), a district in Ethiopia ** Kobo, Ethiopia, a town * Kōbo Dam, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan * Mount Kōbō, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan People First name * Kōbō Abe (1924–1993), pseudonym of Japanese w ...

Lalibela Lalibela ( am, ላሊበላ) is a town in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Lasta district and North Wollo Zone, it is a tourist site for its famous rock-cut monolithic churches. The whole of Lalibela is a large and important site ...

road) is the main entry point to the Abuna Yosef afro-alpine massif. At 3500 m above sea level, it is one of the most elevated towns in Ethiopia. The towns of Muja, Kulmesq and

are located on the footslopes of the massif.

Monolithic churches on the footslopes

A notable landmark on this mountain is the

Church of Gennete Maryam Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

, a

monolithic church A monolithic church or rock-hewn church is a church made from a single block of stone. Because freestanding rocks of sufficient size are rare, such edifices are usually hewn into the ground or into the side of a hill or mountain. They can be of ...

which tradition reports was excavated during the reign of

Yekuno Amlak Yekuno Amlak ( Ge’ez: ይኩኖ አምላክ); throne name Tasfa Iyasus (ተስፋ ኢየሱስ; died 19 June 1285) was Emperor of Ethiopia, and the founder of the Solomonic dynasty, which lasted until 1974. He was a ruler from Bete Amhara (in ...

. Also notable are four free-standing churches build inside caves in the mountain, the oldest and most famous being

Yemrehana Krestos Church Yemrehana Krestos Church is an 11th / 12th-century Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Ethiopian Orthodox church architecture, church located in Amhara Region, northern Ethiopia. Built of stone and wood, it was erected in the Ethiopian architectur ...

, built by the

Zagwe The Zagwe dynasty ( Ge'ez: ዛጔ ሥርወ መንግሥት) was an Agaw medieval dynasty that ruled the northern parts of Ethiopia and Eritrea, after the historical name of the Lasta province. Centered at Lalibela, it ruled large parts of the ...

king of the same name. The other three are Emakina Medhane Alem (probably built by Yekuno Amlak in the late 13th century), Lidetta Maryam, and Zammadu Maryam (probably 15th century). The churches of

lie in its foothills.

References

{{reflist

External links

The Abune Yosef Massif: Birds and Mammals of a Hidden Jewel of Ethiopia
Universitat de Barcelona. 2009. Abuna Yosef Amhara Region

Afro-alpine environment

Major towns

Monolithic churches on the footslopes

See also

References

External links