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Kemet Nu Tour Members at Gondar 6244 (2004) and 6242 (2002)
Day 1 - Depart Washington Dulles International Airport
on Ethiopian Airlines.
Day 2 - Arrive in Addis Ababa, where the group will be met
and transferred to the hotel. We will also have an orientation and group
introductions.
Day 3 - After breakfast, we will take a city tour of Addis Ababa,
the capital of Ethiopia. We will explore the Museum
of Natural
History which houses the remains of Dinknesh
(Lucy), dating 3.5 million years and drive
through the Mercato, the largest
open market on the continent.
In the afternoon, our journey will take us to Mount Entoto to see a breathtaking
view of the
Ethiopian landscape. This
is the best location to see a panoramic view of Addis Ababa. Mt. Entoto
attracted Emperor Menelik
II as the site for his capital until he was convinced by his
wife, Empress Taitu to move the city to the valley below, where it is
now located. On the top of the hill stands St. Mary's Church, built in 1885.
We will also see Trinity Cathedral, the largest in Addis
Ababa. This church, built in 1941 is the final resting place of Emperor Haile
Selassie and his wife, Empress Menen. Evening
Lecture. B/D
Day 4 - Bahar Dar is located on the shores of Lake
Tana, Ethiopia’s largest lake and the source of the Blue Nile. After a morning
flight
and hotel
check in, we will take a tour
of this important commercial center and capital city of the region. Tour members
will
observe the tankwas
which very closely resemble the papyrus boats carved on the
temples of Egypt. We will also take a boat
ride on the scenic and beautiful Lake Tana to visit Ethiopian monasteries.
Our visit to this area will culminate with a journey
to the majestic Tis Isat
waterfalls, a most spectacular site. Evening lecture. B/D
Day 5 - We will depart Bahar Dar for Gondar
the 17th century capital of Ethiopia. After
checking into the hotel, our visit will take us
to the unique imperial compound of medieval castles, the
earliest of which belonged to King Fasiladas. Our tour will include
the bathing palace of King Fasiladas, used for the annual Timket
or Epiphany celebration. We will get an eye-witness account
of the
rich
decorations and murals of
Ethiopian religious icons at the Church of Debre
Berhan Selassie, built when Africans
created religious figures in their own image.
Our group
will also visit the
African Agaw, Beta Israel (Falasha) village of the
people who are direct descendants of the ancient Hebrews, Solomon and Queen Makeda (Queen of Sheba).
B/D
Day 6 -
After breakfast, tour members
will transfer to the airport for a flight to Lalibela. After checking into the hotel,
visit
a "Wonder
of the World," one of the world’s most incredible man-made creations, the site of the eleven
rock-hewn monolithic churches
built by the Ethiopian King Lalibela in the late
12th or early 13th century. Each church is superbly carved with a unique
architectural style. We will also get an eye witness account of the 800 year old
African Ethiopian Holy Books, predating King
James’ version of the Bible. B/D
Day 7 - After a morning flight to Axum,
we will check into the hotel and tour Ethiopia’s most ancient city, part of one of the most
glorious empires of the
past. Our travel with take us to the tallest standing tekenu (obelisk) hewn
from a single piece of granite.
We will explore the
magnificent tombs of the ancient Axumite kings, built from granite stone, plus the ancient palace of Queen
Makeda
(Queen of Sheba). Another stop will be the 16th century cathedral of Mariam Sion (St. Mariam of Zion)
which houses the
Ark of the Covenant, taken from Israel and brought to Ethiopia
by Menelik I. The Adwa hills, where the Ethiopian army
defeated the Italians and repelled their invasion in 1896
will be one of our most impressive sights for the day. Tour participants
will
learn about the defeat of a European army by an African army
that sent shockwaves throughout Europe and instilled a
sense of pride and
inspiration among Africans around the world. Evening lecture. B/D
Day 8 - A morning flight will take us from
Axum back to Addis Ababa where we will have the remainder of the day for leisure
or shopping
in Addis Ababa. We will
enjoy folkloric entertainment and a traditional Ethiopian meal in the evening. B/D
Day 9 - We will drive to Shashemene to
visit the Rastafarian community of those who have repatriated back to Africa.
This community
is built on land donated by Emperor Haile Selassie for Africans from the
diaspora. After visiting Shashemene, we will tour the
Rift Valley lake side town of Awasa. B/D
Day 10 - We will have a sight seeing tour
of the fish market on the shore of Lake Awasa, then drive back to Addis Ababa.
Our route will
take us via Butajira, where we will explore the World Heritage site of the
ancient Tiya stele. Transfer to
the airport in the evening
for your departure from Ethiopia.
Day 11 - Morning arrival at Washington Dulles
Airport.
B = Breakfast
D = Dinner
Axum 6245 (2005)
Ashra Kwesi lecturing to group 6241 (2001)
Kemet Nu Tour Members at Tis Isat Falls
For lectures, DVDs, CDs or Egypt
and Ethiopia tour brochures contact:
Ashra or Merira Kwesi
Kemet Nu Productions
P.O. Box 41005
Dallas, TX 75241-0005
Tel: (214) 371-0206 Fax: (214) 371-0908
E-mail:
kemetnu@sbcglobal.net
© Kemet Nu Productions, LLC
