Francisco Álvares was a Portuguese missionary and explorer. In 1515 he traveled to Ethiopia as part of the Portuguese embassy to emperor Lebna Dengel accompanied by returning Ethiopian ambassador Matheus. The embassy arrived only in 1520 to Ethiopia where he joined long sought Portuguese envoy Pêro da Covilhã. There he remained six years, returning to Lisbon in 1526-27 having written a report entitled Verdadeira Informação das Terras do Preste João das Índias.
Abune Tekle Haymanot was an Ethiopian saint and monk mostly venerated as a hermit. He was the Abuna of Ethiopia who founded a major monastery in his native province of Shewa. He is significant for being the only Ethiopian saint popular both amongst Ethiopians and outside that country. Tekle Haymanot "is the only Ethiopian saint celebrated officially in foreign churches such as Rome and Egypt." His feast day is 30 August, and the 24th day of every month in the Ethiopian calendar is dedicated to Tekle Haymanot.
The TekezéRiver, is a major river in Ethiopia. For part of its course it forms a section of the westernmost border of Ethiopia and Eritrea. The river is also known as the Setit as it joins the Nile tributary Atbarah River just over the border in Sudan. According to materials published by the Ethiopian Central Statistical Agency, the Tekezé River is 608 kilometers (378 mi) long. The canyon which it has created is the deepest in Africa and one of the deepest in the world, at some points having a depth of over 2000 meters.
The Blue Nile Falls is a waterfall on the Blue Nile river in West Gojjam, Amhara Region, Ethiopia. It is known as Tis Abay in Amharic, meaning 'great smoke'. It is situated on the upper course of the river, about 30 kilometres downstream from the town of Bahir Dar and Lake Tana. The falls are one of Ethiopia's best-known tourist attractions.
Na'od was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1494 to 31 July 1507, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. His regnal name was Anbasa Bazar. His reign was marked by internal tension between territories with the assistance of Queen Eleni. He began construct an extravagant church in Amhara province, called Mekane Selassie. The church was completed by his successor Dawit II in 1530.
The Kingdom of Gera was a kingdom in the Gibe region of Ethiopia that emerged in the late 19th century. It shared its northern border with the Kingdom of Gumma, its eastern border with the Kingdom of Gomma, and was separated from the Kingdom of Kaffa to the south by the Gojeb River. With its capital at Chala, the Gera kingdom's territory corresponds approximately with the modern woreda of Gera.
The Gibe region was a historic region in modern southwestern Ethiopia, to the west of the Gibe and Omo Rivers, and north of the Gojeb. It was the location of the former Oromo and Sidama kingdoms of Gera, Gomma, Garo, Gumma, Jimma, and Limmu-Ennarea.
The Kingdom of Gomma was a kingdom in the Gibe region of Ethiopia that emerged in the 18th century. It was based in Agaro.
The Kingdom of Yamma, also spelled Yemma, was a small kingdom located in what is now Ethiopia. It lay in the angle formed by the Omo and the Jimma Gibe Rivers; to the west lay the Kingdom of Jimma and to the south the Kingdom of Garo. Three mountains — Mount Bor Ama, Mount Azulu, and Mount Toba — all distinguish the location of the former kingdom. It covered the area of present-day Sekoru district and Yem special woreda.
The Kingdom of Kaffa was a kingdom located in what is now Ethiopia from 1390 to 1897, with its first capital at Bonga. The Gojeb River formed its northern border, beyond which lay the Gibe kingdoms; to the east the territory of the Konta and Kullo peoples lay between Kaffa and the Omo River; to the south numerous subgroups of the Gimira people, and to the west lay the Majangir people. The native language, also known as Kaffa, is one of the Omotic group of languages.
Wag is a traditional Highland district in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia, in the approximate location of the modern Wag Hemra Zone. Weld Blundell described the district as bounded on the south by the mountains of Lasta, on the east and north by the Tellare River, and the west by the Tekezé. The major urban center is the town of Sokota, which has been a major marketplace for centuries.
Dehana is one of the woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. It is named for one of the five clans of the Agaw. Part of the Wag Hemra Zone, Dehana is bordered on the south by the Semien (North) Wollo Zone, on the west by the Tekezé River which separates it from the Debub (South) Gondar Zone and the Semien (North) Gondar Zone, on the north by Zikuala, on the northeast by Soqota, and on the east by Gazbibla. The Gazbibla woreda was separated from Dehana.
Lasta is a historic province in northern Ethiopia located in the Amhara Region. It is the province in which Lalibela is situated, the former capital of Ethiopia during the Zagwe dynasty and home to 11 medieval rock-hewn churches. Its original name in the Middle Ages was Bewegna now known as Bugna.
The Mugar River is a north-flowing tributary of the Abay River in central Ethiopia, which is notable for its deep gorge. Tributaries of the Muger include the Labbu. The Muger has a drainage area of about 8,188 square kilometers. It was bounded by the historical Endagabatan province.
Adabay River is a river of central Ethiopia which, along with the Wanchet River, defined the former district of Marra Biete. Its tributaries include the Chacha, the Beresa, and three other streams which join together at the top of a deep canyon.
The Kabenna is a river of central Ethiopia. It is a tributary of the Awash River to its west, having its source to the southwest of Ankobar. G.W.B. Huntingford speculates that it may be the same river as the Kuba, which is mentioned in the Futuh al-habaša, the narrative of Imam Ahmad Gragn's conquest of the Ethiopian Empire.
The Magech River is a river of Ethiopia. It rises just off the city of Gondar, and flows south into Lake Tana in two branches. Its tributaries include the Dmaza, the Lesser Angereb, and the Ahyamezoriya.
Wanchet River is a river of central Ethiopia, and a tributary of the Jamma River. Along with the Adabay River, it defined the border of the former district of Marra Biete.
Wemberma is one of the woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Its name comes from the historic district of Wemberma, which lay north of the Abay River between its tributaries the Zingini and Fatam. Part of West Gojjam Zone Wemberma is bordered on the south by the Abay River which separates it from the Oromia Region and Benishangul-Gumuz Region, on the north by the Agew Awi Zone, and on the east by Bure, Gojjam. The administrative center of Wemberma is Shendi. Wemberma was part of former Bure Wemberma woreda.
George Wynn Brereton Huntingford was an English linguist, anthropologist and historian. He lectured in East African languages and cultures at SOAS, University of London from 1950 until 1966. In 1966, Huntingford went to Canada to organise the Department of Anthropology at the University of New Brunswick at Fredericton, and retired to Málaga the next year, where he lived after his retirement.
