Monastery of Gunda Gundo
Gunda Gundo is accessed from the town of Edagahamus, 100km after Mekelle. It has an area that lay between a sheer side cliff in the west and an escarpment that drops towards the Afar depression. From this settlement, a 24km rough road leads to Geblen, a village located on the verge of the escarpment. It houses the monastery of Gunda Gundo, which is set in peculiar land features. The monastery has a church that bears its name, Mariam Gunda Gundo and is dedicated to Saint Mary. The church is a combination of two old mud houses that are constructed with four cruciform pillars and twelve arches. The aging church is well noted for its time honored parchments, crosses and crowns.
Other Rock Churches of Tigray
Gheralta Cluster
The Wukro Degum road leads west to Gheralta, its rock crowned peak, together with far reaching plains, enclosed by a chain of mountains, casts a panoramic view. George Gerster, the Swiss photographer, writes in his book, Churches in Rock,...
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Atsbi Wonberta Cluster
Atsbi Wonberta is located east of Wukro and bears the churches of Mikael Barka, Debreselam Mikael and Mikael Imba. These splendidly executed edifices are found perched on a mountain commanding a view of their surroundings. Mikael Barka Mikael...
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Wukro Cluster
The only sizable town between Adigrat and Mekelle, with its relaxed if rather nondescript character and forms a convenient base from which to explore the under list as well as other a number of rock hewn churches. There are major rock hewn...
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Tsaeda Imba or Teka Tesfai Cluster
Along the Mekelle – Adigrat road, 25km after Wukro, an escarpment better known as Tsada Imba, meaning White Mountain, accompanies the road along the route to Sinkata. The rocky but scenic area is the home of one of the highly sacred places in...
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Monastery of Debre Damo
The monastery of Debre Damo is notable for its 6th century Axumite stone church, as well as for its impregnable cliff top position. This isolated relic lay on a 2800m high amba (flat topped hill) covering an area of 0.5m2 and sheer cliffs. The...
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