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africa is a continent full of wonders
some known to man and many yet to be
discovered in celebration of our
continents beauty and mystique we'll be
looking at some of the wonders it has to
hold
welcome to the mysteries of africa
series where we take a look at africa's
most mysterious sights and sounds
before we begin please take the time to
subscribe and hit the notification bell
today we'll be looking at one of the
oldest but hardest churches to access in
the world
abu nayamatagu is located in the tigre
region of ethiopia
and is one of more than a hundred rocky
churches in northern ethiopia
church is carved into the side of a
cliff and for you to get there you have
to cross a stone bridge and a narrow
foot bridge
when you get across a bridge you'll then
have to climb a vertical rock wall
since it is considered to be holy ground
you'll have to climb up the wall
barefoot
the climb usually takes around 45
minutes and is said to be mildly
challenging with some toe holding action
it is also reported that the last two
minutes of the climb
need knobs of steel as you'd have to
walk over the ledge
which is a 200 meter drop
so how did this amazing church come to
be some people believe that a holy man
named abu nayamata came from aksum in
the 6th century
and hollowed out the monastery in the
vertical rocks
he aspired to build it high to be closer
to heaven
in a quiet place and where people could
meditate
he also hid it so it could be hard to
destroy and people could take refuge
there
which they have done during many of
oppressive times in the ethiopian
history once you get into the church the
dangerous walk to get there will
be all worth it inside the sunstone
walls are adorned with portraits of the
bible's protagonist
as well as depictions of its parables it
also has a painted attributed to binyam
the nephew of abuna or father of yamata
the dry air and lack of humidity has
preserved these artworks in the original
perfection
the painting dates back to initial
traces of christianity in ethiopia
and are themed around the nine saints
and twelve apostles
despite the crazy climb there's heavy
human traffic with hundreds of people
climbing up to the church several times
of the week
do not worry though there are guides who
will guide you through the rocky climb
and also have rope in case of any
emergencies
luckily up to date no one has ever died
from climbing up to the church
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[Applause]
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planning on visiting the church here are
some things you need to know
be sure to wear study shoes and take
advantage of the rope available for the
climbing portion
if you are not experienced climber
the tour is open from saturday to sunday
and public transportation options are
available nearby
be sure to carry enough drinking water
as some of the tour companies may not
provide it
what are your thoughts about today's
video is this a place you'd like to add
to your bucket list
let us know in the comments down below
also please let us know of any other
mysterious places you'd like us to cover
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it's been me linda from tuna travel be
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my channel until the next video stay
safe and i'll see you then
did you like today's video please feel
free to leave your suggestions
new tips or topics about africa you'd
like us to cover