JEWELLERY &CRAFTS....

Ethiopia is rich in traditional crafts and its artisans work with local raw materials, creating artifacts that are useful, as well as being items of great beauty. Shopping in Ethiopia can be an exciting experience.

The bustling markets are the places to try out your bargaining skills, and even in some small work-shops you can achieve a more reasonable price after a little bit of haggling.

In Addis Ababa, the Mercato is the place to head for, but in all town markets and road side stalls will display the crafts made in the locality.

In Harar, visitors will find colourful basketwork or Silver filigree, while the crosses of Gonder are famous. Hand-woven carpets come from Debre Brhan, while Jumma is well-known for its three legged stools. All over the country you will find historical artifacts.

In all regions, modern skills are being combined with traditional methods to produce modern handicrafts that make splendid souvenirs. Pottery, wood-carving and modern jewellery make wonderful keepsakes. Other treasures include hand-carved furniture, wall-hangings, beautiful embroidery and costume dolls.

Ethiopia's modern designers have created a range of fashionable clothes that will enchant you. Ladies should explore some of the smaller boutiques in Addis Ababa, while both men and women will delight in the excellent leather goods for which Ethiopia is famous.

ETHIOPIA: AN ANCIENT LAND

Ethiopia is old beyond imagination. More then three million years ago, one of our first ancestors walked that portion of the earth that is now Ethiopia: namely, Lucy (Dinkenesh to Ethiopian), meaning ‘Thou Art Wonderful’ the remains of this ‘ firs human’ – an almost complete hominid skeleton—were discovered in 1974 at Hadar on the lower Awash River in Ethiopia’s barren and forbid ding Dankil region.

It is widely thought that Dinkenesh’s homeland—Ethiopia –holds the key to a myriad of other questions that have puzzled palaeoanthropologist about our past. To this end, palaeoanthropological and archaeological work continues at Hadar and at a number of other sites along the Ethiopia section of the Great Rift Valley and in the Omo Valley. More