Lake Tana

Lake Tana lies among the Ethiopian highlands, fed by rivers descending from the surrounding country and drained by the Blue Nile. Its islands and peninsulas have long been a spiritual heart of Christian Ethiopia. Monasteries sheltered by the water preserve sacred objects, manuscripts and the remains of emperors; their round churches often follow local building traditions, with painted walls surrounding an inner sanctuary.

In the medieval centuries the lake was also a political centre of the Christian kingdom. On Dek Island, the remains of a fourteenth-century palace and its water gates recall the presence of rulers among the island communities. Across the lake, churches and monasteries guarded treasures that could be reached only by boat. On the Gorgora peninsula, the round church of Dabra Sina Maryam bears a remarkable series of early modern wall paintings.