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Ethiopia and Its History
Graham Hancock, the well known British writer and journalist said in the African Ark "...The region of Ethiopia and its surrounding countries... is known today as a land of famine and war but it is also the last secret kingdom of the world, a land of mystery and fierce beauty. Cut off by searing mountain ranges, burning lava deserts, unexplored wilderness and an isolated Indian Ocean coastline, the Horn of Africa is a great Ark that has for centuries, sheltered an astonishing variety of societies. From the sophisticated cultures of the Christian highlands and the Islamic cost to the proud nomads of the Ogaden and the primitive tribes of the last wilderness of the continent, the region is a true microcosm of Africa and a time capsule in which we can see many of the stages of the development of modern culture..." *
And this ancient region, cut off by its mountain escarpment forgot the world around it, and in turn, was forgotten by it. With the exception of five years, 1936–41, Ethiopia has remained independent for over 4000 years. It is one of the oldest nation states in the world and has its own language, written and spoken. A land of spices, frankincense and myrrh, it was once also a land of milk and honey. It is reputed to be the original home of coffee.
Tekle A. Tomlinson
President, Tektonic Palates
*African Ark by Carol Beckwith, Angela Fisher. 1990. Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
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