Abyssinia is a term that has been used extensively as a geographical expression of Axumite culture for centuries, starting from the 150s BC. Initially, the name sounded like Habesha, but the linguistic features of foreign merchants gradually Latinized the word, simplifying it for themselves.
Geography
Abyssinia is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, the borders of which are characterized by the lack of direct access to the sea. In a small area, roughly like France, almost 100 million people live.
One of the lowest indicators of life expectancy in the world is recorded here. According to reports, women can live about 50 years, and men - about 48 years.
The location of the lowest point on Earth, is 116 meters below sea level, in the Danakil Basin. Dalol is one of the only lava lakes in the world, and it is the hottest place on the planet.
Abyssinia is the birthplace of the Blue Nile, which, together with the White, forms the longest river in the world of the Nile.
Religion
The country of Abyssinia is one of the oldest civilizations of the era of the Ancient World. The power of the Orthodox state extended far beyond the city of Axum. He formed the basis of the Christian culture of Northern Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Teuahedo, or the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, is one of the oldest forms of Christianity in the world, a religion that came from Egypt. Around 330 BC e. Frumentius, Apostle of Ethiopia, turned to the Axumite king Ezan, who made Christianity the official religion of the empire. Today, 35% of Ethiopians profess Christianity.
Ethiopia's main languages also indicate the presence of Judaism in the country. The presence of a number of words related to religion - hell, idol, Easter, cleansing, alms, clearly not of Jewish origin. These words should have flowed directly from a Jewish church source. In general, the country has more than 200 languages.
Around the 9th century, Christian Abyssinia began to decline and decay into separate principalities. The reason for this was the flourishing religion of Islam, penetrating the territory of the African Highlands. During the first pilgrimage of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad, the king granted them land for settlement in the Kingdom of Axumite. They were concentrated in the central part of modern Ethiopia. Abyssinia in the past became the first country to adopt Islam as a religion, and harboring the prophet Muhammad, his family and followers when they were persecuted and killed by pagan Arabs. Today, 45% of the population are Muslims.
Politics
Over the centuries, the country's policy has undergone many changes. Abyssinia is now called Ethiopia. After the revolution, since 1987 it is the People's Democratic Republic. This is the only country in Africa that has never been officially colonized, but it has had to defeat the Italians twice to remain independent.
The emperors ruled the country of Abyssinia until 1974, local residents claim that they were descendants of King Solomon from the Bible and Makeda (Queen of Sheba). Haile Selassie became the last Ethiopian emperor.
The first globally recognized female head of the African state was Ethiopian Queen Zevdit. The Empress ruled from 1916 to 1930.
Traditions
Abyssinia is the birthplace of a special “coffee ceremony”. Beans are fried in place, crushed and brewed. Served in several ceramic cups without handles, in which coffee is for one good sip, but by tradition, they drink it slowly, enjoying intimate conversations. When the beans are fried before smoking, they are passed around in a circle, the smoke from them becomes a blessing to visitors. With coffee they offer popcorn.
Coffee was first discovered by an Ethiopian shepherd named Kaldi, herding goats in the Koffa region. Today, one in three people drinks coffee at least once a day.
Inzhera - a pancake made from Teff grains, similar to pancake, an integral part of traditional meat and vegetable dishes. Raw meat is considered a delicacy. A variety of spicy sauces saturate its taste, in addition, spices act as an excellent marinade.
By tradition, parents and children from Ethiopia do not have a common surname. Most children accept their father’s name as their last name.
Architecture and Agriculture
Rural houses are built mostly of stone and mud, the most accessible resources in the area. They are easily combined with the surrounding nature.
Architectural remains include carved steles, extensive palaces and ancient temples, which are still used and preserved by the inhabitants of Ethiopia. Nowadays, in the temples built on the hills, major celebrations are held where people from villages gather and sing all around, making a procession.
The earliest example of using tools by human ancestors was traced in Ethiopia.
The fertile soils of the northern African continent and the temperate climate are suitable for growing crops such as teff, wheat, corn and durro.
Agriculture is developed in Habesha, plowing the earth the old fashioned way, on oxen. Ethiopians were the first to domesticate wild camels, donkeys and sheep. The Orthodox Church is an integral part of culture.
Some more facts
The Ethiopian calendar has 13 months, and it is 7 or 8 years behind the western calendar. The 13th month has only five days or six in a leap year.
The Ethiopian distance runner Ababa Bikila was the first black African to win a gold medal in the Olympic marathon in 1960, and he ran the race barefoot. He won the race again in Tokyo four years later and became the first person to win the race twice, setting a world record.
The ancient skeleton named Lucy is the most important archaeological find. This fossil of a man who is believed to have lived more than 3 million years ago was found in 1974 in the Great Rift Valley in Ethiopia. She was named after the song The Beatles Lucy In The Sky with Diamonds, which played on the radio at the time she was found. Even older remains were found in Khadar in 2001. Dating back over 5 million years, they are the earliest known ancestors of modern humans.
One local resident came up with dangerous entertainment for tourists right in the backyard of his house. Almost every night he feeds the raw meat of wild hyenas. Entertainment has become very popular and extreme. Right from the hands of everyone, you can treat a flock of predatory animals.