Ethiopian churches, mosques, synagogues outside of Ethiopia

lalibela said:

"Figure with Ethiopian Crown found in Yemen may indicate there was church near Mecca before the time of Prophet Mohammed.."

A figure chiseled in stone that apparently stems from the era of the Prophet has been found in Yemen, and has sparked a number of questions about if there was ever a church in Mecca.
Paul Yule, an archaeologist from the southwestern German city of Heidelberg, has uncovered the 1.70 meters tall relief, in Zafar, some 930 kilometers south of Mecca.
The relief depicts a man with chains of jewellery, curls and spherical eyes.
Yule has dated the image to the time around 530 AD
He concluded that Zafar was the center of an Arab tribal confederation, a realm that was two million square kilometers large and exerted its influence all the way to Mecca
Even more astonishing was his conclusion that kings who invoked the Bible lived in the highland settlement and the “crowned man” depicted on the relief was also a Christian.
Yule analyzed the mysterious, robed figure, who is barefoot, which is typical of Coptic saints and is holding a bundle of twigs, a symbol of peace, in his left hand.
There is also a crossbar on his staff, giving it the appearance of a cross. In addition, he is wearing a crown on his head like the ones that were worn by the Christian rulers of ancient Ethiopia.
All of this suggests that the man with the strange, round face is a descendant of the conquerors from Africa who succeeded in making one of the boldest landing operations in ancient times.

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How a village left behind by Jews in Ethiopia became a top tourist draw

Wolleka Falasha village, once home to Ethiopian Jews known for their craftsmanship, is now a kitschy visitors’ spot, but the residents proudly preserve its Jewish heritage

By Melanie Lidman April 26, 2016, 2:22 pm 1

Ethiopian Jews
Ark of the Covenant
Beta Israel

GONDAR, Ethiopia — The brightly painted Star of David comes as a surprise on the road from Gondar toward the Simien Mountains, just around a bend as you leave the city in northern Ethiopia. “Wolleka Falasha Jewish Village,” the hand-painted sign proclaims.

Welcome to an abandoned Jewish village, one of Gondar’s top ten recommended tourist attractions. A few hundred Jews lived in this village for generations, until they left in the 1980s and early 90s. Some went by foot to Sudan and were airlifted to Israel during Operation Moses in 1984. Others made their way to Addis Ababa and went to Israel from the capital.

There are no Jews left in the village of Wolleka. But today, the former Jewish village is a kitschy shopping stop for tourists on their way to treks in the Simien Mountains.

Ethiopia’s Jews, called “Falashas” or “strangers,” were typically not allowed to own land or property. This meant many of them turned to professional crafts, including pottery, blacksmithing, embroidery, and cloth and basket weaving.

Wolleka’s reputation as a craft center made it a natural home for a touristy market. But interestingly, the current residents have chosen to celebrate the village’s Jewish roots rather than let them fade into history.

One family keeps the keys to the old synagogue, a round, squat building located a ten-minute walk from the road. The turquoise Stars of David painted on the mud walls outside are starting to fade, but the interior’s intricate paint job is still preserved, a mosaic of natural paints made from red earth, ash, and water [...]

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[email protected] said:

follow next at:
http://www.timesofisrael.com/how-a-...y-jews-in-ethiopia-became-a-top-tourist-draw/
are there any jews in Ethiopia ?

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