Amba Geshenis the name of amountainin northernEthiopia.It is inAmbassel,South Wollo Zoneof theAmhara Region,northwest ofDessie,at a latitude and a longitude of11°31′N39°21′E/ 11.517°N 39.350°E.Part ofAmbasselworeda,Amba Geshen is one of the mountains of Ethiopia where most of the maleheirsto theEmperor of Ethiopiawere interned, usually for life. Also known asGishen Mariam,it was the second of the three such mountains, oramba,said to have been used for this purpose, the other two beingDebre DamoandWehni.
| Amba Geshen | |
|---|---|
| Gishen Mariam | |
 Mount Amba Geshen in northern Ethiopia | |
| Highest point | |
| Coordinates | 11°31′12″N39°21′35″E/ 11.52000°N 39.35972°E |
| Geography | |
  Amba Geshen Location in Ethiopia | |
| Location | Ambassel,Amhara Region,Ethiopia |
History
editFrom some undetermined time, it was the practice that when the Ethiopian emperor assumed the throne, his brothers and other male relatives would be taken to a royal prison, where they would henceforth live until either they were called forth to become the new emperor or they died. Some traditions state this began during theZagwe dynasty,others even earlier; the first certain mention of the practice was during the reign ofJin Asgad,who confined his brothers and his own sons to Amba Geshen.
The use of Amba Geshen as a prison was ended by EmperorNa'od,butManoel de Almeidamentions that "those who were there before" were guarded until the reign of EmperorGelawdewos,when only the descendants of EmperorTakla Maryamcontinued to be kept under watch because of their treachery against EmperorBaeda Maryam I.[1]
Because it was a natural fortress, the Emperors also kept the imperial treasury there even after it was no longer a royal prison. The Muslims, underAhmed Gragn,made several attempts to capture Amba Geshen: theFutuh al-Habashadescribes the first (in November 1531) and second (in 1533), both failing. His final attempt in 1540 was successful, and he put the entire garrison and inhabitants to death.[2]Thomas Pakenhamnotes that contemporary Ethiopians believe that theTrue Crosswas buried atop Amba Geshen by StHelena of Constantinople,[3]perhaps due to an alleged piece of the true cross being gifted from theVenetian Republicto the Emperor of Ethiopia in the medieval period.[4]
Although the first European to mention Amba Geshen wasFrancisco Álvares,who witnessed an escaped prince being returned to Amba Geshen,[5]the earliest European to accurately describe Amba Geshen was Almeida, who states it is
- nearly round, though on top it appears to have the shape of a cross. Going along the edge of the rock, it is probably little more than half a league round on top, but one would have to walk for half a day to go round it on foot at the base. Its height is such that a stone thrown from aslingby a strong arm would reach from the bottom to the top with great difficulty. It is precipitous rock all round and in places it turns outward in such a way that it is impossible to get in. There is only one way in which... called Macaraquer.[6]
Almeidez further writes that on top there was a natural pool and spring for water, and covered bykossoandzegbabrush and wild cedars. He mentions two churches: Egzyabeher Ab, built by EmperorLalibela,and Tekle Maryam, begun by Emperor Na'od but completed by his son,Lebna Dengel,which survived Ahmed Gragn's ravages.[7]However, when Pakenham visited Amba Geshen in 1955, he found that both churches had been rebuilt with tin roofs.[8]
Thetitle"Jantirar"was borne historically by the head of the family holding the mountain fortress ofAmbassel.Due to the origin of theSolomonic DynastyinBete Amhara,the regions rulers played a disproportionate role in the politics of the Ethiopian state. The Jantirar ruled the center of Bete Amhara and lordship ofYekuno Amlakhimself prior to his ascension asEmperor of Ethiopia.While that artistocratic family is said to be one of the most noble in Ethiopian history, they never ruled any larger realm than their own district (although this is contested).Menen Asfaw,empress consortofHaile Selassie,was a daughter of Jantirar Asfaw.
English literature
edit
An account of Amba Geshen was published inPurchas, His Pilgrimagewhere it was called Mount Amara, where medievalAmharakings of Ethiopia used to be imprisoned. This was stated byPakenhamto have inspiredJohn Milton's description ofParadiseinParadise Lost,[9][10]and later, "Mount Abora"inSamuel Taylor Coleridge'sKubla Khan.
"Nor where Abassin Kings thir issue Guard,Mount Amara, though this by som suppos'd
True Paradise under the Ethiop Line "
— John Milton[11][12]
InSamuel Johnson'sRasselas,the main character is a prince of Ethiopia who is interned in a mountain sanctuary called the "Happy Valley." To explore the world and find his own happiness, he escapes. Johnson's account was based on the travel account ofJerónimo Lobo.
References
edit- ^Translated in C.F. Beckingham and G.W.B. Huntingford,Some Records of Ethiopia: 1593-1646(London: Hakluyt Society, 1954), pp. 101f
- ^Sihab ad-Din Ahmad bin 'Abd al-Qader,Futuh al-Habasa: The conquest of Ethiopia,translated by Paul Lester Stenhouse with annotations by Richard Pankhurst (Hollywood: Tsehai, 2003), pp. 254-263; 342-346.
- ^Thomas Pakenham,The Mountains of Rasselas(New York: Reynal & Co., 1959), p. 156
- ^E. A. Wallis Budge,A History of Ethiopia: Nubia and Abyssinia,1928 (Oosterhout, the Netherlands: Anthropological Publications, 1970), pp. 454f.
- ^Francisco Alvarez,The Prester John of the Indiestranslated by C.F. Beckingham and G.W.B. Huntingford (Cambridge: Hakluyt Society, 1961)
- ^Beckingham and Huntingford,Some Records,pp. 97f
- ^Beckingham and Huntingford,Some Records,pp. 98f
- ^Pakenham,Rasselas,p. 159
- ^Pakenham,Rasselas,pp. 139f
- ^Clark, Evert Mordecai. “MILTON’S ABYSSINIAN PARADISE.” The University of Texas Studies in English, vol. 29, 1950, pp. 129–50. JSTOR,http:// jstor.org/stable/20776016
- ^Milton,Paradise Lost,Book 4, lines 280–287.
- ^Fruman 1971 p. 344