Bahir Dar is the third-largest city in Ethiopia, after Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa, and has a population of 201,450. It is the capital of the Amhara region, and is inhabited by the Amhara people. The Amhara are the country’s second-largest ethnic group.
Situated on the outskirts of the famous Lake Tana, 372 miles north of Addis Ababa, Bahir Dar is arguably the most beautiful city in Ethiopia. Home to historic monasteries, picturesque landscapes, lakes, and the Blue Nile Falls, it is very different from its neighbors.
History
Bahir Dar was established around the thirteenth century following the construction of Kidanemihret Church. The city earned the name Bahir Dar, meaning “near the sea,” during the reign of Emperor Yikuno Amlak.
Bahir Dar is the capital city of the Amhara Region. The city is renowned for its wide, palm-lined avenues and serene, picturesque Lake Tana. Originally called Bahir Giyorgis, the town was renamed during the reign of Emperor Yikuno Amlak, reflecting its proximity to Lake Tana and the Blue Nile River.
The modern town of Bahir Dar was originally named after Bahir Dar Giyorgis (St George by the Sea) church.
Early Development
Between 1810 and 1900, Bahir Dar had just under 2,000 inhabitants. It was developed in situ as a monastery and also functioned as a trading hub. Bahir Dar’s positioning at the source of the Blue Nile and near an important trade route made it an ideal economic center. The route connected the interior of the country with the Red Sea, serving as an entryway connecting northern and southern Ethiopia. In the 19th century, Bahir Dar was visited by Belgian, French, British, and Italian travelers as part of the Scramble for Africa.
Enter the Colonizers
The Scramble for Africa was the invasion, conquest, and colonization of most of Africa by seven Western European powers during the late 19th century and early 20th century. Explorers from Belgium, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Portugal, and Spain vied for control and influence on the continent, charting and claiming territories.
Bahir Dar translates to “near the sea” or “sea shore” in Amharic.
By the late 19th century, the interest of European powers in Ethiopia had grown exponentially. Britain and Italy sought to exploit the trade link between Bahir Dar and their respective territories of Sudan and Eritrea. The Brits also had a special interest in controlling Lake Tana for the development of the economy of their colonies in present-day Egypt and Sudan. A British expedition to Bahir Dar took place in 1902. Its purpose was not direct colonial conquest, but rather exploration and trade.
The Communities
Bahir Dar was arranged by various traditional settlement areas, each of which was distinguished by the social position its members occupied. The kahenat (clergy) and Balabat (landowning) communities were the most important. In addition, three groups of tenant-craftsman communities, tanners, Muslim weavers, and the Weyto stone-mill grinders, lived on balabbat lands. Although all were economically interdependent, there was no intermarriage between the tenant communities or between them and the balabbat and kahenat.
The Balabat were a class of landlords and local elites who held significant power and influence within the town. They were instrumental in the town’s development and administration in the pre-Italian colonial period.
Italian Occupation
In May 1936, Bahir Dar was occupied by the Italians following their invasion of Ethiopia. This occupation was part of Italy’s broader effort to establish control over the nation during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. The Italians then utilized Bahir Dar as a military base and later as the civil administrative center for the Lake Tana region.
The Italians updated the city with modern urban features. Communal family ownership of land known as “rists” was abolished and replaced with private land ownership. Alienating the Balabats from their rists allowed them to reallocate land for administration, the army, an airstrip, and port facilities. New residential and commercial zones were demarcated. Motorboats were utilized to connect Bahir Dar with other ports on Lake Tana. Roads were constructed, which connected all the major cities: Gondar, Debre Marqos, and Addis Ababa. The physical and social appearance of Bahir Dar underwent considerable changes.
The Great Melting Pot
With urbanization, new settlement patterns emerged. There was now an Italian camp, a Muslim community, and a Weyto quarter. Bahir Dar had become a melting pot of different people and cultures. In the commercial zone, various shops, tea-rooms, tailor shops, bars, and restaurants run by foreigners made their first appearance. Unfortunately, Ethiopian participation in this realm was insignificant.
The New Administrative Center
The Italians gave Bahir Dar political importance, making it the administrative center of the southern territories of Lake Tana. They also showed interest in the agricultural development of Lake Tana and the Blue Nile regions. They were also keen on exploiting their waters for hydroelectric power. When the Ethiopian Government was reinstated in 1941, it made Bahir Dar one of the capitals. By 1945, Bahir Dar had risen to the status of a municipality. In the early 1950s, it was considered the best alternative to Addis Ababa as the capital of Ethiopia.
Bahir Dar on the map
During the 1960s and 1970s, German experts compiled a comprehensive master plan for the city. This new plan, which included new zoning, completely altered the city’s physical appearance. Bahir Dar emerged as a center of industrial and economic development, boasting its own water supply, hydroelectric power, textile mills, a hospital, and institutions of higher learning.
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Days 8 and 9: November 18th-19th
Day 8 of my Ethiopian whirlwind tour was a transit day. We took the second and third of our eight scheduled domestic flights as we made our way from Axum to Bahir Dar via Addis Ababa. Upon landing, I noticed that Bahir Dar was very different from the other cities we had visited. Vestiges of the Italian occupation were evident in the wide, tree-lined roadways and remnants of the colonial buildings in the center of town.
Lake Tana
Lake Tana is the largest lake in Ethiopia. While relatively shallow for its size, it still plays a major role as the source of the Blue Nile. Measuring approximately 52 miles (84 km) at its widest point and 41 miles long (66 km), its depth ranges from 30-49 feet (9 -15 m).
What is the Blue Nile, you ask?
The Blue Nile is one of the two main tributaries of the Nile River. The other is the White Nile, which begins at Lake No in South Sudan. The Blue tributary plays a crucial role in the geography, history, and culture of East Africa and Egypt. The Blue Nile contributes about 80–85% of the water and fertile silt that flows into the Nile during the rainy season. These two rivers, the Blue and White Nile, join in Khartoum, Sudan. From there, the combined Nile River flows north through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea.
This water source helped make agriculture possible in otherwise arid regions. Without this source, Egypt and northern Sudan wouldn’t have been able to sustain their early kingdoms and empires.
The four rivers from the Garden of Eden account in Genesis are the Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates. The Gihon (Blue Nile) was the river that wound through the land of Cush, or ancient Ethiopia.
Lake Tana as a Fish Evolution Hotspot
Sixty-five species of fish can be found here, with 15-20 of them endemic. Of the endemic fish, one stands out, the rare Labeobarbus fish. Labeobarbus, commonly called “yellowfish”, has been shown to have evolved from a single ancestor, similar to how Darwin’s finches evolved in the Galápagos Islands. Eighteen different species of Leobarbus exist in Lake Tana.
Tilapia, Nile perch, and catfish are the most common fish found here. Despite the abundance of catfish, people only consume tilapia and perch. Catfish is scorned due to the common belief that it is not normal because it’s a bottom feeder and has a mustache.
Home to monasteries
The islands and peninsulas of Lake Tana serve as hosts to 19 monasteries and more than 35 churches. Most were built during the 14th century, but some may date back to the 3rd century. Lake Tana and its monasteries were regarded as safe havens for sacred objects during invasions and periods of religious persecution.
One of these monasteries, Ura Kidane Mihret (“The Monastery of Mercy”), is dedicated to Ethiopia’s patron saint, George Victorious, and is located on the Zege Peninsula, surrounded by Lake Tana.
Kidane Mehret is a Ge’ez phrase meaning Covenant of Mercy. It refers to the Ethiopic tradition that Jesus promised his mother that he would forgive the sins of those who sought her intercession.
The convent was founded in the 14th century by Saint Betre Mariyam; however, the present circular church dates back to the 16th century and is only accessible by motorboat from Bahir Dar. From the dock to the monastery, we traversed an uphill, tree-lined path. The sides of the path were lined with the work of amazing artisans. They had frankincense nuggets for prayer rituals, hand-painted scenes from the bible, statues carved from soft wood, and all types of biblical iconography for sale. I purchased this painting of Mary and Jesus from a talented gentleman. The crushed flowers and berries shown in the photo above formed his painter’s palette. His canvas was not the traditional cotton, linen, or hemp used elsewhere; his was a simple goat skin.
Ura Kidane Mihret Monastery
The Monastery of Mercy, dedicated to Ethiopia’s patron saint, George Victorious, is located on the Zege Peninsula, surrounded by Lake Tana.
Ura Kidane Mihret Church is one of the buildings in the monastery complex. The church was circular and had walls made of reeds. The shape of the building was symbolic, the circular nature representing the shape of the Earth. The tin roof was rimmed with hundreds of tiny metal bells. An Ethiopian cross adorned the top of the steeple. At first glance, I believed it was just like the other crosses we had seen, but my guide brought to my attention one interesting detail.
The cross was decorated with seven ostrich eggs. In the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo church, an ostrich egg symbolizes God’s divine providence. Similar to an ostrich’s vigilance over its eggs, they serve as a visual reminder of God’s attentiveness to his people.
Steps of stone and mortar wrapped around the sanctuary, creating almost a pedestal for the building. Upon entering the sanctuary, one realizes the simplicity of the structure belies the treasures that lie within. The walls of the church are stunning, decorated with bright, colorful murals depicting biblical scenes from the lives of Ethiopian saints. The murals were originally painted between 100 and 250 years ago.
The Symbolism in Everything
The Drum
Our guide, Tamay, enjoyed sharing the symbolism found everywhere on the grounds. As mentioned earlier, he showed us the symbolism in the cross and the shape of the building. After showing us the drum the priest used during services, he explained that it was more than just an instrument. He explained that the small end of the drum represented the Old Testament, the larger end the New. The midsection of the drum represented Christ, who connected the Old and New Testaments. The drum was covered in fabric as no one was allowed to see “the body” of Christ. The lattice of leather strips represented the stripes Christ took for our sins.
The Murals
In the murals, some of the faces were lighter in complexion than those we had seen before. While we thought nothing of it, our guide explained that this was by design. Paintings completed after the 16th-17th centuries depicted the Saints as lighter in complexion because this was the period when many believers had converted to Catholicism after the Portuguese missionaries (Jesuits) had arrived. The lighter complexion was meant to fall somewhere between black and white skin tone because in God’s sight, we are all equal.
Another detail that had escaped us was that some people were painted in profile while others were shown in portrait. Profile photos represented unbelievers; faces shown with both eyes facing forward were believers.
An interesting call to service
A few yards in front of the church was what appeared to be a stone suspended from a post by ropes attached to either end. My guide watched my face light up in amazement as he took a small stone and struck the larger one. The sound emitted was like that of a metal bell being rung.
Organic or man-made?
While the bell found at Ura Kidane was stone, I learned that some churches used metal war remnants instead. Old artillery shells or cannon casings left over from conflicts such as the Italian occupation (1936–1941) were commonly repurposed in monasteries as bells. This was the means used by church officials to alert the locals that a service or meeting was being held.
War relics turned church staples symbolize the transformation of tools of violence into instruments of peace and worship. They are part of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church’s tradition of turning hardship into spiritual reflection.
Once our tour was over, we trekked back to the dock and returned to our hotel. It would soon be time for our fifth and sixth domestic flights. Oh, joy!
Up Next: Gondar
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What a wonderful and insightful journey you’ve shared! I really appreciate the way you explained about Bahir Dar, its rich history, the monasteries, and those beautiful church paintings. You’ve captured not only the beauty of the place but also its soul. Your storytelling makes people want to visit and see it all.