Across the Sahel

Abuna Yamata Guh is a place that I will never forget. Hidden in the remote mountains of Gheralta in northern Ethiopia, Abuna Yamata is a monolithic church built on top of rocks and carved into the side of a cliff above a staggering 250 metre drop.

The road to the church snakes through the epic Gheralta Mountains. The scenery was beyond description and the mountains featured the most incredible rock formations. We got to the foothills. The road stopped. The climb started. The mountains were epic and magnificent. A Coptic Christian priest makes an incredible journey there every day, climbing sheer, steep cliffs barefoot and without a rope.

We started the challenging climb and after 45 minutes we made it to the cliff. Although I was a bit under the weather, the incredible scenery, fresh mountain weather and a surge of adrenalin perked me up. While climbing, I was thinking to myself: what must go through someone’s mind to compel them to build a church in the side of a cliff?

When ...