Debre Dammo
Debre Dammo (Tigrinya: ደብረ ዳሞ),The monastery is known as Däbrä Dammo (with the geminated -mm-) in Tigrinya, and as Däbrä Damo in later Amharic appellations. also spelled Debre Damo, Dabra Dāmmo or Däbrä Dammo), is the name of a flat-topped mountain, or amba, and a 6th-century monastery in Tigray Region of Ethiopia. The mountain is a steeply rising plateau of trapezoidal shape, about 1,000 by 400 m (3,300 by 1,300 ft) in dimension. It sits at an elevation of 2,216 m (7,270 ft) above sea level. It is north of Bizet and northwest of Adigrat in Central Zone, Tigray, close to the border with Eritrea.
Debre Dammo
ደብረ ዳሞ Debre Damo, Dabra Dāmmo, Däbrä Dammo | |
|---|---|
Mountain and Monastery | |
Debre Dammo Location within Ethiopia | |
| Coordinates: 14°22′26″N 39°17′25″E | |
| Country | Ethiopia |
| Region | Tigray |
| Zone | Maekelay Zone |
| Elevation | 2,216 m (7,270 ft) |
The mountain hosted a monastery, accessible only by rope up a sheer cliff, 15 m (49 ft) high, is known for its collection of manuscripts and for having the earliest existing church building in Ethiopia that is still in its original style, and only men can visit it. Tradition claims that the monastery was founded in the 6th century by Abuna Aregawi.
Part of the monastery was destroyed during the Tigray War, prior to 14 February 2021.