Ethiopia has been inhabited for thousands of years and archaeologists have uncovered dozens of ancient and prehistoric sites, with some human settlements dating from 800 BC. Over the centuries it has been a crossroads of African, European and the Middle Eastern cultures; of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It has seen the rise and fall of powerful Jewish kingdoms, Christian dynasties and Islamic sultanates, and it has a modern political history that is unparalleled in Africa.
Many travellers visit Ethiopia for the history alone – most specifically for the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, the royal tombs and towering stelae of Aksum, the palaces and fortresses of Gonder, the ancient walled city of Harer, the remote churches of Tigray and the island monasteries of Lake Tana.