Abuna Yemata Guh: the most inaccessible shrine on the planet (14 photos + 1 video)

In the north of Ethiopia, right in the rocky ridge, there is a shrine revered by believers, for the sake of visiting which people are willing to risk their lives.





The heavenly temple of Abuna Yemata Guh is considered the most inaccessible religious building on our planet. And one of the oldest (dating back to the 5th century AD). To enter the sanctuary, you first need to overcome a sheer cliff 6 meters high and cross narrow ledges with a height difference of 200 meters.



The entrance to the heavenly temple is located at an altitude of 2580 meters. And on certain sections of the trail you can really lose your life, because there is no normal road as such. The path consists of narrow winding paths carved directly into the rock, completely vertical sections of rock and questionable structures made of ropes and ropes. People in poor physical shape, hypertensive, overweight and, of course, with a fear of heights have nothing to do here.

But those who manage to get to their destination will never forget this place. Even if you went to Abuna Yemata Guh solely for tourist and not religious interest.





The creator of the heavenly church is considered to be the Egyptian priest Abuna Yemata, one of the nine saints who brought Christianity to Ethiopia.

What caused the choice of such a non-standard place? One version says that Yemata wanted to protect the sanctuary from enemies, the other - he wanted true enlightenment and sought to obtain it through solitude and proximity to heaven.



Believers brought newborn children here for baptism, and the bodies of the deceased to be buried on the mountain.



Abuna Yemata Guh has existed for 15 centuries, and during this time, according to the current priest Kesa Haile Silassie, “no one fell” on the way up.











The ceiling and walls of the cave are decorated with intricate patterns and frescoes depicting angels and apostles. The church houses an old Bible in a goatskin cover, which the ministers proudly and proudly display to tourists.



Abuna Yemata Guh is a place of holiness and tranquility. Tourists say that after the climb, you feel the adrenaline going off scale, and when the pulse slows down and your eyes get used to the twilight, you get a magical feeling that the angels and saints on the frescoes come to life, slowly emerging from the darkness.