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BRIDGE HISTORY IN ETHIOPIA DEVELOPEMENT

By Meheret Selass…
Gondar, the medieval capital, holds a unique place in Ethiopian history.
More famous for its castles, the town does also boast other magnificent
pieces of architecture, bridges among them. Whether locals or
Portuguese masons built these structures is beside the point. What is
indisputable is the fact that these bridges are heritage sites worth
preserving for posterity, not to mention their value in luring visitors –
both domestic and foreign. most Gondarian bridges have fallen into
disrepair, and are in need of immediate attention.
Angereb, a famous river in Gondar, local name fechifachit has an
unforgettable childhood memory for Ephrem Mitiku. Born and raised in
BRIDGE HISTORY IN ETHIOPIA DEVELOPEMENT

Defecha Bridge is built on the Angereb River, and Ephrem knew about
the historical background of gondar. When learned the history of the
river was more than a place where to swim. It was a national heritage.
Although he has not found documents attesting to when and how the
bridge was constructed, he relies on the popular narrative passed down
through oral history.
The story goes like this: Emperor Fasilades (1632-1667) had an affair
with two Roman sisters – Zeliha and Meliha. The Orthodox Christian
church leaders of the time condemned the king’s act, saying it was not a
Christianly thing to do. They then confronted the king and clashed with
his military, which resulted in the death of numerous people (it is
estimated that close to 10,000 people lost their lives).
The ensuing human toll bothered the king and when he asked what he
could do to rejuvenate his soul, he was told to build bridges so that
everyone who crossed it would say, “May God save the soul of Fasil!”
Consequently, it is said the king was responsible for the construction of
12 bridges, including Defecha Bridge. Two of these bridges, Defecha
(next to Angereb River dam) and Genfokuch or Gobate (also called
Seytan Metaya) on Gilgel Megech are in the town of Gondar.
Whereas Gobate (in Infranz), Rib and Megech are located in the North
Gondar Administrative Zone, Alata (on the way to the Blue Nile falls)
and Qorata bridges are found in Gojjam and Gur (near Debre Libanos
Monastery) is located in Shewa.
Ephrem says, despite the historical significance of these bridges, they
have been completely neglected. “There has never been any kind of
upkeep of the bridges. In the past few years, I have witnessed Defecha
Bridge deteriorating with no attention whatsoever from responsible
bodies,” he explains.
For many, the bridges are nothing more than another infrastructure and
over the years, the bridges have been losing their original form. Defecha
Bridge has a unique history in that traders used to pay taxes en route to
Adwa. Similarly, the other bridges have a significant place in Ethiopian
history.
Asegid, one of the tour guides who has been working in city tours of
centuries-old heritage of Gondar says, “It seems the town is only
BRIDGE HISTORY IN ETHIOPIA DEVELOPEMENT

focusing on world-famous heritages like that of the Fasil palace


compound. But, there is no such a thing as a big heritage and a small
one. All heritages have to be equally preserved as they are entirely
momentous.”

He explains, the bridges are additional representation of Gondarian


architecture to be categorized with the palace compound, swimming
pool and other architectural heritages of the town. There has always
been concern when it comes to heritage preservation in Ethiopia. Let
alone these bridges, that hasn’t been recognized well, the heritage
preservation and conservation bodies of the country has been criticized
for lack of adequate attention for UNESCO world heritage sites too.“It
BRIDGE HISTORY IN ETHIOPIA DEVELOPEMENT

seems like we don’t even know the value of our heritages,” Asegid
points out.
When The Reporter visited Defecha Bridge, most parts of the bridge’s
basement had broken in to pieces. According to Asegid and Ephrem, the
other bridges are even worse off – to the extent that some of them had
broken in half. Members of the the community are still using the bridges
since there are no alternative routes.
The exact number of bridges is not known due to lack of a proper
survey, according to a research paper, “The Gondarian Period Bridges,”
by Engidu Gebrewold, Hirut Sintayehu and Solomon Lingerih,
educators at Gondar University’s Tourism Department. However,
eyewitness accounts put at 12 the number of bridges located in and
around Gondar, with more in Gojjam and Shewa.
As Engidu explains it, most of these bridges are often referred to as “the
Portuguese bridges,” even though there is no source supporting the
claim. Especially, foreign writers claim the bridges were built by the
Portuguese. Some others give the credit to the time of Emperor
Susenyos (1606-1632). However, according to historians such as
Richard Pankhurst (Prof.) and oral history, the bridges were built during
Fasilades’ time.
Engidu mentions two contradictory pieces of information he came across
while studying the bridges. The first one is from William Coffin, an
Englishman who visited Gondar in 1814. He stated that on approaching
Gondar town, he noticed one of the old ‘Portuguese’ bridges. He also
noted he was told by a priest that there were several of them, called by
the name Fasil Dildey (Amharic for ‘bridge’).
The other evidence, contrasting with the above, is from the manuscript,
“the Glory of Abune Hara Dingel”. It has been written that in the 16th
century, the bridge connecting Begemdir and Gojjam was built by the
order of Emperor Fasil and Dejazmach Amoniyos was tasked with
overseeing its construction.
Most of the bridges are constructed using limestone, and have a half-
circle shape. Studies reveal it is “a manifestation of the art of
construction then”. Most associate it with other historical landmarks of
Gondar, too.
BRIDGE HISTORY IN ETHIOPIA DEVELOPEMENT

Alata, a bridge supported by eight arches, has an overall length of about


64 m and a width of 2 m. Its widest arch has a span of 8m. Guzara
Bridge is located in Gondar Zuriya district, on the river to the east of the
road that leads from Infiranz to Bahir Dar. Some claim it is the first
bridge in Ethiopia.
As stated in the study by the educators, the Sebara Bridge is one of two
stone bridges built over the Blue Nile River. During the Italian
occupation, Ethiopian patriots deliberately broke parts of the bridge to
BRIDGE HISTORY IN ETHIOPIA DEVELOPEMENT

restrict the movement of the Italians. Before the construction of another


bridge after the war, people had to use a rope to cross from one side to
the other.
Genfokuch Bridge, located on river Gilgel Megech, is formed by the
confluence of the two main rivers of the city – Angereb and Qeha. The
bridge is about 36m long and has about 4m width. The particularity of
its design lies in the fact that one of its four arcades is larger than the
others, with a height of about 5.8m.
The other bridge, Bambilo Chigasa, located in Dildiy Mariyam,
connecting Wogera and Lay Armachiho districts, was ruined by the
Italians while Rib Bridge was constructed over River Rib located 26km
from the town of Addis Zemen. The bridge is 3 km from the dam under
construction on River Rib.
“All of these bridges are facing common conservation challenges. Since
the construction of the bridges, there has not been a single conservation
work undertaken,” Engdu explains. Due to long service, the walls are
cracking and the limestone is detaching from the stones. The detachment
has formed holes that are holding water.
“The water is further aggravating the problem. It erodes the mortar and
the water penetrates through and this penetration leads to the cracking of
the bridges,” he elaborates. Bushes are also growing on some of the
bridges, where farming takes place on Bambilo Chikaasa Bridge.
The research points out the major cause of the problem to be heavy
traffic of people and animals. In new settlement areas in Gondar such as
Kebele 18, people going to the nearby local market also cross with
loaded animals. An example for this is Genfokuch Bridge.
Buses and heavy-duty trucks also affect bridges like Rib. Engidu says
there had been attempts at artificial maintenance on some of the bridges
such as Sebara and Rib. The bridges have been artificially maintained
using steel and cement, which is not enough considering their heritage
value.
“The history and current state of the Gondarian period bridges needs
full-scale research, documentation and conservation projects,” Engidu
recommends, and notes that the conservation management plan
recommended by the university should be implemented soon.
BRIDGE HISTORY IN ETHIOPIA DEVELOPEMENT

He also points out that the heavy traffic must be stopped and an attempt
should be made by concerned bodies to promote and use the bridges for
tourism purposes. “Alternative bridges should also be built for the
community in order to minimize the pressure,” he notes.
The tourism department is developing an application that will point
tourists towards all the heritage sites in Gondar and the bridges are said
to be included in the app once repaired.
Leul Yohannes, deputy head of the Amhara Culture and Tourism Office,
agrees that the bridges had indeed been neglected. “When it comes to
these bridges, we have not preserved our heritage as we are supposed
to,” he admits.
He says they are now in the process of installing a limestone factory
whose product will be used to repairing of the bridges. He also pointed
out that they are working with Gondar University to form an action plan
that will assist with preserving the heritage.
“Repairing the bridges is going to cost us millions. The factory and the
action plan are expected to be finalized this year and we will start the
restoring process in the coming year,” Leul confirms. For years, no one
has really been in charge of preserving the bridges. However, the
Gondar City Administration is now reporting the status of the bridges to
the regional office.
Leul says for years the bridges have only been used as a road when in
fact they should have been preserved as heritage sites. He says besides
the tourism office, the road construction authority has a responsibility in
preserving the bridges.
After a year, those bridges that can be used after renovation will be put
to use while the rest will be heritage sites with optional bridges built
nearby. “After repairing the bridges, they will be included in the list of
sites to visit in Gondar, which will boost the local tourism too,” he
explains.
Nonetheless, for Ephrem Asegid, the educators and the community at
large, the question still remains – how much of the heritage will vanish
before the action plan is implemented and the revamping actually takes
place

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