Shewans have a phrase for Menz. They call it ye Amara menech, “the source of the Amhara.” It is a big claim for a small, cold district at […]
Culture
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How Shewan Society Worked: Church, Iddir, Hospitality and Craft
Kings and capitals make the headlines of history. Ordinary life in Shewa was held together by quieter things: the parish church and its calendar, neighbours who owed each […]
Landmarks
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Addis Ababa as a Shewan City: Entoto, the Palace and the Choice of a Capital
Addis Ababa is now one of the largest cities in Africa, and it is easy to forget where it came from. It was not a colonial port or […]
Landmarks
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Ankober: The Mountain Capital of Shewa
You reach Ankober from Debre Birhan across a high, bare plateau. Then the ground ends. The escarpment drops away thousands of feet towards the Afar lowlands, and on […]
History
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The Line That Held: Negasi Krestos to Sahle Selassie and the Shewan State
Most royal houses are remembered for their battles. The Shewan house deserves to be remembered for something harder: it kept a state running, generation after generation, in a […]
History
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What Shewa Actually Was: The Reach of a Civilization Before It Was Reduced
Ask an older Shewan where Shewa is and you will rarely get a line on a map. You will get a list of places. Menz and Tegulet in […]