Wehni
Encyclopedia
Wehni is the name of one of the mountains of Ethiopia
where most of the male heirs to the Emperor of Ethiopia
were interned, usually for life. It was the last one the three such mountains -- or amba
-- said to have been used for this purpose, the other two being Debre Damo
and Amba Geshen
.
From some undetermined time in history, it was the custom that when the Emperor assumed the throne, his brothers and other male relatives would be taken to a royal prison, where they would live until either they were called forth to become the new Emperor -- or died. Mount Wehni was first used as a prison by Fasilides
, when he exiled his son Dawit there for leading a revolt. The mountain was abandoned as a prison during the Zemene Mesafint
; more precisely in the 1790s, as Samuel Gobat
learned from one Tekla Selassie, "a relative of the king" (that is, the Emperor of Ethiopia).
Although James Bruce
first mentions the existence of the royal prison at Wehni, Thomas Pakenham was the first European to visit the site, in 1955. He notes that when he started to search for this half-forgotten complex, there were three possible locations for this prison in the province of Begemder
, now part of the Amhara Region
of Ethiopia: the Ethiopian expert Steven Wright believed it lay three days' journey to the west of Gondar
; a Colonel Shifferaw, who was familiar with the area, knew of two locations to the east of Gondar. Pakenham's explorations determined that it lay in the mountains to the northeast of Emfraz
, and recorded his first clear view of it:
Pakenham found at the foot of the mountain a village that "hardly deserved the name". Although he found the inhabitants "wretched and poor", inspecting the local church he found a number of paintings which he dated to the 17th century, "fifty years after Fasil in fact, but were exciting evidence of the importance of Wehni at the time. Though the church and village were now so dilapidated, it was obvious that once they had enjoyed royal patronage as munificent as Gondar itself."
Unfortunately, due to a landslide at some point in the previous 30 years, Pakenham was unable to ascend Mount Wehni. Equipped with climbing gear, he made an unsuccessful second attempt a few months later. He concludes his account of travels in Ethiopia with a description of the compound at the top of the mountain, viewed from the air after having convinced the pilot of the Gondar-Addis Ababa flight to pass by and circle the peak.
It was climbed in 2002 by members of the HotRock round the world climbing expedition. This expedition was chronicled in the book The Reluctant Traveller by Bill Lumley, who joined HotRock for the Eithopian leg of the journey.
This royal prison at the top of Wehni left its influence on English literature
through the accounts of Bruce, by inspiring the setting of Dr. Samuel Johnson
's narrative, The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia
.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
where most of the male heirs to the Emperor of Ethiopia
Emperor of Ethiopia
The Emperor of Ethiopia was the hereditary ruler of Ethiopia until the abolition of the monarchy in 1974. The Emperor was the head of state and head of government, with ultimate executive, judicial and legislative power in that country...
were interned, usually for life. It was the last one the three such mountains -- or amba
Amba (geology)
An amba is a characteristic geologic form in Ethiopia. It is a steep sided, flat topped mountain, often the site of villages, wells and their surrounding farmland. These settlements were located there because they were very defensible and often virtually inaccessible plateaus.The original term in...
-- said to have been used for this purpose, the other two being Debre Damo
Debre Damo
Debre Damo is the name of a flat-topped mountain, or amba, and a 6th century monastery in northern Ethiopia. The mountain is a steeply rising plateau of trapezoidal shape, about 1000 by 400 meters in dimension. With a latitude and longitude of , it sits at an elevation of 2216 meters above sea level...
and Amba Geshen
Amba Geshen
Amba Geshen is the name of a mountain in northern Ethiopia.It is located in the Debub Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region, northwest of Dessie, and sits at a latitude and longitude of . Part of Ambassel woreda, it is one of the mountains of Ethiopia where most of the male heirs to the Emperor of...
.
From some undetermined time in history, it was the custom that when the Emperor assumed the throne, his brothers and other male relatives would be taken to a royal prison, where they would live until either they were called forth to become the new Emperor -- or died. Mount Wehni was first used as a prison by Fasilides
Fasilides of Ethiopia
Fasilides was of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty...
, when he exiled his son Dawit there for leading a revolt. The mountain was abandoned as a prison during the Zemene Mesafint
Zemene Mesafint
The Zemene Mesafint was a period in Ethiopian history when the country was rent by conflicts between warlords, the Emperor was reduced to little more than a figurehead confined to the capital city of...
; more precisely in the 1790s, as Samuel Gobat
Samuel Gobat
Samuel Gobat , was a Swiss Lutheran who became an Anglican missionary in Africa and was the Protestant Bishop of Jerusalem from 1846 until his death....
learned from one Tekla Selassie, "a relative of the king" (that is, the Emperor of Ethiopia).
Although James Bruce
James Bruce
James Bruce was a Scottish traveller and travel writer who spent more than a dozen years in North Africa and Ethiopia, where he traced the origins of the Blue Nile.-Youth:...
first mentions the existence of the royal prison at Wehni, Thomas Pakenham was the first European to visit the site, in 1955. He notes that when he started to search for this half-forgotten complex, there were three possible locations for this prison in the province of Begemder
Begemder
Begemder was a province in the northwestern part of Ethiopia. There are several proposed etymologies for this name...
, now part of the Amhara Region
Amhara Region
Amhara is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia, containing the homeland of the Amhara people. Previously known as Region 3, its capital is Bahir Dar....
of Ethiopia: the Ethiopian expert Steven Wright believed it lay three days' journey to the west of Gondar
Gondar
Gondar or Gonder is a city in Ethiopia, which was once the old imperial capital and capital of the historic Begemder Province. As a result, the old province of Begemder is sometimes referred to as Gondar...
; a Colonel Shifferaw, who was familiar with the area, knew of two locations to the east of Gondar. Pakenham's explorations determined that it lay in the mountains to the northeast of Emfraz
Emfraz
Emfraz or Enfraz is a historic town and district in northern Ethiopia...
, and recorded his first clear view of it:
- In the docile plain there opened a gorge perhaps half a mile wide, leading to a bowl-shaped valley. It was the valley of Wehni. From the centre rose the scoriated black thumb that was the Mountain. It was in fact twice the height it had first appeared, its sides perfectly sheer to the ground, its top flat and grassy.
Pakenham found at the foot of the mountain a village that "hardly deserved the name". Although he found the inhabitants "wretched and poor", inspecting the local church he found a number of paintings which he dated to the 17th century, "fifty years after Fasil in fact, but were exciting evidence of the importance of Wehni at the time. Though the church and village were now so dilapidated, it was obvious that once they had enjoyed royal patronage as munificent as Gondar itself."
Unfortunately, due to a landslide at some point in the previous 30 years, Pakenham was unable to ascend Mount Wehni. Equipped with climbing gear, he made an unsuccessful second attempt a few months later. He concludes his account of travels in Ethiopia with a description of the compound at the top of the mountain, viewed from the air after having convinced the pilot of the Gondar-Addis Ababa flight to pass by and circle the peak.
It was climbed in 2002 by members of the HotRock round the world climbing expedition. This expedition was chronicled in the book The Reluctant Traveller by Bill Lumley, who joined HotRock for the Eithopian leg of the journey.
This royal prison at the top of Wehni left its influence on English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
through the accounts of Bruce, by inspiring the setting of Dr. Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
's narrative, The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia
The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia
The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia, often abbreviated to Rasselas, is an apologue about happiness by Samuel Johnson. The book's original working title was “The Choice of Life". He wrote the piece to help support his seriously ill mother with an intended completion date of January 22, 1759...
.