9 – Heights of Abyssinia
In the months of November and December of 2011, together with “Ramidus Ethiopia Tour,” Fedor Konyukhov went on a trekking expedition to Ethiopia. The main goal of “9 – Heights of Abyssinia” expedition was to climb the following 9 peaks of the Ethiopian Highlands:
1) Mount Choqa (also known as Mount Birhan), 4154 m
2) Ras Dejen, 4620 m, the highest mountain in Ethiopia
3) Guju, 3568 m
4) Mount Batu, 4307 m
5) Tulu Dimtu, 4377 m, the second-highest mountain in Ethiopia
6) Mount Kaka, 3820 m
7) Ch’ilalo Terara, 4139 m
8) Mount Guna, 4210 m
9) Abuyemeda, 4012 m
In addition to his exploring the Roof of Africa, Fedor Konykhov was looking forward to achieve other, no less important goals of the expedition:
-To strength a cultural and historical collaboration between Russia and Ethiopia;
-Study the terrains of the Ethiopian Highlands in order to establish new routes for mount climbers and tourists;
-Provide some assistance to Ethiopian mount climbers in their training to climb Mt. Everest.
Along with the organizers and sponsors of the expedition, Fedor Konyukhov developed a list of events to commemorate the historical and cultural ties between Russia and Ethiopia:
– Placement of a monument to the Russian poet A. S. Pushkin at the Pushkin’s square in Addis – Ababa;
– Placement of a memorial plaque to Alexander Bulatovich, a Russian military officer, explorer of Africa, writer, hieromonk and the leader of imyaslavie movement in Eastern Orthodox Christianity;
– Placement of a memorial plaque to Mikhail Babitchef, the first Ethiopian pilot, who was of Russian descent.
True to his own ways, Fedor Konyukhov planned this expedition to make sure that he would meet his 60th Birthday away from home. His return to Ethiopia was not only to climb the high peaks of the Ethiopian Highlands, but to continue to learn and research the roots and history of the Orthodox Church in this part of the world. About 62.8 percent (Ethiopian Orthodox Christians 43.5%, Protestant 18.6% and Catholic 0.7 %) of the people of Ethiopia are Christians, while 33.9 % are reported to be Muslim, and just fewer than two million or 2.6 % adhere to traditional beliefs. Fedor continues to be fascinated by the fact that not only this county is the cradle of mankind, but also that Ethiopia is the oldest Christian state in the world.