Zege Peninsula

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The Zege Peninsula is a peninsula located on the southern shore of Lake Tana in Ethiopia,^[1] the largest lake in Ethiopia and the source of the Blue Nile river, and is situated at (11° 40’ to 11° 43’ N and 37 °19’ to 37 °21’ E). It is 600 km northwest of Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. It is considered an area sacred to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, boasting multiple historical monasteries. In contrast to the arable farmland region around it, the Zege peninsula is notable for its dense coffee forest. This originates from a religious prohibition in the area on cutting trees, ploughing land, and raising large beasts.^[2]

The origin of the term "zegié" is somewhat obscure. As a place name, the word "zege" signifies a peninsula that encloses two rural qebele, the former monastery and Zägé town at the gate of the main land of the peninsula. At present, Zegé is part of Bahir Dar city administration, and is 32 km from the main town, the capital of Amhara National Regional State. Informants from Ura Kidane Mehret monastic church, one of the earliest church in the peninsula, associated the term to Debra Zegag and Abba Nahom; whereas some monks who were servants of Mähal Zegié Giyorgis attributed the term to Zengie (my shaft) and to Abun Betre Maryam, founder of Zegie monastery. Still another church scholar, Aleqa Aynakulu Mersha, related the term to a name of a tribe called Zegie (Aleqa Aynekulu) 1955 E.C:466; Tadese Tamrat, 1994:954-959). On the peninsula of Zege there are six monastic churches, all established between the 14th and 17th centuries.