The first recorded historical account of northeast Africa and its inhabitants goes back about 4800 years to the time of the paranoiac Egyptians. The costal region of northeast Africa, lying roughly between the red sea port of Suwakin in the north, and the cape of Guardafui in the southeast was vaguely know to the paranoiac Egyptian as land of Punt. The name Habesha in reference to both the Axumites and present day of Ethiopians have originated from Punt.

 

Northern ancient city of Axum is the country's oldest existing urban settlement. Once the capital and a major religious center. It remains the site of many remarkable antiquities, including the famous monolithic Obelisks or stele, important stone inscription written in three languages Geez, Sabean, Greek; the remain of pectacular palaces and graves and special gold, silver, and bronze currency produced up to around 300AD carry representation of the sun and the moon. But, coin from the early 4th C on ward, bear the cross of Christ.

During the half of the first millennium AD the Roman, Persia, and Axumite empires were engaged in a struggle for power in the regions of the Nile valley, the Red sea, and the middle east. However the rise of the Islam among the Arabs in the Middle East in the 7th century AD adversely affected the three empire states. During this period, sometime before the end of the 1st millennium AD the new Agew dynasty emerged in the northern highlands of Lasta, the succors of the former Axumite state, and ruled Ethiopia for the next 3 centuries until 1270 in the region lying roughly between the Red sea and the Abay river where the lands and the peoples of Kunama, Felasha, Amhara, Gojam were included. The Zagwe kings ruled until the 13th century, when a famous priest Mera Teklehaymanot persuaded them to abdicate in favor of descendant of the old Axumite Solomonic dynasty. However according to legend before the throne of Ethiopia was restored to its rightful rulers, upon command of God Lalibella convert the royal residence of the Zagwe in the town of Roha into a prayer stone.


The Ethiopian church later canonized him and changed the name Roha to Lalibella. And it is according to legend that Lalibella grew up in Roha, where his brother was king. It is said that bees prophesies his future greatness. The king made jealous by these prophesies about his brother and tried to poison him. But the poison merely cast Lalibella into a death like to sleep for three days. During these days an angle carried his soul to heaven to show him the churches, which he was built, the 8th wonderers of the world or the 11 magnificent rock hewn church of Lalibella.

In 1270 the Agew dynasty passed the power of the Ethiopian haste state to Solomonic dynasty. And the Solomonic dynasty kings ruled for 3 centuries until the rise of Tewodros 2nd in 1855.

Gondar was once the capital of Ethiopia, its prominence beginning with the reign of emperor Fasiledes in 1632. During the long years when it was a capital the settlement emerged as one of the largest and most populous city in the realm. It was a great commercial center trading with the rich lands south of the Blue Nile, as well as with Sudan to the west inhabitants include many rich Catholic and Muslim merchants, as well as a number of Felashas (Bete Israel), who were predominantly weavers, blacksmiths and potters, as well as palace and church builders.