Discover the Beauty of the Simien Mountains
In February, an Ethiopian friend and I did an 11-days hike in the Simien Mountains, the UNESCO-listed national park in the north of Ethiopia. We photographed the breathtaking views and documented the hard-working locals to come up with material for "Simiens," the first-ever photography book about the Simien Mountains.
The book will be a very visual publication that documents the beauty and majesty of the dramatic mountain ranges and also provides short articles about culture and livelihoods of the locals in the park.
Sa’ada (left) playing a community game with friends outside Gich village. Every evening they fetch water from the well near their home and afterwards they get together and play until the sun sets.
I am passionate about this project because it shows one of the many hidden beauties of Ethiopia, the country that became my home over the past few years. Ethiopia is still widely misunderstood and publications like this can help people to see a different side of the country.
Walia ibex, a type of large mountain goat, near Chenek. At this point there are about 500 Walias in the Simien Mountains National Park.
My organisation, Ayaana Publishing, is partnering with Limalimo Lodge to crowdfund this publication. Producing a photo book is an expensive endeavour, so we need to pre-sell enough copies to raise money for the production of the book and a second photography trip. We are excited about the project, but have to pre-sell enough copies to turn the crowdfunding campaign into a success. Otherwise the book will never be printed.
View from Chenek, one of 9 campsites in the Simien Mountains, from which there are some of the most spectacular views.
Until June 12 we are using Kickstarter, the world’s largest crowdfunding platform, to pre-sell copies of "Simiens." If this is book is something that you want to see become a reality, you can make your pledge on Kickstarter and even book a night at the lodge so that you too can discover the beautiful Simien Mountains.
Orthodox priests Getenet and Alembirhan in Mekarabia - a village in the lowlands of the Simien Mountains National Park. They left home when they were about 8 years old to attend theological school, which can take more than 25 years to finish.
All photos by Philipp Schütz.