Proceedings of the 16th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies Volume 1

Abstract

The Temple of Yeha is located about 30 Km Northeast of Adwa town. Previous researchers attributed the selection of the site to the ‘exceptional fertility of the soil in the well-watered broad valleys of the area’. The good preservation of the Temple has also been attributed to its subsequent conversion into a Christian church. However, geoenvironmental studies in the area suggest that the selection of the site is attributed more to the strategic location of the site, being surrounded by mountain edifices. The soils are not exceptionally fertile nor are the valleys exceptionally broad. The thin residual soils developed on colluvial deposits. This paper further argues that the good preservation of the main wall of the Yeha Temple is mainly attributed to the durability of the sandstone used for its construction.