๐ช๐น Ethiopia ยท แขแตแฎแตแซ (ฤชtyลแนแนyฤ)
The only African state to defeat a European colonial army and keep its independence, with a Christian tradition older than most of Europe's and churches carved downwards out of solid rock. Ethiopian scenes look like nowhere else on the continent.
Ethiopia's collection needs 3 more rounds before it opens. These are live today.
Ethiopia is high: most of the country sits above 1,800 m on a plateau slashed by enormous gorges. The architecture is rock, stone and thatch โ round churches with conical roofs, castles at Gondar, and monolithic churches cut into the ground.
Architecture
Churches cut down into bedrock with the roof at ground level are Lalibela and its region, 1150โ1250. Round churches with a conical thatched roof and a painted inner sanctuary are the standard highland form. Stone castles with round corner towers are Gondarine, 1630โ1750 โ and look startlingly European.
Landscape
Flat-topped ambas โ steep-sided plateau mountains โ with terraced fields between them are the northern highlands. Sheer red canyons are the Simien or the Blue Nile gorge. Salt flats and sulphur pools below sea level mean the Danakil in Afar.
Period tells
Ge'ez script appears from Aksumite times to the present, so it dates nothing alone. The Ethiopian calendar runs seven to eight years behind the Gregorian, which trips up dated inscriptions. Italian rationalist buildings in Addis and Asmara are 1936โ1941 only.
A starting shortlist, oldest first. Every one of these makes a round that Ethiopians can nail and everyone else has to work out.
Aksum, TigrayAncient world
Single granite shafts up to 33 m tall, carved to look like multi-storey buildings with false doors and windows.
Lalibela, AmharaMedieval
Eleven churches excavated downwards out of volcanic tuff, connected by trenches and tunnels โ a New Jerusalem in rock.
GondarEarly modern
A walled compound of stone castles with round towers and battlements, built by successive emperors over a century.
Adwa, TigrayThe long 19th century
Menelik II's army destroyed an Italian invasion force and secured Ethiopia's independence for another forty years.
Addis AbabaModern era
The last emperor was driven out of his palace in a Volkswagen, ending a dynasty that claimed descent from Solomon.
Ethiopian history touches ancient & classical, medieval & renaissance, exploration & revolution, 19th century and the 20th century. Each of those eras has a timed round of its own โ the same centuries, but questions drawn from every country in the library, so you find out whether you can date the rest of the period as confidently as you can date Ethiopia.
Ancient & classical
Ethiopian moment here: The Aksum obelisks raised (300).
Medieval & Renaissance
Ethiopian moment here: Lalibela's churches cut (1200).
Exploration & revolution
Ethiopian moment here: Fasil Ghebbi built at Gondar (1636).
19th century
Ethiopian moment here: The Battle of Adwa (1896).
20th century
Ethiopian moment here: The Derg deposes Haile Selassie (1974).
Dates, order and places from the moments above. Answers are printed underneath โ cover them with a hand if you want to test yourself, or read them out for a quiz round.
1.The Aksum obelisks raised โ what year?
Answer300
Single granite shafts up to 33 m tall, carved to look like multi-storey buildings with false doors and windows.
2.Lalibela's churches cut โ what year?
Answer1200
Eleven churches excavated downwards out of volcanic tuff, connected by trenches and tunnels โ a New Jerusalem in rock.
3.Fasil Ghebbi built at Gondar โ what year?
Answer1636
A walled compound of stone castles with round towers and battlements, built by successive emperors over a century.
4.The Battle of Adwa โ what year?
Answer1896
Menelik II's army destroyed an Italian invasion force and secured Ethiopia's independence for another forty years.
5.The Derg deposes Haile Selassie โ what year?
Answer1974
The last emperor was driven out of his palace in a Volkswagen, ending a dynasty that claimed descent from Solomon.
6.Which came first in Ethiopia โ the Aksum obelisks raised or Lalibela's churches cut?
AnswerThe Aksum obelisks raised, in 300.
Lalibela's churches cut follows in 1200, 900 years later.
7.Which came first in Ethiopia โ Fasil Ghebbi built at Gondar or the Battle of Adwa?
AnswerFasil Ghebbi built at Gondar, in 1636.
The Battle of Adwa follows in 1896, 260 years later.
8.Where in Ethiopia would you drop the pin for the Aksum obelisks raised?
AnswerAksum, Tigray
Single granite shafts up to 33 m tall, carved to look like multi-storey buildings with false doors and windows.
9.Where in Ethiopia would you drop the pin for Lalibela's churches cut?
AnswerLalibela, Amhara
Eleven churches excavated downwards out of volcanic tuff, connected by trenches and tunnels โ a New Jerusalem in rock.
10.How far apart are the oldest and newest Ethiopian moments in this collection?
Answer1,674 years
From the Aksum obelisks raised in 300 to the Derg deposes Haile Selassie in 1974.
You don't need a photograph or a map reference. Name a moment โ "The Aksum obelisks raised, Aksum, Tigray" โ and the builder fills in the year, drops the pin, writes the factoid and paints a 360ยฐ scene you can stand inside. Publish it and it joins this collection for everyone.
Step 1
One line is enough โ an event, a place, a year you half-remember. Or let the AI draft five moments around a theme.
Step 2
The year, the exact coordinates and a one-sentence factoid come back filled in. Everything stays editable.
Step 3
A 4K 360ยฐ panorama of that place in that year, ready to spin around inside the game.
๐ช๐น Put your own scene on /play/ethiopia
Credits cover the AI: 1 to auto-fill a moment, 3 to draft five at once, 25 for each 4K panorama. Your map stays yours โ you choose whether it's public, unlisted or private.
Moments Ethiopians want to see in the game. Vote them up โ the top of this list gets built next.
Each round drops you into a 360ยฐ scene from Ethiopia's past. Look around for clues โ architecture, clothing, technology, landscape โ then place the scene on the world map and pick the year. You score up to 5,000 points a round: closer in distance and closer in time both pay. Five rounds make a game.
No. You can play Ethiopian rounds straight away with no sign-up. Signing in saves your XP, keeps your character progressing through history, and puts you on the leaderboards.
The collection spans 300 to 1974 โ from the aksum obelisks raised through to the derg deposes haile selassie. New moments are added as the community suggests them.
Yes, completely free. There is no paywall on rounds, the daily challenge, or the leaderboards.
Yes โ that's how the collection grows. Suggest any moment Ethiopians would recognise instantly, like the aksum obelisks raised. Approved suggestions get built into playable 360ยฐ rounds and credited on the page.
Daily Challenge
Five fresh rounds every day, same for everyone.
History quizzes
Short quizzes across eras, empires and events.
Community maps
Panorama collections built by other players.
All game modes
Every free history game on the site, in one list.