Mifsas Bahri

It is located 200m southwest of present-day Lake Ashenge and has an attitude of about 2464 m. This highland site contains the ruin of a substantial building constructed of bright red dressed ashlar which may date early as the 6th or 7th century.

[1] Lying 200 m west of the shore of Lake Hashinge, the site came to the attention of antiquities authorities in 1997 as a result of alleged exploitation of its building stone on the part of the local population.

[3] The building at Mifsas Bahri is a church, to judge from the orientation, masonry excellence and architectural relief sculpture.

[6] Historical reconstruction and local tradition had it that it was destroyed in the 1540s by the mixed forces of Aḥmad ibn Ibrahīm al-Ġazī.

This contradicts a few recent unpublished radiocarbon dates, which suggest a building and construction considerably earlier.

The stone building at Mifsas Bahri viewed toward the north
Mifsas Bahri, Tigray, Ethiopia, pier capital perhaps produced in the 7th century CE, surface find, Heidelberg-Mekelle Expedition, 2013
Sign written in Tigrinya, Amharic and English. Protected monument.