excerpt from a painting by Bobby Garro Sutton
Ras Dashen Mountains - 15,157 ft.
Our restaurant's name, Ras Dashen, literally means "king of rubble" and is the highest mountain in Ethiopia. It is also the highest of the Simien range, a group of eroded mountains that rises stunningly from the surrounding 9,000 foot plateau in northern Ethiopia. Despite the overall high elevation of Ethiopia, the Simien range is the only place in the country that is regularly snow-covered in winter. The mountains are composed of basalt volcanic rock, though there are no active volcanoes today. In the midst of the Simien range, Ras Dashen is a cluster of nine rocky peaks.
The mountain trails of the Simien Range are dotted with many small agricultural villages. The Simien landscape consists of a rolling massif cut by several valleys. The high rainfall in the area feeds strong-flowing rivers which have eroded gullies and ravines into the escarpment, creating a landscape filled with towers, spires, mesas and statue-like formations that has often been compared to Arizona's Grand Canyon. The Simien National Park has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Simien Mountains National Park - the mountains high lands constitute on of the major mountain massif in Africa. The region includes many summits above 4000 meters and culminates in the highest point in Ethiopia. Its dramatic topography is the result of the erosion of basalt lavas, which have been calculated to be nearly 3000 meters thick.
As this place is secluded there are various species of Endemic mammals like Walia Ibex (Ras Dashen Restaurant's Logo), Simien Fox and Gelada Baboon. In addition, there are lots of endemic birds and plants.