The sandstone massifs of Gheralta -- those improbable, cliff-carved sanctuaries that cling to Ethiopia's northern highlands -- have long been counted among the country's most extraordinary cultural treasures. They anchor what Ethiopia has proposed to UNESCO as the "Sacred Landscapes of Tigray," a serial nomination that spans 1,500 years of devotion, artistry, and pilgrimage. Here, at elevations above 2,000 meters, churches such as Abuna Yemata Guh, Maryam Korkor, and Daniel Korkor rise from the rock like extensions of the earth itself, their frescoes and manuscripts chronicling one of the world's oldest Christian traditions.
But these ancient sanctuaries -- remote, fragile, and battered by recent conflict -- now sit at the heart of a renewed intervention. Italy has launched a two-year, 1.7 million-euro initiative to restore heritage sites across the Wukro-Gheralta corridor and revive the region's ecotourism economy. The project, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), aims to stabilize eroded structures, improve access to the cliffside monuments, and support local communities whose livelihoods collapsed when tourism vanished during the war.
The initiative, titled "Supporting Community Resilience through Community-Based Tourism and Heritage Conservation in the Wukro-Gheralta Belt, Tigray," was formalized in Addis Ababa, where Ethiopia's State Minister of Finance, Semereta Sewasew, and Italy's ambassador, Agostino Palese, signed the partnership agreement. For both governments, the program represents more than a conservation exercise; it is an attempt to link preservation with recovery in a region still emerging from trauma.
Officials said the project will pair technical restoration with community-level investment, offering jobs, training, and small-enterprise support to residents who once served as guides, artisans, and custodians of the landscape. The effort aligns with Ethiopia's Ten-Year Development Plan (2021-2030) and national priorities under the Pretoria Peace Agreement, positioning cultural heritage as a lever for economic rebuilding.
Ambassador Palese and State Minister Semereta cast the initiative as a continuation of the countries' longstanding partnership, describing the project as "a tool of peace, resilience, and shared cultural identity that restores hope and strengthens communities."
The region's significance is vast: 28 known monuments carved into the Gheralta sandstone ridge, rising between 2,100 and 2,500 meters, chart a millennium and a half of uninterrupted religious practice. Yet their survival has grown increasingly precarious. According to a 2025 report by the Commission of Inquiry on Tigray Genocide, the conflict inflicted an estimated USD 1.6 billion in damage on cultural and religious heritage alone, part of a broader USD 10.86 billion in verified losses across social and public sectors.
Beyond the financial toll, the logistical hurdles are considerable. Many churches are accessible only by steep footpaths; roads and visitor facilities suffered damage; and the technical work of stabilizing ancient sandstone structures requires specialized expertise. Security and access in parts of Tigray remain fluid, adding further complexity.
Yet despite the project's promise and the urgency of preserving the deteriorating sites, restoration work has not resumed -- nearly two months after Ethiopia and Italy signed the agreement in October 2025. No scaffolding has gone up, no conservators have arrived, and no community-based tourism activities have been launched.
An official from Tigray's Regional Tourism Bureau, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, told The Reporter that relations between the Bureau and the federal Ministry of Finance remain "constructive," and insisted there is no indication that the agreement is being reconsidered. Still, the official confirmed that no restoration activity has taken place, and the regional Bureau has received no formal explanation for the delay.
"The delay persists despite the initial commitment," the official said, noting that financial arrangements on the federal side may be the cause. "The level of engagement between the regional Bureau and the Ministry of Finance differs regarding the project's implementation," the source added, stressing that the budget and the project's continuation rest fully with the Ministry.
The Ministry has also issued no public statement regarding the halt, nor did officials respond to The Reporter's inquiries about the status of the agreement. Heritage professionals caution that such silence risks deepening uncertainty at a time when coordinated action -- among local authorities, conservation experts, and national bodies -- is essential. Any intervention, they say, must be both culturally sensitive and environmentally sound.
The uncertainty has also unsettled those whose livelihoods depend on the region's fragile tourism sector. A veteran tour operator who has worked in Gheralta for decades said the two-year conflict left what he called "a devastating gap" in business.
"Tourism came to a complete standstill during the war," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity for personal reasons. "Security and tourism are inseparable."
Before the conflict erupted in 2020, he recalled, his business and many others were thriving. But the war forced guides, drivers, and local businesses out of work. Conditions have improved, he noted, since the Peace Agreement, and the joint Ethiopian-Italian initiative was widely welcomed by those in the industry.
"After the agreement, some tourists came to the sites on their own initiative," he said. "The restoration initiative also signals to Italian visitors that the region is safe. These steps have helped. But there are still challenges that need immediate addressing."
Chief among them, he explained, are continuing security concerns, inadequate roads, and persistent transportation problems. "Tourism requires reliable roads and proper infrastructure," he said, describing the rough routes to the Wukro-Gheralta area -- and even the narrow paths leading to the Sacred Landscapes of Tigray -- as among the most difficult in the country. "Without proper solutions, operating is extremely hard."
Still, he remains hopeful that the long-delayed restoration will soon begin. He pointed to the Gebeta Lehager initiative, which supports accommodation services and cultural exchange, as an important tool for increasing tourist flows and improving livelihoods for both community members and operators.
The Gheralta initiative is not the only heritage project underway. Ethiopia is pursuing several parallel efforts with international partners to protect cultural and natural assets damaged or endangered in recent years.
One of the largest involves the government of France, whose French Development Agency has committed more than EUR five million to conserve the monolithic rock-hewn churches of Lalibela. That program extends beyond emergency stabilization to include scientific research and training for local artisans, linking conservation to long-term socio-economic development in surrounding communities.
Elsewhere, the British Council's Cultural Protection Fund is supporting the renovation of the Dessie Museum in Amhara Region, which was vandalized and looted during the conflict. Organizations such as Farm Africa are also working in the Ilu Ababor Zone to develop community-based ecotourism connected to biodiversity sites including the Yayo Forest UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Taken together, these efforts signal a growing recognition -- shared by both local and international partners -- that safeguarding heritage is not only a cultural imperative but a pathway to recovery, resilience, and renewed livelihoods in post-conflict Ethiopia.