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Many tourist sites around the world are there, in general, for geological reasons. This fact cannot be most expressed in Ethiopia than elsewhere. To cite but a few examples, the still active Great Ethiopian Rift Valley which encompasses many of the national parks and wild life sanctuaries, the chain of rift valley lakes and the world-famous archaeological and anthropological sites where Lucy and other hominids were found, the unique Afar rift where active volcanic activities in Ert'ale and formation of new oceanic crust can be witnessed, are all there because of unique geological processes. Ethiopia is also one of the few places in the world where it's cultural history, religious manifestations and civilization are imprinted in rocks. The rock-hewn churches of Lalibela and central and eastern Tigrai, the stelae of Axum, the Sof-Umer cave, the Simen and Bale Massifs, and the Tis Isat fall along the mighty Blue Nile (Abay) River are all there because of the unique geology of the respective localities. Moreover, the geomorphology and the geology of the country, i.e., the isolation of the north western highlands (where the political centres of the country have been located) from the external world by the harsh Danakil plains close to the sea, somewhat determined the route of Ethiopian history and its destiny.
However, little if at all, attention is given by the tourism industry to these geological features underlying the major tourist attractions of the country. The available tourist guides and brochures on these sites rarely mention the nature of the rocks, let alone their scientific significance. Tourism being one of the major development sectors for sustainable development in Ethiopia, it has become necessary to address this problem scientifically. This research deals with the collection of geological and relevant archaeological, geomorphological and historical data on the major tourist sites including ancient monuments, religious centres, rock-hewn churches, beautiful natural sceneries, recreation sites, caves, famous modern and ancient cities and towns, archaeological and anthropological environments along routes that lead to these sites. Among the sites that are already studied and will be studied in detail are UNESCO heritage sites such as the Simen National Park (UNESCO heritage site since 1978), the rock - hewn churches of Lalibela (since 1978); the Fasilides Castle in Gondar (since 1979), the stelae of Axum (since 1980), the prehistoric sites of Tiya (since 1980), the lower valley of the Awash river (since 1980), and the lower valley of the Omo (since 1980). The documentation of the geotouristic significance of these sites will be of great value for the environmentally friendly use of these sites for sustainable development in cooperation with and involvement of the respective local population. This study is financially supported by the Ethiopian Science and Technology Commission
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