3-021-426 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

The Abyssinian Expedition: weekly fair at Antalo, 1868. 'The fair at Antalo [in Tigray, Ethiopia] is held every Wednesday. All the inhabitants of the country within twenty miles then congregate at Antalo to dispose of their grain, vegetables, bullocks, and other agricultural produce, returning with bricks of salt, which are the current coin of the realm, though now the dollar is rife during the stay of the British troops. The fair is held in the old ruined portion of the town, which is half-way up the side of the Amba, or hill fort. The man with a turban is the priest; the man next to him is the soldier, a real specimen of the blustering "swash buckler." The Abyssinians are a most hospitable people, and our officers had many invitations to drink tedge [or tej] during their visit to Antalo, where the honours of the house are invariably done with grace and kindness. Some of the girls are really handsome, though their appearance would be much improved by the use of soap and hot water'. From "Illustrated London News", 1868.