Ethiopia P-57 100 Birr 2020 (2012 EE) VF+ (Very Fine Plus)—Castle— Obelisk—Cave

A striking note from one of Africa's oldest civilizations, featuring two of Ethiopia's most iconic UNESCO World Heritage landmarks on a single face — the medieval castle of Emperor Fasilides in Gondar and the ancient Obelisk of Axum — printed by De La Rue on crisp paper stock.

Front

• Colors: blue-green dominant engraving; light blue background; gold and orange accents
• Emperor Fasilides' castle in Gondar, Amhara region
• Obelisk of Axum
• Denomination in Ge'ez script (፻፡ብር) and Latin (ONE HUNDRED BIRR)
• Issuer name in Ge'ez (የኢትዮጵያ ብሔራዊ ባንክ) and Latin (National Bank of Ethiopia)
• Bearer clause in both scripts
• Signatures: Yinager Dessie, Gov.

Back

• Colors: brown and ochre dominant; tan background; green accents
• Sof Omar Cave in Bale Mountains National Park, Bale Province — one of the longest cave systems in Africa
• Denomination in Ge'ez (መቶ፡ብር፡) and numeral (100)

Other Characteristics

• Varieties: 2012 EE (2020) YD; 2015 EE (2023) YD — this note
• Catalog numbers: P-57; TBB B337; Numista N#280485
• Watermark: Castle and obelisk
• Composition: Paper
• Size: 147 × 72 mm
• Issuing entity: National Bank of Ethiopia (የኢትዮጵያ ብሔራዊ ባንክ)
• Printer: De La Rue, London
• Demonetized: No
• Signatures: Yinager Dessie, Gov.
• Currency: Ethiopian Birr (1976–date)
• Official language(s): Amharic (federal); Oromo, Somali, Tigrinya, and others at regional level

About Ethiopia

• Origin of name: From the Greek Aithiopia, meaning "land of burnt faces" — used by ancient Greeks to describe sub-Saharan Africa broadly; the name was adopted by the kingdom of Aksum and its successors
• Capital: Addis Ababa — city pop. ~3.9 million; metro pop. ~5.5 million
  • Origin of name: Amharic for "New Flower" (አዲስ አበባ), named by Empress Taytu Betul when the capital was established in 1886
• Population: ~128 million (UN 2024) — roughly California + Texas combined
• Area: 1,104,300 km² (426,400 mi²) — comparable to Texas + California + Montana
• GDP per capita (PPP): ~$3,200 (IMF 2024)
• Main exports: Coffee, sesame, cut flowers, gold, khat, leather goods
• Borders: Eritrea (north), Djibouti (northeast), Somalia (east and southeast), Kenya (south), South Sudan (west), Sudan (northwest)
• Official/spoken languages: Amharic (official federal language); Oromo (~35%), Amharic (~27%), Somali (~6%), Tigrinya (~6%), and 80+ other languages
• Ethnicities: Oromo (~35%); Amhara (~27%); Somali (~6%); Tigrinya (~6%); Sidama, Gurage, and 80+ other groups
• Memberships: African Union (founding member, 1963; hosts secretariat in Addis Ababa); United Nations (founding member, 1945); IGAD (1996); COMESA (1994)
• Sovereignty:
  • Kingdom of Aksum (1st–7th century AD) — one of the great ancient empires; minted its own coins; adopted Christianity in the 4th century
  • Zagwe dynasty (9th–13th century) — built the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela
  • Solomonic dynasty restored (1270–1974) — claimed descent from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba
  • Emperor Fasilides (r. 1632–1667) — built the castle complex in Gondar depicted on this note; established Gondar as the imperial capital
  • Battle of Adwa (1896) — Ethiopia defeated Italy, becoming the only African nation to repel a European colonial power during the Scramble for Africa
  • Italian occupation (1936–1941) — brief Fascist occupation under Mussolini; Emperor Haile Selassie restored by Allied forces
  • Haile Selassie era (1941–1974) — modernizing monarchy; Ethiopia was a founding member of the UN and the OAU
  • Derg military junta (1974–1991) — Marxist regime; famine of 1983–85 killed ~1 million people
  • Federal Democratic Republic (1995–date) — this note issued during this period

Ethiopia Unfiltered

• Ethiopia is the only country in Africa that was never colonized (the brief Italian occupation of 1936–41 notwithstanding) — a fact of enormous national pride
• It uses its own calendar: the Ethiopian calendar has 13 months (12 of 30 days + one of 5 or 6 days) and runs ~7–8 years behind the Gregorian calendar — which is why this 2020-dated note carries the Ethiopian year 2012
• Ethiopia is the origin of coffee: the word "coffee" likely derives from "Kaffa," a region in southwestern Ethiopia where Coffea arabica grows wild
• Addis Ababa is the diplomatic capital of Africa — home to the African Union headquarters and more embassies than almost any other African city
• The Sof Omar Cave on the reverse is one of the longest cave systems in Africa (~15 km of passages), carved by the Web River through limestone — and is considered sacred by local Muslim communities
• Ethiopia has one of the world's fastest-growing economies over the past two decades, yet remains one of the poorest by per capita income — a paradox driven by massive infrastructure investment and a population boom
• The country has no coastline — it became landlocked in 1993 when Eritrea gained independence, cutting off access to the Red Sea ports of Massawa and Assab
• Lucy (Australopithecus afarensis), one of the oldest known hominin fossils at 3.2 million years old, was discovered in Ethiopia's Afar region in 1974

Two Landmarks, One Face

The obverse of this note is a rare double act: the Royal Enclosure of Gondar and the Obelisk of Axum share the same face, representing two of Ethiopia's greatest historical epochs separated by over a millennium. Fasilides' castle — a 17th-century fusion of Portuguese, Indian, and local Aksumite architectural styles — anchors the Amhara highlands. The Axum obelisk, carved from a single granite slab around the 4th century AD, once stood 24 meters tall and was looted by Mussolini's forces in 1937, only to be returned by Italy in 2008 after decades of diplomatic pressure. Both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Into the Earth: Sof Omar

The reverse takes you underground. The Sof Omar Cave in the Bale Mountains is not just a geological wonder — it is a living sacred site. Named after Sheikh Sof Omar, a 12th-century Islamic scholar who used the cave as a refuge, it remains a pilgrimage destination for Ethiopian Muslims. The Web River carved its way through the limestone over millennia, creating cathedral-like chambers and arched passages that stretch for 15 kilometers. It is one of the most spectacular cave systems on the continent, and almost no one outside Ethiopia has heard of it.

De La Rue: The World's Banknote Printer

De La Rue, founded in London in 1821, is the world's largest commercial banknote printer — producing currency for over 140 countries. Their work on Ethiopian notes reflects the National Bank's preference for high-security, internationally produced currency during this period of rapid economic growth.

Own this note and hold two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in your hand — plus a cave that has been sacred for 800 years. A collector's window into one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations, in Very Fine Plus condition.