Tiya was one of the first things I saw of Ethiopia, on a morning of August in 2015, after having been picked up by our drivers/guides from the airport together with my small group at dawn, after little or no sleep (it seems that my experience was quite similar to Juha's). Our final destination was the south and the Omo valley, but on that first day the guides had planned to bring us (also) here on the way to our first stop-over in Hawassa; from this and the fact that a troupe of a local television was there to take an interview with us, I got the impression that they were trying to promote the site somehow.

Anyway, I didn't know anything of Tiya, but, despite a general sense of negligence (the stelae were in a fenced field with unmown grass, and at the time the only nearby building was a toilet shack), we (as the only visitors) were very well received and I found that the local guide was well prepared and passionate, and could explain us what is known and speculated about these stelae in a good English. Neither is to be taken for granted, and I greatly appreciated it. This surely improved my understanding of the site.

I noticed that my travel companions were disappointed by the visit. I have to admit that the site is not a spectacular one, albeit its position is amidst a very beautiful countryside, dotted with huts and trees. In fact, you get to see some tight rows of stone stelae of varying size, height and conservation status, with etched symbols that are repeated over and over. They seem to represent male and female, social (e.g. weapons) and religious attributes and more, but the culture to which they belong is unknown. Now, I think that the disappointment might have originated from unmet expectations: as Europeans, we are used to such monuments, we are not impressed by something so "common". But, as far as I understood, this is actually one of the few scattered (known & accessible) archaeological sites in Sub-Saharan Africa, and among the oldest artifacts one will get to see here. Beyond that, these stelae are testimony to one of many ancient migrations that reached Eastern Africa, and that even until today shape the demography of Ethiopia (just consider the ethnical and social tensions between Amhara and Oromo). On a more personal note, I am always fascinated by this sort of cryptic glyphic artworks, wondering what cultural system might have left it, so I liked Tiya.

I don't think there is a sensible way to reach Tiya other than with a private means of transportation. It is not very near to Addis Abeba, but it will be easy to include in any tour that passes through this region e.g. towards the south, and it can be a nice stop. Just take it for what it is; as with many other archaeological sites, its true interest needs some introduction of sort to be enjoyed. Also, it would be curious to know how much has been achieved in the field of studies on African antiquities since 1980, the year of Tiya's nomination, and if new connections have appeared with other sites.