KONSO>>Gesergiyo
Gesergiyo lies 17km from Karat-Konso by road, and is easily visited in combination with Mecheke.
Gesergiyo attracts attention primarily for the adjoining formation of sand pinnacles sculpted by occasional water flow in a normally dry gorge. It is a magnificent and very unusual natural phenomenon. Rock formations of similar character can be found in other parts of the world but the fact that they are made entirely of sand makes them incomparable. The external resemblance to a row of 'skyscrapers' led some local people to rename the entire village 'New York'
Oral tradition has it that New York is of supernatural origin. The story is that a local chief awoke one day to find his ceremonial drums had been stolen during the night. He he prayed to god, who swept away the earth from where the thieves had buried the drums, creating the sand formation in the process. To this day, Konso youngsters are taken to Gesergiyo as a reminder that god doesn't like thieves.
