The valley of Səmen Mənaṭa is located along theGərzəman River, which flows from the heights of ǦanAmora to the south-southwest towards Wägära (maps13.1–13.2). The Šəma Materit stream flows into thevalley from the north-northwest, converging with the Gərzəman.On the southern slope of the spur delimited by these two rivers is theBetä Ǝsraʾel holy site of AbbaTäntän. A second Betä Ǝsraʾel holy site,the springs of Wəsta Ṭägay, is located within theGərzəman River Valley, ca. 2.75 km north-northeast of theabove-mentioned confluence. The Betä Ǝsraʾel village1of Səmen Mənaṭa was situated within the valley,primarily south of the confluence. Two mäsgidcompounds were documented in the village (Ṣəbra andSiqwala), as well as two Betä Ǝsraʾelcemeteries (Mərṭa and Kiyake). The area inhabited by theBetä Ǝsraʾel can thus be divided into a northern andsouthern section, Ṣəbra and Siqwala respectively,each containing its own prayer house and situated in the vicinity of one ofthe two cemeteries. The monastic community is also reported to have beendivided between the two sections. The existence of a third cemetery forchildren is attested, but its location has not yet been determined byus.

The existence of two prayer houses and two cemeteries for adults within sucha small area is without precedent in the sites surveyed and attests to theconsiderable size of the Betä Ǝsraʾel community in thevalley. In the list of Betä Ǝsraʾel villages providedin 1848 by AbbaYəsḥaq and ṢäggaAmlak, Səmen Mənaṭa (which appears as“Malata”) is mentioned as a village with fifty BetäƎsraʾel families (d’Abbadie 1851–52,260–62). A.A., who is originally from the village, recounts that thisvillage contained about one hundred and eighty houses belonging to theBetä Ǝsraʾel community. Dr. Dan Har’el, anIsraeli doctor who visited the village in 1963, reported that 406 peoplelived there, and implies that they were all BetäƎsraʾel.

Two footpaths link the valley of Səmen Mənaṭa with theheights of Ǧan Amora. One descends into the valley from the villageof Sälamge and passes in the vicinity of AbbaTäntän. The second, by which we travelled to the site, departsfrom the village of Asänga and crosses two river valleys and tworidges before descending into Səmen Mənaṭa.