▁word ▁Sem ien ▁means ▁" n orth " ▁in ▁Am har ic , ▁according ▁to ▁Richard ▁P ank h urst ▁the ▁ancest ral ▁form ▁of ▁the ▁word ▁actually ▁meant ▁" s outh " ▁in ▁Ge ' ez , ▁because ▁the ▁mountains ▁lay ▁to ▁the ▁south ▁of ▁A ks um , ▁which ▁was ▁at ▁the ▁time ▁the ▁center ▁of ▁Eth iop ian ▁civil ization . ▁But ▁as ▁over ▁the ▁following ▁centuries ▁the ▁center ▁of ▁Eth iop ian ▁civil ization ▁itself ▁moved ▁to ▁the ▁south , ▁these ▁mountains ▁came ▁to ▁be ▁thought ▁of ▁as ▁lying ▁to ▁the ▁north , ▁and ▁the ▁meaning ▁of ▁the ▁word ▁like wise ▁changed . The ▁Sem iens ▁are ▁remarkable ▁as ▁being ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁few ▁sp ots ▁in ▁Africa ▁where ▁snow ▁regularly ▁falls . ▁First ▁mentioned ▁in ▁the ▁Monument um ▁Ad ul itan um ▁of ▁the ▁ 4 th ▁century ▁AD ▁( which ▁described ▁them ▁as ▁" in access ible ▁mountains ▁covered ▁with ▁snow " ▁and ▁where ▁soldiers ▁walked ▁up ▁to ▁their ▁kne es ▁in ▁snow ), ▁the ▁presence ▁of ▁snow ▁was ▁und eni ably ▁witness ed ▁by ▁the ▁ 1 7 th ▁century ▁Jes uit ▁priest ▁Jer ón imo ▁Lob o . ▁Although ▁the ▁later ▁travel er ▁James ▁Bruce ▁claims ▁that ▁he ▁had ▁never ▁witness ed ▁snow ▁in ▁the ▁Sem ien ▁Mountains , ▁the ▁ 1 9 th ▁century ▁expl orer ▁Henry ▁Salt ▁not ▁only ▁recorded ▁that ▁he ▁saw ▁snow ▁there ▁( on ▁ 9 ▁April ▁ 1 8 1 4 ), ▁but ▁explained ▁the ▁reason ▁for ▁Bruce '