ese ▁Tam rat , ▁ 1 9 9 4 : 9 5 4 - 9 5 9 ). ▁On ▁the ▁pen ins ula ▁of ▁Z ege ▁there ▁are ▁six ▁Mon astic ▁churches , ▁all ▁established ▁between ▁the ▁ 1 4 th ▁and ▁ 1 7 th ▁centuries . ▁ ▁Background ▁A ▁heart ▁sh aped ▁Lake ▁and ▁source ▁of ▁Blue ▁N ile ▁Lake ▁T ana ▁is ▁situated ▁in ▁North ▁western ▁Eth iop ia ▁in ▁the ▁area ▁between ▁G onder ▁and ▁Go j j am , ▁to ▁the ▁north ▁of ▁Bah ir ▁Dar . ▁It ▁is ▁the ▁largest ▁lake ▁in ▁the ▁country , ▁at ▁ 3 6 0 0 ▁square ▁kilom eters . ▁Lake ▁T ana ▁has ▁about ▁ 3 7 ▁islands ▁and ▁hosts ▁about ▁ 3 0 ▁ancient ▁and ▁historic ▁monaster ies ▁end owed ▁with ▁pre cious ▁her it ages ▁and ▁ancient ▁books ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁documents . ▁S ources ▁trac ed ▁the ▁foundation ▁of ▁many ▁of ▁its ▁monaster ies ▁back ▁to ▁the ▁ 1 4 th ▁century , ▁out ▁of ▁the ▁thirty ▁mon astic ▁churches ▁on ▁the ▁islands . ▁On ▁the ▁land ▁around ▁Lake ▁T ana , ▁seven ▁churches ▁were ▁founded ▁in ▁z ege ▁pen ins ula ▁occup ies ▁a ▁large ▁land ▁mass ▁push es ▁the ▁lake ▁from ▁the ▁west ▁in ▁an ▁e aster ly ▁direction . ▁Among ▁the ▁monaster ies ▁of ▁z eg h ie , ▁ma hal ▁z eg h ie ▁ge org ies ▁and ▁betre ▁Mar iam ▁is ▁believed ▁to ▁be ▁the ▁earliest . ▁It ▁is ▁the ▁earliest ▁monaster y