Solace and Community in a Tigray Spice Mill

Solace and Community in a Tigray Spice Mill

Plumes of ocher and vermilion spice rise in the air, swirling through the millhouse before settling like a tribute to autumn’s palette. During the peak hours of trade, women move with practiced urgency — pivoting, twisting, turning — while the gritty covering rasps beneath their feet, echoing against the smooth concrete floors. The mill is located in the ancient city of Aksum in Tigray, nestled in Ethiopia’s majestic northern highlands, where mo…