the shores and islands of lake ziway are the home of the zay people. tradition states that when ahmad ibn ibrahim al-ghazi of the adal sultanate conquered ethiopia, the christians of the area took refuge on its islands. they were later isolated from the rest of ethiopia by the oromo people, who settled around the lake. at the time menelik ii conquered the lands around the lake, the lake-dwellers were rediscovered and found to have preserved both their christian faith and a number of ancient manuscripts.