Axum

Axum, The Last Remains of an Ancient Empire: Axum, which is also written as Aksum, in Ethiopia is one of the most important historical sites you may not have heard of. The town was the hub of a great society in the past. It is famous for its huge obelisks and is said to have been the home of the Queen of Sheba. Some people also think it holds the Ark of the Covenant.

The main sights

People in Tigray believe that the small town of Axum is the holiest place in Ethiopia. It is home to the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, which the Ethiopian Orthodox Church says is where the Ark of the Covenant rests. Along with this holy site, the main draw is what used to be the empire’s capital city.

The city has been around since the first century AD, but its best years were between the 4th and 7th centuries. As Islam spread, Muslim traders blocked the empire’s trade lines across the Red Sea, and the empire fell apart.

One of the most famous places to visit in Ethiopia is Axum. Some of its best features are:

There are underground tombs for King Kaleb and King Bazen, who some people think was one of the three wise men.
The writing on this huge stone tablet, which was found by local farmers, is thought to have been King Ezana’s message board. This was a very important historical find because it had writing in both Ge’ez (the Axum language) and Ancient Greek.
Anthropological and archaeological museums talk about the finds and how important the spot is.
But the steles, which are important obelisks, may be what Axum is best known for. Some of them are 23 meters tall. People now see them as a sign of Ethiopia itself. The largest obelisk was taken to Italy, and Ethiopia has been asking for its return for a long time. A few years ago, this was finally allowed, and the return of the stele was met with great joy.

How to Get There and When to Go

Ethiopia gets a lot of rain from May to September, so if you want to go, you might want to avoid that time. Also, it will be cold because this hunting spot is 2,000 meters above sea level and only gets warm when the sun is out.

In the rest of the year, the sun is strong and the weather is hot. Visitors should put on a lot of sunscreen and make sure they have enough drinks because of this.

Take a look at a map of Axum. It is in the north of the country, close to the border that was just reopened between Ethiopia and Eritrea. From Gondar, the town is only 20 minutes away by plane, and from Addis Ababa, it’s an hour. There are a lot of cheap and regular flights within Ethiopia. You can also take the bus from Gondar and change at the town of Shire. Because this is a long trip, you will probably need to stay the night in Shire. By bus, it takes about 4 hours to get to Mekele, the next big city from Axum.

Axum should be at the top of your list of places to see in Ethiopia if you are interested in old history.