Cyber Ethiopia

Axum Axum is a wonderful place to visit. Arguably the most important archaeological site in Ethiopia, Axum is also a living city still. The streets are lively and regular, and apart from the Land Cruisers in the street it may not be too much different from its height during the time of the Roman Empire. There are probably many more discoveries to be made in Axum, but archaeology has been repeatedly interrupted by pesky wars. As Axum nestles on the border with Eritrea, the warfare between 1998-2000 closed the area for all but the most determined visitors. There was only 8 years of peace before that, during which teams began to make some important discoveries. For 12 years before that, essentially 1978-1990, Axum had been rendered unsafe

by the battle between the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Derg government. Earlier excavations had stopped with the overthrow of the Emperor in 1974, and had only briefly resumed in the 1990's before being stopped again. Archaeological interest in Axum dates back a considerable time. The artist Henry Salt provides a nice rendition of Axum in 1831. In 1905 the Deutsche Archaeological Expedition thoroughly explored the site, leaving many photographs and drawings of the sites. Italy took a great interest in Axum during their occupation, including the theft of one of the largest stelae which still sits near the FAO headquarters in Rome, despite Italian promises to return it. The Obelisk Field The main draw in Axum is the obelisks. When I first visited in 1995 I had a vague notion about the pillars or stelae. I asked my kind and considerate Tigrayan hosts to show me only 2 earth dams instead of 12, and go to see Axum. They accommodated me, and helped throw me into thrall with Ethiopian history. The stelae field is right in the centre of town. You travel down the main road and all of a sudden there they are, looming over the roadway. The tallest standing stelae is about 23 meters - 75 feet for the unconverted. There are a number of tall pillars all with the same basic design, a wide base with carvings like the stories of a building, capped by the classic Axumite curved design. The mystery of these pillars is that they depict multi-storey buildings, but in miniature. If they copied actual buildings, then these buildings would be monstrous towers. The largest stelae, about 35 meters high, is actually broken and lying on the ground. It appears it fell over when it was being erected, perhaps a classic example of trying to be too big. The next highest stelae was taken from where it was standing to Rome. These stelae are the largest in the ancient world, even surpassing the famous Egyptian obelisks in Luxor and elsewhere. One of the nicest things about the site is that you can wander around unfettered, after paying your modest visitors fee (50 birr when I was there last). You can go right up to the stelae and have a fingertip exploration. The large fallen stelae can even be clambered on. At some point these liberties may be removed. There are plenty of smaller stelae at the site, as well as an underground tomb. Recent excavations have extended the finds around the tomb, and you can climb in and walk around in the newly discovered tomb rooms. The Ark of the Covenant Although the stelae field is the big site in Axum, perhaps the biggest claim to fame is that the Ark of the Covenant of biblical fame is in Axum. The story of the bringing of the Ark to Axum by Emperor Menelik I, the son of King Solomon of Israel and the Ethiopian Queen of Sheba, is depicted in paintings at the Axum Hotel and elsewhere. This is a commonly known tale in Ethiopia, and seems to be universally believed. The former Economist reporter Graham Hancock investigated the claim that the Ark of the Covenant is in Ethiopia in 'The Sign and the Seal'. Although he disputes the story that the Ark came to Ethiopia during the lifetime of Solomon, he does conclude that the Ark is here, although it came a bit later - around 500 BC instead of 900 BC. Like most visitors to the church of St. Mary Zion, where the Ark is said to be kept in an outbuilding, I asked to see it. Like the rest of the visitors, I was refused. There is one old monk who takes care of the Ark, and a few other priests help him out on occasion. Although Graham Hancock says he was also refused a view of the Ark, rumours around Axum said that he had managed to bribe his way in to see it. I had a moment of excitement at St. Mary Zion. On one of my visits I was leaning against a fence which overlooks the back of the famous church. I noticed a cloth covered object at the back. I stopped a passing priest and asked him what it was (I was being a bit sarcastic, I'm afraid). To my amazement he looked over and said it was the Ark of the Covenant. I held my jaw up long enough to ask what the Ark was doing outside. He shrugged and said that they brought it out sometimes for air. I took a picture. The object behind the church was a large yellow box standing on legs with poles sticking out the back, covered by a white blanket. For Ark of the Covenant aficionados, the flat top of the box is wrong - it should have a couple of large solid gold statues called cherubim on it. These would definitely make a dent in a blanket. However, the Ethiopian story has been consistent, the Ark they have is a box which contains the tablets with the Ten Commandments and other holy relics. The cherubim described in the bible got lost from the Ark somewhere along the line. Much as I'd like to believe that I saw the Ark of Covenant, on reflection I suspect what I saw was a coffin with a body in it. I'm not sure why the priest assured me it was the Ark, but I sure would like to believe him! The quite small, square outbuilding of the church or St. Mary Zion was built with the support of Haile Selassie to house the Ark. That's not to say it isn't a very nice, even cute, outbuilding. The big church is across the way - and it is either a wonderful 20th century interpretation of traditional Ethiopian church design, or a monstrosity, depending on your point of view. It is very large, with a huge domed roof. One story goes that Haile Selassie built it for the visit of Queen Elizabeth in the 1960's, because they needed a church that women were allowed to visit – the monastery was off limits. Another story goes that the church was built after the visit of the Queen, perhaps with her support. I'd love to know the true story! An old cathedral also sits within the compound, built by the Gondar founder Emperor Fasilides, and in the same Gondar style. No women allowed there I'm afraid!