Axum (The Mysterious Monoliths)

Although its very early history is still unknown, Ethiopian legends first recorded in the fourteenth-century Kebre Nagast (Book of Kings) make Axum the capital of the Queen of Sheba in the tenth century BC ,Rising to importance around the time of the of Christ, Axum was the capital far-reaching Axumite kingdom, dominated the vital crossroads of Africa and Asia for almost a thousand years.

Its principal ecclesiastical building, the church of St Mary of Zion, is where, according to Ethiopian legend, the Ark of covenant resides. The Axumites introduced a universal written language, and created a new imperial power in this part of Africa. They also gave Ethiopia its first organized religion — Christianity — in the 4th: century AD.

The spectacular rise of Islam in the seventh century was the main cause of the Kingdoms’ decline. After the decline of the Axumite realm the city remained Ethio­pia’s religious capital, as well as the place where several medieval emperors made their way to celebrate their coronation rites. The town abounds in archaeological remains, including the graves of kings, the foundations of a palace, inscribed tablets, and great carved obelisks.

Just north of the town square stand a number of famous obelisks, or monolithic stelae, with which Axum is widely identified. In ancient times there were seven of these monoliths of granite standing together, but the biggest, which was the largest monolith in the world —measuring over thirty-three meters (108 feet) and weighing about 500 tones — fell at some remote period in the past, and now lies in broken segments on the ground to the right of the standing stelae The second largest stela, about twenty-four meters (79 feet) high, had also fallen and was stolen during the Italian Fascist occupation on the personal orders of the dictator Mussolini. The third largest stela, which is slightly smaller, measuring twenty three meters (75 feet) still stands in Axum.

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