Axum

AXUM: Mysterious Monoliths

Axum is renowned for the world’s tallest monoliths, or obelisks, which experts say were erected to mark the passing of some ancient royal personages.

Set amid a smooth grassy plain, in contrast to the jagged peaks and maze of ravines which virtually isolates it from the outside world, Axum has a history that goes back more than 2,000 (possibly 3,000) years. It was the centre of one of the first Christianity to adopt Christianity as a state religion.

The extensive traces of noble buildings with large stone foundations are found here side by side with the ruins of even more impressive structures, temples, fortresses, and rich palaces. The relics of bygone eras protrude everywhere through the soil. Even today, long-buried hordes of gold, silver and bronze coins are sometimes exposed by heavy downpours of rain.

Axum's greatest significance, however, is as the epicenter of the Queen of Sheba dynasty, upon which rests the notion of the sacred kingship of the Semitic peoples of Ethiopia a notion that links the recent past to ancient times in a most unambiguous fashion. Among all the different narratives, the Ethiopian Legend where Sheba's name becomes Makeda is the richest and the most convincing. It appears in the 'Glory of Kings' (the Kibre Nigist), the Ethiopian national saga written in the 14th century.

Christianity came to the Axumite Kingdom early in the 4th century when two Christian youths from Syria, Frumentius and Adesius, landed from a ship on the Axumite coast. During Ezana's rule Frumentius was appointed the Kingdom's first Archbishop, after which the Ethiopian Orthodox Church continued to recruit Axumites to the Christian faith.

The oldest church in Africa, south of the Sahara, is the first St Mary of Zion Church, originally built around the 4th century. Emperor Fasilidas replaced it with a newer church around 1635 which is still a place of active worship, notable for its crenellated, fortress-like walls.

Its hushed interior, resplendent with many beautiful murals and paintings, evokes a mood of contemplation in an atmosphere of antiquity.

The modern Chapel next to St Mary of Zion church is said to contain the sacred Ark of the Covenant, but no one except the Orthodox priest who serves as the chapel's custodian is allowed to enter the building.

Still accessible today are underground vaults believed to be the tombs of the 5th century King Kaleb and his son, King Gebre Meskel' Steep steps made of large blocks of neatly-carved stone, which fit together precisely without any mortar to hold them in place, lead down to a labyrinth of galleries containing what appear to be coffins.

Coins minted in the reign of King Kaleb are among the thousands of Axumite gold, silver, and bronze coins unearthed since that period.

Axum is renowned for the world's tallest monoliths, or obelisks, carved from single pieces of rock. Some experts believe they were erected to mark the passing of some ancient royal personages; others say that they had an astronomical function. In ancient times seven of the tallest obelisks stood in what is today known as the 'Park of the Stelae' just north of the modern town square. The largest obelisk, measuring over 33 meters, fell long ago and now lies in pieces.

Another, 24 meters high, which was in Rome, was returned to Ethiopia in April 2005 and a third, 23 meters high, remains standing. All three of these Stelae (obelisks) were neatly carved with 'doors' and 'windows' to give the appearance of very tall buildings.

Preceding Axum, the town of Yeha was the centre of the earliest known civilization in northern Ethiopia. But all that remains of the city-state, established in the mists of time, are the towering, yellow limestone ruins of the Temple of the Moon, which dates back to the 5th century BC. Inscriptions and fine objects of bronze and other artifacts have been excavated from Yeha since 1909. The temple stands on a small hill, at the foot of a mountain, with a reasonable sized village of traditional Tigray-style houses nearby.

Obelisks

AXUM OBELISKS

Although its very early history is still unknown, Ethiopian legends first recorded in the fourteenth-century Kibre Nigist (Book of Kings) make Axum the capital of the Queen of Sheba in the tenth century BC, it does seem certain that a high civilization was established here in Axum by immigrants from southern Arabia in the centuries before the Christian era, and by the first century AD the time of the earliest historical records Axum was well known to Greek traders as a fine city and also as the centre of a considerable empire.

Rising to importance around the time of the birth of Christ, Axum was the capital of the far-reaching Axumite kingdom, which 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 the Covenant resides, within a special sanctuary chapel. The Axumites introduced a universal written language, Ge'ez, and created a new imperial power and political cohesion in this part of Africa. They also gave Ethiopia its first organized religion Christianity in the fourth century AD.

The spectacular rise of Islam in the seventh century was the main cause of the decline of Axum. Although there was no direct aggression, Arab influence in the Red Sea cut off trade and cultural relations and Ethiopia found itself isolated from the rest of the world. Axum's dramatic end was caused by the rebellion against the Axumite kingdom and Christianity led by Queen Yodit or Gudit, who destroyed much of the ancient city, overthrew its last king, and killed the royal princes - thus interrupting the Solomonic line. In folklore, Queen Yodit is remembered as a monster and a destroyer of churches.

However, 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.

Sightseeing

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 tons fell at some remote period in the past, and now lies in broken segments on the ground close to the standing stelae.

The second largest stelae, about twenty four meters (79 feet) high, had also fallen and it was looted during the Italian Fascist occupation on the personal orders of the Italian dictator Mussolini. It was taken to Rome in 1937. Though eligible for return in accordance with the Italian Peace Treaty of 1947, it has thus far not been repatriated, although Ethiopian scholars and patriots are now campaigning for its return. The third largest stelae, which is slightly smaller, measuring twenty-three meters (75 feet), still stands in Axum.

All seven giant stelae are made of single pieces of granite and have identical decoration. Each was erected in the centre of a step platform of stone on a terrace of polished limestone. At the base of each standing stelae is a stone altar containing several bowl-shaped cavities, which it is thought served as receptacles for sacrificial offerings to the dead. Each stelae resembles a tall, slender, multi-storied house in the architectural style of the Axumite houses and palaces, which had walls displaying an alternate recession and projection and were made of alternating horizontal layers of stone and timber, with projecting ends of timber-beams, technically called 'monkey heads', and a flat roof surrounded by a parapet.

The stelae are even decorated with representations of doors, windows, and, in some cases, door handles. Riveted to the top at the front and back were inscribed metal ornaments in the form of the pagan crescent and disc, symbols of the moon, with an arc at the top of the stelae representing the cosmic Universe.

In addition to these obelisks there are a number of others of various degrees of excellence, including many roughly hewn, undecorated, slabs of stone.

To the left of the principal obelisks, in the Park of the Stelae, one can enter the newly excavated tomb of Ramha, a former king of Axum.

Churches

CHURCH OF SAINT MARY OF TSION

Also of great interest is Axum's Church of Saint Mary of Zion. There are in fact two such churches, one old and one new, both located in a spacious walled compound directly opposite the Park of the Stelae. The older, a rectangular battlemented building was put up in the early seventeenth century by Emperor Fasilidas, the founder of Gondar; the much more modern structure was erected nearby by Emperor Haile Selassie, who opened it in the company of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain in 1965.

The older structure, by far the more interesting of the two, is the guardian of many crowns of former Ethiopian rulers and other valuables, which have been put in a small museum like building in the compound. Unfortunately, the latter two are closed to women, who are, however, allowed to inspect some of these treasures, which are carried to the edge of the restricted areas for this purpose.

The church courtyard also contains many antiquities. These include sculpted stones, which formed part of the old demolished church. Visitors may also see the stone thrones on which the monarchs of the past were crowned.

Nearby is a small national museum, open to visitors on payment of an entry fee, which houses a remarkable collection of antiquities. There are several stones bearing Sabaean and Ge'ez inscriptions, as well as many other artifacts, including clay figurines that reveal the hair style current in ancient Axum.

From the museum it is a walk of less than half a minute to the ruins of the original Church of Saint Mary of Zion which, according to tradition, was erected soon after the advent of Christianity as the state religion in the early fourth century. This, or a later edifice in its place, was described twelve centuries later by a visiting Portuguese priest, Francisco Alvares, but was destroyed shortly afterwards by the Muslim conqueror Ahmed Gragn.

Also of immense historical importance in Axum is a trilingual inscription erected by the early fourth-century King Ezana to record his victories. It is written in three scripts, Sabaean, Ge'ez, and Greek, and is housed in a specially constructed park in the centre of the town. Of archaeological interest near the park is a tomb believed to be that of King Bazen, that is said to have reigned at Axum at the time of the birth of Christ.

Perhaps the greatest mystery about this strange and ancient city is the claim that it is the last resting place of the Ark of the Covenant a claim connected in Ethiopian tradition to legends of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon, whose son Menelik is said to have brought the Ark to Axum some 3,000 years ago and founded the Solomonic dynasty of which Haile Selassie was the last reigning emperor. The well-guarded sanctuary chapel of the Ark of the Covenant stands in the town, which the visitor may approach but never hope to enter.

Debre Damo

DEBRE DAMO: Stair way to Heaven

Forty-eight kilometres (30 miles) from Axum along the main road to Adigrat will bring you to the village of Inticho, and twenty-five kilometres (15.5 miles) beyond the village, the flat-topped mountain of Debre Damo will come into view on the left. A few kilometres later a signpost indicates the turn to Debre Damo, some eleven kilometres (seven miles) away on a rough, four-wheel-drive-only track. After the track ends, it is a two-hour stiff uphill walk to a cliff, at t~ top of which is the ancient monastery of Debre Damo. Bring you to the village of Inticho, and twenty-five kilometres (15.5 miles) beyond the village, the flat-topped mountain of Debre Damo will come into view on the left.

A few kilometres later a signpost indicates the turn to Debre Damo, some eleven kilometres (seven miles) away on a rough, four-wheel-drive-only track. After the track ends, it is a two-hour stiff uphill walk to a cliff, at the top of which is the ancient monastery of Debre Damo.

The monastery, which dates back to early Axumite times, is said to possess the oldest existing intact church in Ethiopia. Legend has it that Abune Aregawi, one of the Nine Saints who came from Syria in the sixth century, while wandering at the foot of the cliff, judged that the plateau land above him was a suitable place on which to live a solitary life. God, hearing his wish, commanded a snake living on the mountain-top to stretch down and lift up the holy man, who made Debre Damo his abode.

The mountain, because of its virtual inaccessibility, was later made a place of detention for male members of the Axumite royal dynasty, to prevent them from conspiring against the ruling monarch. Subsequently, during the wars of Ahmed Gragn, Emperor Libine Dingil and his consort, Queen Seble Wengel, by then fugitives, sought refuge on Debre Damo, and it was there that the unfortunate monarch died in 1540.

The visitor, lacking the kind snake that helped the monastery's founder to ascend the mountain, will have to go up with the help of a rope lowered by the friendly monks, who will not, however, allow women to enter. The summit, when eventually reached some twenty-four meters (78 feet) later, offers panoramic views over the surrounding countryside and complete seclusion and peace for the 100 or so monks and deacons who live there. Though local people give food and supplies, the monastic community is virtually self-sufficient, growing selected crops and rearing male sheep and goats. The monastery also has its own reservoirs spectacular caverns hewn deep beneath the surface of the cliff-top centuries ago which provide the monks with water throughout the year.

Debre Damo church, which is called after Abune Aregawi, is built in Axumite style. The beams and ceiling of the ancient church, around which the monastery is built, are beautifully decorated with carved wooden panels depicting lion, elephant, rhinoceros, snakes, gazelle, antelope, giraffe, and camels. Although there are no murals as such, a large number of paintings are preserved there, including several that depict the legend of the foundation of Debre Damo by Abune Aregawi.

The treasures secreted within, kept intact through the country's 1,400 tumultuous years of history because of that arduous, dangerous ascent, include an extensive collection of illuminated manuscripts, among them the oldest surviving fragments of texts anywhere in Ethiopia. The church now houses about fifty manuscripts, although the monks claim that they formerly possessed no less than a thousand.

Some twenty-five kilometres (15.5 miles) east of Debre Damo, the road you've been following from Gondar leads to the town of Adigrat, where it joins up with the main Addis Ababa road. To the south lie Mekelle, capital of Tigray, and one of Ethiopia's most interesting regional seats.

Yeha

YEHA: Temple of the Moon

Ethiopia's earliest known capital, Yeha, is less than two hours' drive from Axum through some dramatic highland scenery. As the birthplace of the country's earliest high civilization, it is well worth visiting. To get there, head east for twenty kilometers (12 miles) to Adwa. Continue along the main road towards Adigrat for another twenty-four kilometers (15 miles) and then turn north on to a short dirt track, where you will see the imposing ruins of Yeha's Temple of the Moon about four kilometers (2.5 miles) to the right of the track.

The ruins of this large, pre-Christian temple, erected around the fifth century Be, consist of a single roofless oblong chamber twenty meters (66 feet) long by fifteen meters (50 feet) wide. The windowless ten meter-high (33-foot-high) walls are built of smoothly polished stones, some of them more than three meters (ten feet) long, carefully placed one atop the other without the use of mortar.

Immediately beside the temple is a modern church dedicated to Abune Aftse, one of the Nine Saints from Syria who founded many important monasteries in northern Ethiopia in the fifth and sixth centuries. The building's front facade has been fitted with stones from the original temple, which are decorated with reliefs of ibex with lowered horns. The church contains many crosses, old manuscripts and stones bearing ancient Sabaean inscriptions, which can be seen on request.

Archaeological research at Yeha has unearthed many historical treasures, including a number of Sabaean inscriptions and a variety of animal figurines. Several of these antiquities are on display in the National Museum in Addis Ababa.

Mekelle

MEKELLE: Castles and Caravans

Mekelle is a town situated on an almost treeless plain, bounded on the west by the Geba River, one of the tributaries of the Tekezie, and on the north and east by a low range of mountains. It owes its importance to Emperor Yohannes IV (1871-1889), who had a special liking for the place; for it was there that he was reputedly conceived. He also made it his capital during his reign.

Turning south at Adigrat, travel for another sixty-nine kilometres (43 miles) to the small town of Wukro.

Just past the town is one of Ethiopia's many rock-hewn churches, Cherkos, which, unlike some of the others, is easy to visit as it is just off the main road. Ten kilometres (six miles) to the north is Negash, the site of a mosque and the country's first Islamic settlement.

Fifty Six kilometers (35 miles) from Wukro, the main road takes a sharp turn to the West and leads into Mekelle. The principal point of interest here is Emperor Yohannes's palace, which has been turned into an interesting museum housing manuscripts, books, and furniture from the emperor's time, including a large and ornately carved wooden throne. Monday is market day in Mekelle. In addition to being the largest market for rock salt in the country, it offers visitors a colorful view of the local community and a good opportunity for photographs.

Tours can be arranged from the town to visit several nearby rock-hewn churches of which there are no less than two hundred in the region. Often perched on cliffs or carved into rock crevices, these fascinating churches are beautifully decorated and some house important religious artifacts.

The Danakil Depression

Mekelle is also a good vantage point from which to witness the camel caravans climbing up from the forbidding Danakil Depression, carrying tablets of salt. The Depression is one of the hottest and most inhospitable places on earth, with many points more than 100 meters (328 feet) below sea level and noontime temperatures soaring above 50°C (122°F). It is the site of the famous dry salt lake from which Ethiopians since time immemorial have obtained their amoles (bars of salt) used both for consumption and as 'money'. Mined by the Afar people, the salt is loaded on camels and taken up into the highlands, where it is in considerable demand and fetches a good price.

Mekelle can be used as a base for trips to the Afar (Danakil) area, the vast region to the east where the Danakil Depression is located. For obvious reasons, excursions should be made in the cool months from December to February. Anyone wanting to make this trip must be prepared for a long, rough, extremely hot journey and be able to carry a minimum of ten liters of drinking water per person per day. The track down the escarpment starts from Agulae, about thirty-five kilometres (22 miles) north of Mekelle. It is best to consult a local tour operator about how, when, and if it is possible to make the trip.

The landscape here seems carved from the infernos of hell and is a reminder of the past and present furies that have ravaged this region, with volcanic cones rising above the scabs of black lava. It is possible to visit the salt flats where the salt is mined and, amazingly, there is also wildlife to be seen here, particularly Zebra and Wild Ass.

Although this place may seem uninhabitable, it is nevertheless home to a hundred thousand or so Afar nomads, who somehow manage to wrest a living thanks to the salt - from this challenging and inhospitable wilderness, using the camel as their beast of burden.

After the decline of the Axumite Empire, lamenting their lost grandeur, Ethiopia's rulers retreated with their Christian subjects to the central plateau, protected by the immense eastern escarpment and deep river valleys. This is where the long journey on the country's Historic Route really comes to a climax, on a natural 2,600-metre (8,500-foot) rock terrace surrounded on all sides by rugged and forbidding mountains in the northern extreme of the modern region of Wollo: the marvelous monastic settlement of Lalibela.

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