ETHIOPIA - Axum (or Aksum)
Axum is a city in the Tigray region of Ethiopia and an ancient capital, famous for its stelae, churches, monasteries, tombs and the ruins of palaces. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1980. Axum is considered to be the holiest city in Ethiopia and is an important destination of pilgrimages.
of Axum. The kingdom had its own written language called Geeez, and also developed a distinctive architecture exemplified by giant obelisks, the oldest of which date from 5000–2000 BC. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church claims that the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion houses the Biblical Ark of the Covenant in which lie the Tablets of Law upon which the Ten Commandments are inscribed.
BEST TIME to VISIT AXUM
BEST TIME to TRAVEL to ETHIOPIA
from October to March
Northern Stelae Field : The numerous monolithic stelae are fashioned out of solid granite. Their mystery lies in that it is not known exactly by whom, and for what purpose, they were fashioned, although they were likely associated with burials of great emperors.
the biggest monolith weights is over 400 tons : how is it possible that a civilization existed here 2000 years ago that was capable of constructing and transporting such great monuments?
iggest monolith (and the largest in the world), measuring over 33m (108 ft) and weighing about 500 tonnes, fell somewhere around the 4th Century AD and now lies in broken fragments on the ground.
omd Monastery access - rules
landscape around
swimming in the "pool of Queen of Sheba" - local name for that pool
"pool of Queen of Sheba" - local name for that pool
local transport
"Palace of the Queen of Sheba" : only the foundations of this palace near the Judith stelae field remain.
This building is called localled "palace of queen of Sheba"
"Palace of the Queen of Sheba" as called locally but it actually dates from the 7th Century AD, about 1500 years after the time of the Queen of Sheba.
