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 The roots of modern Ethiopia lie in the Axumite Empire. The origins of this empire and the age of the town of Axum remain obscure. However most written source confirm that the Axumite Empire became an important trading center and technologically advanced civilizations between the 1st and 7th Centuries AD. Axum is mentioned in the periplus of the Eritrean Sea, a Greek document, describes Axum”s imports and its trading relations with Egypt, Arabia, India and Ceylon. Axum during its heyday between the 3rd and the 7th centuries the empire stretched east across Red sea into Southern Arabia, West into Sudan Nile Valley. The Axumite society was rich well organized and technically and artistically advanced.
Axum during this period minted its own coins from silver, bronze and gold patrolling the Red sea and its international port of Adulis. Orthodox Christianity was introduced to Axum in the 4th C AD by two Syrians who reached Axum and served the Axumite king and finally managed to covert king Ezana to Christianity in about 330 AD. After its conversion Axum also emerged as an important religious centre & site of the country's most important and revered church St. Mary of Zion built in the 4th c AD. Orthodox became the official religion of the country and spread to the southern part of the kingdom with the later arrival of the Nine Saints from the Roman Empire.
However the Axumites left their deepest imprint in their building technology manifested in their extraordinary house constructions, palace building, monuments and tombs erections attracting the attention of all categories of travelers coming for visits or studies of archeology, history, architecture, and orthodox religion. Axum can be visited any time in the year but it would be more colorful if arranged during one of the major religious festivals (Maryam Zion)
Axum is one of the country’s star attractions offering opportunities of exploring ruins of palaces, underground tombs, stelea and stone inscriptions. According to Dr.Neville Chittick Axum is “the last of the great civilizations of antiquity to be revealed to modern knowledge” Axum is to sub-Saharan Africa what the pyramids are to North Africa. Axum museum We strongly advise our clients to explore the museum before first before heading to the giant stelea field. The museum houses displays of ancient rock tablets inscribed in a variety of languages including sabaean which precedes Geez language. It also contains display of Axumite household artifacts ranging from water filter to a set of drinking glass imported from Egypt. There are also collections of Axumite crosses and coins minted till the 6th C AD. The main stelae field
 Like Egypt’s pyramids Axum stelea were like great billboards announcing to the world the authority, power and greatness of the ruling families. The more finely carved the stele the most splendid and complex the tomb underneath. The stelea are striking for their huge size and incredible state of preservation and modern look. The main stelae field consists of 75 or more stelae of various size and shape concentrated with in an area of less than 1000m2 Six of the stelae imitate multistoried buildings complete with little windows, doors and sometimes even door handles and locks. The architectural styles mirror the traditional Axumite ordinary house and palace constructions. Informer time metal plates perhaps in the form of a crescent moon (an ancient pagan symbol originating from south Arabia) and disc are thought to have been riveted to the top both at the front and back. Note that most of the Stelae are linked by tradition to a specific king. Many aspects of the stelae are still shrouded in mystery. It is uncertain why they were designed in this way and no one knows how the massive blocks of granite were transported at least 4kms from the quarries and then stood upright. According to Axumite traditions it was the work of the mysterious powers of the Ark of the Covenant. However archeologists believe that the Axumites might have used elephants for transportation.
King Ezana stele Ezana stele is the third largest ever erected at Axum accredited to king Ezana. It is carved with a door and nine windows which are thought to symbolize the door and nine chambers of Ezana”s tomb and the nine palaces built by the king. This stele dominating the sky measures 24 m high. Henry Salt, the British traveler and first foreigner to describe it in 1805 proclaimed it “the most admirable and perfect monument of its kind” The great stele
 The largest and heaviest of Axum”s stelae credited by tradition to the 3rd C king Remhai, now lies shattered on the ground. Its collapse is linked by tradition to Queen Yodit who destroyed many of Axumite buildings. However scholars assume that the Axumite never succeeded in erecting or toppled over afterwards as the base of the stele was too small to support it. This stele lies where it fell. It weighs 500tons and measures 33m. it is decorated with 12 windows and a door.
The returned stele During the Italian occupation the second largest Axumite stele measuring 26m whose builder is unknown was taken to Rome on the personal order of Mussolini. It stood in room before it was returned back to Ethiopia in 2005 after lengthy negotiations between the two countries. Archeologists have re-erected this stele at its original place.  Gudit stelae field The stelae in the Gudit stelae field opposite Dongur are believed to be older dating perhaps to the first half of the first millennium AD. Roughly and irregularly hewn and believed to mark the graves of lesser nobles. The Nubian Queen Gudit (Judith) in the 10th century A.D. destroyed Axum and attacked Christian Semitic influences in the region. However, she has no relationship with this field of stelae. Mai Shum Often referred as the queen of Sheba’s swimming pool, it is a small reservoir hewn out of a solid rock remains a great piece of ancient engineering. It is situated along side the northern end of the stelae field. Today Mia Shum is being used as a convenient place to celebrate Timkat (epiphany) in Axum. St.Maryam of Zion Church
 Situated opposite the main stelae field in a walled compound lie the two churches of St. Mary Zion. The original church was constructed above an old pagan shrine by king Ezana in the 4th C. Ethiopia’s first Orthodox Church and the original St.Maryam Zion church which consisted of 12 temples has been destroyed most probably by the 16th C Muslim leader Ahmed Gragn. The oldest functioning church in the compound imitates the castle of Gondar as it was built by the Gondarine emperor Fasil. There are good paintings and collections of church musical instruments inside. Behind the old church stands the so called throne of David which is where the Axumite Emperors were crowned. The holiest religious artifact the Ark of the Covenant, the Tabot, is kept in the sanctified building with in the compound. A modern cathedral built in 1960s under Hailesilasie forms the largest church in the compound.
Church museum: displays an unsurpassed collections of crowns belonging to former Ethiopian monarchs including the crown of the first Ethiopian patriarch Abuna Selam, crosses and chalices of different designs and sizes, illuminated parchment books, and many other church treasures. It worth to visit this museum as it houses many artifacts discovered from the original church ruins and collections of gifts from medieval emperors. The tombs of Caleb and Gebremeskel
 The tombs (palaces) of Caleb and Gebremeskel are situated some 2km north of the town of Axum. According to local tradition these palaces and tombs belong to the 6th C emperors Caleb and his son and successor Gebremeskel who were also entombed here. The site was excavated by Dr.Litman in 1898 at the time the whole construction was buried, little remains of the palace itself but the burial vaults underneath it were in excellent condition though it was already looted by grave robbers. Dongur (queen Sheba’s Palace)
 This palace was excavated in 1952 by the French Archeologist Francis Anfrey but never published the work of his findings. Anfrey concluded that the palace is most probably constructed in the 7th C AD. Therefore though this palace is popularly known as queen Sheba palace it is unlikely to have anything to do with this queen. Its intact floor plan, entrance stairs, elaborate drainage system, more than 50 rooms, confirm that it was probably the most impressive palace in Axum. Moreover there are many historical and archeological sights of interest in and around Axum which can be explored by arrangement with our clients. The coming of Islam and down fall of Axum
According to the Muslim Hadith the prophet Mohammed sent some of his followers to Ethiopia in AD 615 to avoid persecution in Arabia. Among the group was the prophets own daughter, son in low and future successor Uthman. The refugees were given protection and hospitality and hence good relations between the two religions continued. However with the rise to power and expansion of Islam in the Red sea region Axum became slowly isolated and ceased to be an economic and political power in the region. Axum also faced internal problems. |
