We are in Axum, or Aksum, which is not only the capital of a sunken empire but also the place where the Arc of the Covenant or ‚Bundeslade‘ is kept. This all feels a lot like an Indiana Jones Movie, doesn’t it? This place is filled with history and legends and as in the movies we have to get into it a little bit to make some sense of it.
King Salomon is said to have had a son, his first son, Menelik with the Ethiopian Queen of Sheba. Once grown up he went to Jerusalem and was offered the throne but declined. Going back he took the Arc of the Covenant with him following a command given to him by God. He became the first emperor of Abessinia. According to legend he founded the Solomonic dynasty whose members used their alleged descent from Menelik I as their claim to the throne. This dynasty lastet until the 1970s and ended with Haile Selassie who is also the Prophet to the Rastafaries.
Historians tell us that the city of Axum the capital of the Axumite Kingdom was, which stretches over northern Ethiopia, Eritrea to Yemen. It was an important trading nation with ties to the Roman Empire and the antique Greek civilization and lasted from around Christ’s birth until 900 AD. The early kings built large tombs which were marked with tall stelae. The tallest was 33 m high but doesn’t stand any more and has likely collapsed shortly after its erection. It’s still possible to see many of the stelae and some of the tombs that were excavated. There is also a large pool which is said to be Queen Sheba’s pool and the ruins of a large palace, also said to be Queen Sheba’s. Historians think this to be rather unlikely but Ethiopians believe it and they’ll tell it like a fact.
This is also the main reason why we usually do not take a guide. I think there certainly are very knowledgeable guides out there but they are likely already employed by a renown tour operator already and guide groups of retired Europeans through Ethiopia. But they don’t approach you on the street with, ‘Welcome to Axum! Are you looking for a guide?’ Our guide book holds plenty of information and describes both the traditional legends and the assessment by historians. An, to be honest, it’s the mix of legends and ancient history that makes this place so interesting!
The Axumites adopted Christianity as state religion in 325. At this time the first church in Ethiopia was built and at the same place today stands the church that holds the Arc of the Covenant. Where it was in between I have to idea. Of cause no one but one lone monk is allowed to see it and only two westerners were ever allowed to see it. Next to the small chapel of the Arc of the Covenant a large Cathedral is built where the Ethiopian emperors were crowned. The church charges us Ferenji (‚strangers‘) a separate entrance fee which we didn’t want to pay. We were told it’s not that impressive and women may not even enter some of the churches. So we only saw everything from the outside.
Axum feels like a village in the most part and is rather quiet. We did find a few really nice cafes and restaurants including the one in our (very cheap) hotel, which was in a beautiful green courtyard and served a surprisingly good burger and pizza (which is usually the only alternative to Injera besides rice and pasta). For some unknown reason there were many weddings happening. There was one large tent erected just down the street from our hotel for the party and we saw at least four different wedding parades going up and down the Main Street with one day! Each had a carriage or what looked like a homemade stretch limo pieced together from multiple Mercedes cars. Then there was a camera team and a minibus with speakers. And dancers, while the bride and groom were seated.
