The ancient city of Axum served as capital of an empire that dominated Red Sea trade for centuries prior to the rise of Islam. Unverified legend has it that the city was founded 3,000 years ago by Emperor Menelik I, an illegitimate son of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon, and it is almost certainly the oldest continuously-inhabited city anywhere in sub-Saharan Africa. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is a fascinating place to explore with its wealth of ancient obelisks, catacombs, palaces, churches, and other such artefacts.
Discover Axum
Axum’s famous Stelae Park is dominated by a trio of gigantic engraved granite megaliths erected in the 4th century or earlier. The tallest of these megaliths would have towered 108ft high but it now lies shattered on the ground. The tallest standing stele is 82ft high, comparable to a 10-story building.
Tsion Maryam (Mary of Zion) is the country’s oldest church. The foundations of the original church established by King Ezana in 341 A.D. are still visible alongside a handsome stone replacement
built by King Fasil of Gondar in the 17th century. Legend has it that the Ark of the Covenant is locked away in a guarded church outbuilding.
Key sites on the outskirts of Axum include Dongar Palace, which legend associates with the Queen of Sheba, and the tombs of the 6th-century emperors Kaleb and Gebre Meskel.
Easily visited on a day trip from Axum, the 40ft-high sacrificial temple at Yeha is Ethiopia’s most ancient standing structure, dating back 2,700 years.
