Near Ethiopia’s northern border are the ruins of the historic city of Aksum. When the Kingdom of Aksum was the most powerful kingdom between the Eastern Roman Empire and Persia, they identify the site of ancient Ethiopia’s heart. The enormous remains, which date from the first to the thirteenth century, are made up of monolithic obelisks, enormous stelae, royal tombs, and old castle ruins. Ethiopian emperors continued to be crowned in Aksum for a very long time after its political downfall in the 10th century.
Come and walk in the middle of thousands of history.
A few years before Christ was born, the city of Aksum rose to prominence as the capital of a state that conducted business with antiquity Asia, Egypt, and Greece. Aksum subsequently developed into the most significant force between the Roman Empire and Persia, and for a while, it had authority over sections of South Arabia thanks to its fleets’ ability to go as far as Ceylon. The Periplus of the Eritrean Sea, where Aksum’s name first appears in the first century AD, is regarded as the historical center of ancient Ethiopia. In fact, the name of the kingdom that ruled over this region at the time came from the city. The site’s ruins cover a sizable area and are made up of towering, imposing stelae that resemble obelisks, a massive stone table, remnants of columns, and royal tombs that include inscriptions of Aksumite mythology and customs. Three castle ruins from the first century AD may be seen in the city’s western area.
The oldest documents and tales indicate that Makeda, the legendary Queen of Sheba, traveled from Aksum to Jerusalem to see King Solomon. The queen’s coupling with Solomon resulted in the birth of a son. This son, Menelik I, was born in Ethiopia and spent his formative years there before moving to Jerusalem as a young adult and returning to Ethiopia with the Ark of the Covenant. Ethiopian legend holds that the Ark has stayed in Aksum ever since (in an annex to the Church of St Mary of Zion).
There are several additional pre- and early Christian ruins in Aksum in addition to the historic St. Mary of Zion church. Southern Arabian culture had a significant impact on Aksum’s culture. Ge’ez, the language of the Aksumites, was a modified form of southern Arabian rudiments with admixtures of Greek and maybe Cushitic tongues that were previously spoken in the area. Their architectural architecture was influenced by southern Arabian art, and some Aksumite works of art combined deities from the Middle East.
