Axum, Northern Ethiopia

We were surprised to discover that Axum is a fairly small town by Ethiopian standards. It was the capital of the ancient Axumite Empire, which peaked in the 3rd century AD and which was considered one of the four great civilisations of its time, along with the Romans, Persians and Egyptians. We visited the stelae erected by the ancient emperors, and some of their tombs. Not much else remains of this ancient civilisation which, is thought to have declined as a result of climate change and hostility from it neighbours.

The largest of the stelae - a single piece of granite

One of Axum’s churches, the St Mary of Zion, is believed by Ethiopians to house the Ark of the Covenant. This is also the subject of “The Sign and the Seal” by Graham Hancock, in which he adds credibility to the myth and, in our opinion, more interest and intrigue to anyone’s visit to Ethiopia.

An intersting read for anyone visiting Ethiopia

Petrol availability is limited between Axum and Gondar, so it is best to fill up at either end. We had a breakdown on route to the Simien Mountains thanks to some dirty fuel purchased “from the drum” in Lalibela. Fortunately it was just a simple case of cleaning out the fuel filter and we were back on the road…

A Typical Tigre Landscape