Axum

The small unassuming town of Axum was our next destination in Ethiopia. It is said that the roots of modern day Ethiopia lie in the ancient Axumite Empire. The Empire was known to be one of the most important and technologically advanced civilizations in the ancient world and is listed as one of the 4 great Kingdoms. The Axumites conducted trade with the Persians, China and Rome and the Empire was a major trade site as early as the 1st century AD. The most important of Axumite Kings was King Ezana. In the 4th century he converted to Christianity and brought the religion to his people. To this day, Axum is considered the centre of Ethiopian Christianity and the Ark of the covenant resides in a church here.

In Axum we visited churches, monasteries, museums and the Stelae field. These huge engraved blocks of granite are left over monuments to commemorate past kings. It is said the granite was transported by elephant from a quarry some 4 km away. At the quarry we saw huge chunks of granite that had been cut but never transported. The museums housed many old coins and remnants from Axum's days of grandeur.

Unfortunately modern day Axum can only be described as the most poverty stricken place I have ever been. Restaurants had menus but no food. Most places could only dish up pasta and sauce! Also children as young as 4 years old were begging or selling trinkets. This city is within the region of Ethiopia that was hit hardest by famine in the early eighties. Although the surrounding areas are lush green and fertile, the people here have very little, or so it seems.