Myths, legends and colour in Aksum

Aksum is shrouded in a fog of legend, though Nagusse seemed to think it’s all the truth. Ethiopians insist it was the Queen of Sheba’s capital in 10th century BC, but there seems to be no historical evidence. That’s certain is that a high civilisation existed from 400BC.

Our first visit was to the stelae field to see some enormous needles and under them, tombs which have been robbed, so little is known about Aksumite burial customs or who was buried there. The stelae are striking for their huge size and their incredible state of preservation, being granite.

Next we saw from the outside Arabtu Ensessa church, the Four Beasts Church, rebuilt in 1950s, had many painting on the outside - they are painted on material and stuck on, and depict the bible stories and other myths. Lots of scary beheadings and boiling of heads in oil etc, which I’m sure the grandsons will find interesting.

We stopped near some lovely baskets and tourist stuff to have a coffee which unusually had had sugar added before we got it. Next we went to the new, huge, Church of St Mary, built in 1960s during Haile Selassie’s time so women had a place to worship. We were shown a copy of an old bible and a priest did a bit of drumming for us. We saw a museum of old religious artefacts but no cameras were allowed and our bags were locked up outside. Then Mr C only was allowed into the Old Church of St Mary of Zion, because it is men only, and was built by Fasilades, the founder of a Gonder. He saw a black Madonna but not the legendary Ark of the Covenant which the religious believe is held behind a screen in a little chapel. One priest guards it, but nobody gets a peep, not even Indiana Jones.

After lunch of glutinous tomato soup, in an old rundown hotel which had a great view over the stelae field, we were picked up and taken to see some more tombs of some ancient nobles, on the way passing the baths of the Queen of Sheba. The most interesting site was where 3 farmers in 1988 an Ethiopian version of the Rosetta Stone. The pillar, inscribed in Greek, Sabaean and Ge’ez, dates from between 330-350 AD and records the honorary titles and military victories of the king over his ‘enemies and rebels’. One section thanks the God of War, which places the stone’s age before Ezana’s conversation to Christianity. We continued to a small hill with lovely views over to the jagged mountains of Adwa, to see the tombs of 6th century King Kaleb and his son, King Gebre Meskel. Threshing was going on in the surrounding fields, and small children appeared from nowhere to try to sell crosses and incense.

By now we were getting tombed out. However we continued to the tomb of King Balthazar, one of the three wise men, according to Ethiopian religion. I asked the old man guarding it how they knew it was his tomb and he laughed and said ‘because the tourist office says so”! Last stop was to Dungar, the palace of the Queen of Sheba which could have been any noble’s palace according to archeologists. There was an observation tower which gave a good view over the remains.