Axum
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Aksum is a city in northern Ethiopia, located at the base of the Adoua mountains. It was the center of the Axumite Kingdom, which emerged around the time of the birth of Jesus Christ and declined in the 12th century due to the shift of the power center of the Ethiopian Empire further to south. Also known as "Axum."
The kingdom had its own written language called Ge'ez, and also developed its own style of architecture exemplified by such structures as the obelisk of Axum. The kingdom was at its height under king Ezana, baptized as Abriha, in the 300s A.D. (which was also when it became official Orthodox Christian).
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church claims that the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum houses the Biblical Ark of the Covenant in which lies the Tablets of Law upon which the Ten Commandments are inscribed. The city is considered to be the holiest in Ethiopia and is an important destination of pilgrimages. Significant religious festivals are the T'imk'et Festival (known as the Epiphany in western Christianity) on 7th January and the Festival of Maryam Zion in late November.
Seventy-five percent of the people in the city are Ethiopian Orthodox Christians. The remainder of the population is Sunni Muslim and P'ent'ay. Although Axumite Muslims have attempted to build a mosque in this most holy of Ethiopian towns, Orthodox residents have replied that they must be allowed to build an Ethiopian Orthodox church in Mecca if the Muslims are to be allowed to build a mosque in Aksum. The king of Axum provided protection to the early adherents of Muhammad during the Hijra. One of the Muslim refugees who lived in Ethiopia during this time converted to Orthodox Christianity, thus becoming the first known convert from Islam to Christianity.
Sites of Interest
There are numerous buildings and ruins of religious and historical interest in Axum, including:
Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion
King Kaleb's Tomb
National Museum, with a stelae field
Pentalewon Monastery
External links
de:Aksum
fr:Axoum
sv:Aksum
