Ancient city of Axum is the cradle of Ethiopia’s ancient civilization. Ancient city of Axum, Located 257 kilometers northwest of Mekelle, the regional capital, Aksum is an exotic tourist destination that offers a unique combination of beguiling history, natural beauty, perfect weather, and serene environment.
Steeped in legend and mystery, Aksum is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in sub-Saharan Africa. It was founded more than 3,000 years ago in the days of the Queen of Sheba, who ruled over a vast trade empire from her palace there. It is also the last resting place of the Ark of the Covenant, which is said to have been smuggled there by Emperor Menelik I, the son of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon of Jerusalem.
Aksum later served as the capital of the Axumite Kingdom, the only sub-Saharan African empire known to the literati of the classical world. The mercantile and political sophistication of this kingdom can be seen in the fact that coins of the Hellenistic type were struck here from the late third to the early eighth centuries. One of the great Axumite rulers was King Basen, or Balthazar, one of the Three Wise Men who visited the baby Jesus bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Another was King Ezana, who established the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Aksum in 341 AD.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980, Aksum today is home to skyscraping obelisks, brooding catacombs, sprawling ruined palaces, engraved tablets, and other ancient artifacts dating back to its glory days. The ancient church founded by Ezana remains the spiritual home of Ethiopian Christianity. In terms of its sanctity as well as the greatness of its empire, Aksum is like Jerusalem and Rome combined. In essence, Aksum is faith, holiness, history, and tranquility all wrapped in one.