Great stone stelae

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I travelled to Axum in the north of Ethiopia as part of my final travels before leaving Ethiopia. I was met at Axum airport by a VSO volunteer friend and spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool at a local hotel.

The following day, we started being tourists - side-stepping round the camels, we headed for the stelae fields. We decided not to buy a ticket (which turned out to be a mistake later when we walked uphill to Kaleb's Tomb, but couldn't go in without a ticket from the office two km back) as the stelae are easily visible from the road.

I was actually expecting the stelae to be bigger - one of those situations where I have seen many photos, so I knew what they looked like before I even arrived in Axum. I did keep reminding myself that they are made from a single piece of rock. The carvings on them are very delicate. The Great Stele, which is 33m high (but not standing) was created in the 4th Century. The two largest standing stelae are King Ezana's (24m) and the Rome Stele (25m). The latter was recently returned to Axum, having been taken by the Italians in 1937. It now stands, supported by a giant sling.

The Queen of Sheba's bath is actually an ancient reservoir and still used as a source of water today, despite the unappealing look of the water, populated by hundreds of frogs hanging at the surface.

Perhaps surprisingly, for me one of the highlights was the public library, housed in a beautiful library in the centre of town.

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