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Published: November 21st 2009
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The Raiders of The Lost Ark are all Poorly Sick
"Don't Tell Anyone, But........"
Today is Imodium day. A lot of the group are looking the worse for wear at breakfast time as stomach upsets seem to have taken hold.
In the morning we see the remaining "sights" of
Axum. Firstly
The Palace of The Queen of Sheba. Only a small part of the palace has been uncovered as it is below the ruins of another palace built 1000 years later. Most of ancient
Axum still has to be excavated. Apparently only about 5%!h(MISSING)as so far been uncovered.
From here we visit
The Churches of St. Mary of Zion - the older one built in the seventeenth century and the more recent one built in the time of
Haile Selassie. Between these two buildings is the chapel where
The Ark of The Covenant is said to be kept. There are lots of books and conspiracy theories claiming that the Ark is secretly hidden somewhere in Ethiopia. The Ethiopians are far more straightforward about it: "
Yep! We've got the Ark. It's in here". They believe that the Ark was brought to Axum by
Menelik, the son
of
Solomon and
The Queen of Sheba. {
I wonder if the Queen of Sheba had a name??} We're not allowed to see it or go anywhere near the chapel. Anyway, as anyone who's seen the film will know, anyone who sees the Ark will be "consumed by fire". Perhaps it's a good thing they don't allow us to see it! We do catch a glimpse of the guardian entrusted with looking after the Ark as he goes into the building - he wears a special yellow hat.
But don't tell anyone - it's a big secret!!. Also of interest nearby is the small museum where the crowns and coronation robes of the Ethiopian emperors are kept. This is one of the few places in Ethiopia where we are not allowed to take a camera - the only other one I can remember was a brewery! Apparently until very recently there were only five crowns on display - another sign that Ethiopia is only just beginning to discover and exploit its tourist potential.
"I Can Get a Cheese Sandwich in England......."
The afternoon is "free time" and most of us head into the
Sorry, Indiana, It's in Here
And the bloke in the yellow hat is looking after it. centre of town. Some people are changing money, some are looking for souvenirs, Per seems to have a tradition of entrusting himself to a local barber in every country he visits, and I'm looking for an internet cafe to try and keep this blog up to date.
A group of us try out one of the local restaurants for lunch and for the first time ever Bryan loses his cool because they can't serve him a cheese sandwich!
My attempts to find an internet cafe are fruitless. After three attempts I find a "business center" where the computers work, the internet connection works, and it costs about £1 per hour. I try to type up some of this blog but, frustratingly, I find that the connection is lost and nothing has saved.
What did I used to say to kids about always saving their work? I decide that my afternoon would be better spent sitting on the terrace of the hotel with a beer and enjoying the view.
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Nick Buchanan
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The Name of the Queen of Sheba
From Wikipedia: "Known to the Ethiopian people as Makeda or Maqueda, this queen has been called a variety of names by different peoples in different times. To King Solomon of Israel she was the Queen of Sheba. In Islamic tradition she was Balqis or Balkis. By the Arabians, who say she came from the city of Sheba, also called Mareb, in Yemen or Arabia Felix. The Roman historian Josephus calls her Nicaule. She is thought to have been born on January 5, sometime in the 10th century BC." The restaurant at the hotel in Axum was called The Makeda Restaurant ...