ETHIOPIA: Reviving the Axumite Empire

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ETHIOPIA: Reviving the Axumite Empire.

Enter our flight at Bahir Dar...hostess points to my seat...front seat, window...big white man in it...empty next to him...Ros's seat.

"Excuse me, you are in my seat," as I show him my ticket.

"Take it up with him" he points across the aisle front seats to where three black men in suits are sitting.

"He took my seat...take it up with him."

"That's got nothing to do with me. It's not my problem."

"It is now. It's now your problem."

"No it's not. Can I have my seat, please?"

"What are you going to do about it? Do you want to fight me?" He raises his fists.

The hostess grabs me "I have a seat for you here."

I glare at the protaginist as I'm escorted down the back.

Ros...long gone..!

First stop Gondar...red carpet rolled out on the runway...the three suits get up, one turns to Mike and smiles "There are benefits in our position."

The red carpet is rolled up...plane rolls to the Terminal to let out the non VIPs..!

Arrive at Axum...within sight of the mountains of Eritrea...Axum, the ancient capital of the Axumite Empire...shades of the Queen of Sheba...the claimed home of the original Ark of the Covenant.

Article 2 of the revised Ethiopian Constitution of 1955 claims that the ruling line is descended from Menelik I, the son of Queen Makeda (the Queen of Sheba) and King Solomon.

This claim is drawn from the Kebre Negast (The glory of the Kings) a 14th Century text that extoled the legitimacy of the Solomonic Dynastic line in Ethiopia.

I summarise the Kebre Negast as follows:

When Queen Makeba ascended the throne in the 10th Century B.C., lacking experience in ruling matters she journeyed to Jerusalem to learn from the wise and mighty King Solomon.

Upon arrival she was greeted with pomp and ceremony.

Being a nice guy, Solomon agreed to counsel her as long as she paid her way and only acted with his permission.

She, being in awe and not short of a penny, agreed.

Makeda received Solomon's tutelege, converted to Judaism and in return she bestowed him with gifts of gold, gems and spices.

However, Solomon had an urge in his loins and desired to receive something more personal..."the right of kings."

Solomon then invited her for a private meal...wherein he got the fair Makeda drunk and ultimately weary.

While she was having a nap on his couch, Solomon placed jugs of water around her, labelled as his property.

On awakening she downed one of the jugs of water.

As my reader would have already guessed...this was clearly a "come on" or obvious permission for Solomon to satisfy his lust...and he did so.

"Fair call"...I hear you say.

That night Solomon had a dream...that God would bless a new ruling order from a baby borne by Makeda...and as it turned out she was pregnant to Solomon.

Solomon sent Makeda back to her country for the birth with instruction to return the child, if a boy, for training in Jewish lore.

Makeda gave birth to a boy, Menelik I.

When he was of age (at about 13 years old) Menelik went to Jerusalem and Solomon was well pleased, offerring him as he was his son, to be crown prince.

Menelik preferred to return to Ethiopia so Solomon crowned his son as King of Ethiopia, and provided him with a retinue of some young Israeli nobles and blessed his return home.

However, Melelik's retinue stole the Ark of the Covenant and carried it to Ethiopia...well sort of...you see...God helped by flying the retinue across the Red Sea and to safety from Solomon's pursuit.

Accordingly, God had transferred his covenant with man to Ethiopia...and who could argue with that?

The original Ark of the Covenant is claimed to be in Axum...and I have got about as close to it as a person other than its guards can.

Heading for enlightenment at the Timket Festival in Lalibela...

feeling the power of the Ark of the Covenant in Axum...

refreshed in the Fountain of Youth in ******* (oh...haven't I said where..?)

...I feel young and invigorated..!

Who better to revive the Axumite empire?

Sometimes fate dictates ones direction...OK...I am ready.

But....am I prepared to take one for the team?

...to shed blood if necessary to achieve my quest?...mmmm.

The Axumite Empire...one of the great empires of antiquity... arising in the 4th Century B.C...reaching prominence in the 1st Century A.D...minting their own currency in the form of coins for trading in their markets...the first major empire to convert to Christianity.

An important trading empire in N-E Africa ranking up there by the 3rd Century A.D. with Persia, Rome and China.

It had a port city in those days at Adulis (in Eritrea) and its capital city was Axum (Aksum)...five days travel to the W-S-West...controlling the ivory trade from the Sudan.

By the 4th Century A.D. the kingdom became known as Ethiopia.

Their language was known as Geez...still spoken in Ethiopian religious ceremonies...but no longer otherwise spoken, I believe.

I was fortunate to have listened and absorbed many hours of Geez while reaching enlightenment at the Timket Festival in Lalibela...my next stop after Axum.

At its zenith Axum controlled northern Ethiopia, Eritrea, northern Sudan, southern Egypt, Djibouti, Yemen and southern Saudi Arabia.

As a Christian kingdom, Axum had trading links with Christian Europe, and controlled some of the trade routes from the Red Sea, eastern Africa and to India.

By 900 to 1000 A.D. Islamic states were controlling the Red Sea, forcing Axum into isolation.

Like all good empires they were good at fighting...but during decline they started losing more battles than they won...only surviving as another Dynasty arose from their ranks...the Zagwes.

In the 12th Century A.D. an angel came to King Lalibela of the Zagwes and directed him to carve churches out of an igneous lava flow at Roha (now Lalibela)...and that's where I'm heading next.

Axum...a restful, sleepy town...a virtual oasis between two streams...hardly revealing the treasures beneath the ground...of its past glory...the Axumite Empire.

And evidence of its existence is in its collection of rock stelae...funeral epitaphs of a people skilled in stone and engineering...often adorned with carvings of false doors...the largest being 33 metres long...the Great Stelae.

"Long" not "high"...as that one fell and is in its fallen broken state today. It is so massive...reputed to be the tallest obelisk ever made...it is a wonderment that they got it upright to stand at all..!

And underneath...a tomb...massive stones fitting like a jigsaw puzzle...stone on stone with mortar between, massive stone supports.

Two major stelae remain standing today...King Ezana's Stelae...24 metres tall...remained standing since about the 4th Century A,D...King Ezana II was the first Christian King of Ethiopia...but the stelae is said to have pagan origins...maybe because stelae were the symbol of the Axumites from previous periods.

The other major stelae is the Rome Stelae...24.6 metres tall...kindly cut up by the Italians and carted back to Italy and erected in Rome by Mussolini's forces during their invasion of Ethiopia in 1935 and partial occupation until 1941.

Even more kindly...the Italians returned it in 2005.

Somehow they put it back together and it stands proudly in the Northern Stelae Field...among 120 stelae...supported by massive steel cables...next to its non-identical twin...King Ezana's Stelae.

And across the road...yep...no drive required to Axum's most important site...the Church of St Mary of Zion...the sight of the earliest Christian churches in Ethiopia...and behind it the tiny chapel that houses the original Ark of the Covenant.

A priest opens an ancient book...revealing 1,000 year old writings...and those paintings I have seen on Church walls throughout Northern Ethiopia.

Mike and I are invited into the old St Mary of Zion Church...men only...priests opening the massive curtains covering the walls...revealing murals sacred...photographs?..."no problem"..!

But if I'm to revive the Axumite Empire...this 21st Century man needs the help of past glory...I think I'll look for the Queen of Sheba.

So we drive out of town...the Gudit stelae field on one side...and across the road...an excavated ruin known as Dungur...the Palace of the Queen of Sheba.

But she was not there.

Nor was she bathing in Sheba's pool...a reservoir cut out of rock...filled with tepid water...the site of the forthcoming Timket Festival in Axum.

I couldn't find Sheba...have I lost my touch..?

Or is this a sign she is awaiting me elsewhere?

I'll take that as encouragement..!

Relax & Enjoy,

Dancing Dave


*****Scroll down for photos & three pages following*****

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Photos

THE ARK OF THE COVENANT
Inside that chapel...

MY QUEST
Click on photo to enlarge to learn my quest

PINNACLE CHAPEL
The closer to heaven...the closer the blessing

CHOOSING STRAWS
Who will join me on my quest..?

Comments

[deleted_46288]

Yuck!
I've given that one 5 stars for the sheer gross factor haa haa ;)

[Dancing Dave]

THANKS NICK....
good to hear from you...but...would you take one for the team...?

[deleted_46288]

Haa haa
If we are comparing leech wounds then check out my Kumily blog. I must freely admit, it is nowhere as gruesome as yours though.

[Dancing Dave]

IT'S THE STORY THAT COUNTS
Now that I have your attention...I hope you liked the story...it is the highlight of the blog...complemented by the photos...the history of Ethiopia is amazing.

[deleted_46288]

:)
Interesting stuff. It's always great to learn something new, especially about places such as Ethiopia that are well renowned for having a vast and vibrant history and culture. I would of been hugely impressed if you had managed to actually come away with a picture of the Ark of the Covenant though ;)