Ethiopia - A Diamond in the Rough

Ethiopia is a truly unique destination, whose attractions you can find nowhere else in the world. The biggest draw is the rich Christian heritage. Ethiopia was one of the very first places to embrace Christianity, way back in the 4th century AD. The wonderful churches, monasteries, icons and relics you find here are a legacy of the Orthodox Church.

What ancients referred to as Ethiopia covered at various times, parts or whole of the regions of Kush, Meroe, Aksum, Abyssinia, Sheba and Nubia. Today this would include swathes of present-day Sudan, Ethiopia, northern Somalia and the horn of Africa's Red Sea coast. The ancient Egyptians believed that Ethiopia was the land of their fore-bearers. There are numerous references in ancient Greek, Egyptian and Judaic texts to Ethiopia, and her historical and cultural links to ancient Mediterranean cultures are clear.

Ethiopians claim that the Queen of Sheba -interlocutor and distinguished guest to ancient Israel's King Solomon, ruled over a kingdom located in present day Ethiopia. The queen whom they refer to as Makeda, travelled to the Holy Land to seek enlightenment at the feet of King Solomon, whose reputation at the time for wisdom and discernment was without equal. She journeyed to Israel with 797 ships laden with gifts of gold, precious stones and spices.

The gifts were indeed fit for a king and the gold alone would today be valued in millions of American dollars. Solomon and the queen got along very well. The Bible records, that in return: " King Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty."

An encounter of the queen's visit to the Holy Land is given in the Ethiopian book, Kebra Nagast, which translates as "The Glory of Kings". This book -which is believed to be over a thousand years old, is an important source of Ethiopia's history and legend.

It accounts for the Solomonic lineage of Ethiopia's kings, telling of how Makeda's beauty mesmerized wise Solomon and how he secretly loved her and sired a son. The book also gives an insight into the circumstances that surrounded Ethiopia then.

The queen proselytized to Judaism, perhaps explaining the material evidence that has been found indicating that Judaism was practised in some parts of Ethiopia before the advent of Christianity. It is said that when the queen's only son and heir came of age, she sent him to Israel to meet his father. Solomon was delighted with his son, whom he named Menelik meaning "how handsome he is". Menelik returned to Sheba with a number of young priests and trusted sons of his father's officials, provided to equip him with wise counsel and spiritual guidance.

It is said that these young men took with them the authentic Ark of the Covenant replacing it with the relic given to Menelik by his father. That is how the legend arose that the Ark of the Covenant -an item of immeasurable cultural and religious value, ended up in Ethiopia. There is hardly any Ethiopian who does not believe that The Ark of the Covenant is in their country. Some are even sure of its location- the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum.

Though the story of the Queen of Sheba is a settled matter with Ethiopians, it is still controversial, as some scholars place Sheba in the region where Yemen is found today. But it is also recorded that Axum -an ancient empire in today's northeast Ethiopia, ruled a good part of the southern Arabia peninsula. And indeed, Ethiopia's Amharic and Tigrean languages are southern Semitic languages.

Ethiopia was the first African country to encounter Christianity. The New Testament Bible cites an Ethiopian eunuch, being baptised by Philip - an early Christian. But it is Frumentius in the 4th century AD who is credited with introducing Christianity to Ethiopia. Bishop Athanasius of Alexandria sent him as a missionary, and he succeeded in converting the Axumite royal family at around AD 330.

But progress was slow, until the arrival of a company of monks known in Ethiopian church history as the Nine Saints, towards the end of the 5th Century. The Nine Saints who hailed from all over the Byzantine Empire played a great role in spreading Christianity beyond Axum and their influence on the Ethiopian church was profound and long lasting. They translated the Bible from Greek into Ge'ez -the local written language, and also established a strong monastic tradition. The church maintained a strong link with the Coptic Patriarch of Alexandria, and today most Ethiopians adhere to the Orthodox belief.

Axum and northern Ethiopia have the country's most significant historic sites. Axum - earlier written as Aksum, was the first major empire to rise out of Ethiopia. The 10th century BC Axumite kingdom was at one time considered together with Persia, China and Rome as one of the great powers of the world. It was an important commercial centre, trading with Egypt, Greece, Rome, India, Arabia and Persia. Axum began to decline in the seventh century AD.

The Axum landscape is marked with mysterious monuments and magnificent ancient structures and ruins. The oldest and most esteemed of the treasures are the 3,000-year-old age steles that were sculpted from single pieces of granite rock curved to resemble storied buildings.
The tallest obelisk, which is over 23 m tall, was looted from Ethiopia and erected in Rome by Mussolini's fascist troops during their brief occupation of the country from 1936 to 1941. After decades of debate and controversy, the monolith was finally returned to Axum in April 2005. The relic is now Ethiopia's greatest historic attraction.

At the churches and monasteries of Axum, history comes to life as the icons and historic crowns of ancient emperors tell the story.

The most outstanding church is the 16th century Cathedral of St. Mary of Zion, considered to be Ethiopia's holiest site and believed to house the original Ark of the Covenant.

While in Axum, other historical sites not to be missed are: the royal graves of King Kaleb and Gabre Meskel, the 54 room ruins of a palace that supposedly housed the Queen of Sheba, and her legendary Bath. Also look out for the still legible early 4th century stone-pillar inscription, made on account of King Ezana's victory over rebellious tribes.