Axum: Ancient Town of Queen of Sheba

Apart from the queen, this is where kings built monumental obelixes to mark their passage from Earth to the afterlife.

Axum is our final destination on the historical route. I'm standing in front of a gigantic obelix. The Ethiopians call it "stela" or "stelea" in the plural for there are many, but few to rival the ones in the Stela park.

The tallest of them standing against the bluest of skies in the early morning towers an impressive 75 feet. It belonged to King Ezana. Like the other seven stelae, it was built from a single piece of granite and fashioned like a multi storied house with frames of doors and windows etched in the stone.

The world's tallest stela, however, toppled over centuries ago. It lies near the standing ones and has impressive dimension - 108 feet tall and weighing something like 500 tons. It belonged to King Rehmai. I ask Tsegaye Tirfe the guide where the obelisk brought back from Rome is. We've seen posters of it at the airports reading "Home coming and re-erection of the Axum Obelix".

"It's there, under the scaffold," he replies.

"Oh, I thought it was standing," I reply.

The grey granite monolith is not only lying but to bring it back from Rome, it had to be sawed through in three pieces. When it stood, it towered 79 feet. It was taken - or rather stolen under the order of the fascist dictator Mussolini in 1937 during the Italian occupation. Its return was a major event in Ethiopia. But to re-erect a monolith of the sort would require loads of money.

Axum, was once a rich empire, where kings and queens wore robes of silk and jewels of precious metal ad stones. It was the 10th century BC - not AD - capital of the Queen of Sheba. It was the capital of the Axumite empire and the link between Asia and Africa for thousands of years with well established trade routes.

The Axumites introduced the written language Ge'ez from where the modern Amharic language derives its roots. The Axumite also introduced Christianity in Africa in the 4th century AD. Legend has it that Axum is the resting place of the Ark of the Covenant brought by Menelik, the son of King Solomon and Queen Sheba 3000 years ago.

We're standing outside the huge rondavel church built by the last Emperor of Ethiopia and the Solomon dynasty, Haile Selassie - and by virtue, a descendant of Queen of Sheba. It was built on the grounds of the Church of Saint Mary of Zion and opened in the company of Queen Elizabeth 11 in 1965.

The old church bombed by the Italians was built by the Emperor Fasilidas in the early 17th century. We see the royal crowns and near it stands the old church where the Ark of the Covenant brought by Menelik the first when he went to visit his father King Solomon in Jerusalem, all those centuries ago, is kept. Only the high priest is allowed to see it. The 'new' church is impressive with its stunning paintings of the biblical era. I turn around to see who is talking behind me only to realise that the walls have carried the sound of the talking person at the altar in front to the back - and every word is clear in the enormous church.

Near the Stela park and the Church of Saint Mary of Zion is the museum which houses the ancient relics of the period before christ (BC). We're quite impressed to see that thousands of years ago they even had special basins for pedicure - no wonder the ancient Greeks were awed by the fine living of the Axumites.

We drive past Sheba's bath, a pool of water lying on the base of a rock hill with ancient steps carved in rock and then to her palace which had a complete drainage system. Farmers and archaeologists are still stumbling upon stone relics like the tablet we see inscribed in three ancient languages which was found in a field.

"This was the tomb of Kibran," Tsegaye points to the underground tomb of a king that is welded. You can imagine steel being welded but rock is another thing which archaeologists are still trying to work out.

Wandering around the small town of Axum - a one street affair with the usual mad drive of matatus and a shopping centre, kids running helter skelter and over worked mules pounding their hooves on the tarmac seems alien to what was there once.

We chance upon a modern tourist hotel called Remhai hotel and in the foyer hang pictures of the old empire with narratives. The old kingdom of Axum was once forested with elephants and creatures that no longer exist. There's King Remhai dressed in splendour with his court officials watching his stela being erected. The scene is busy. Where there's no forest now, the scene shows a green veld with elephants loaded with the obelix and slaves pulling the other upright. There are others chiselling the granite monoliths.

Another painting shows a recent time of Emperor Yohannes standing by a canon which he confiscated from the invading Egyptian army in 1875.

The painting that really brings Sheba's presence is where she is with her attendants being presented to King Solomon and presenting her rich cache of gifts from her country. There are stories of Sheba's journey to see the wise King and - of how she came to beget his son, a crafty ploy by the King. Infatuated with the queen's beauty and strength, he dined her on a banquet richly salted. He also said she should touch nothing within the palace that did not belong to her or she would have to pay back as per his request.

Late at night, thirsty from the meal, she woke to quench her thirst. The king stepped fore and the rest is history. She did send her son, Menelik to his father years later with the token of identity that would prove Menelik's identity to his father. On seeing the son, Solomon was beyond doubt that the young man was his and Sheba's.

Later, we meet up at Yod Abyssinia, the restaurant in down town Addis Ababa for our last supper. We feast on the finest of Ethiopian cuisine - injera, spiced meats and vegetables. The coffee ceremony is being done for the revellers after their meal. The band plays as the dancers perform dances from around the country. It's amazing how close people from different lands can be. The joyful harvest dance is exactly like the Indian ones. But then Ethiopia has been the link between Asia and Africa for thousands of years.