Editing Axum (section)

==Main sites of Axum==
[[File:Stela aksum.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|[[King Ezana's Stele]], in Axum, Ethiopia]]
{{See also|Obelisk of Axum|King Ezana's Stele}}
The major Aksumite monuments in the town are [[stele]]s. These obelisks are around 1,700 years old and have become a symbol of the Ethiopian people's identity.<ref name="whc.unesco.org">{{cite web |title=Mission accomplished: Aksum Obelisk successfully reinstalled |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/456 |date=1 August 2008 |publisher=UNESCO |access-date=23 January 2013}}</ref> The largest number are in the [[Northern Stelae Park]], ranging up to the {{convert|33|m|ft|adj=mid|-long}}{{refn|group=a|{{convert|3.84|m|abbr=on}} wide, {{convert|2.35|m|abbr=on}} deep, weighing {{convert|520|t|abbr=on}}}} [[Great Stele]], believed to have fallen and broken during construction.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Phillipson |first=David W. |year=2003 |title=Aksum: An archaeological introduction and guide |journal=Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa |volume=38 |issue=1 |pages=1–68 |doi=10.1080/00672700309480357 |s2cid=218602463 }}</ref> The [[Obelisk of Axum]]{{refn|group=a|{{convert|24.6|m|abbr=on}} high, {{convert|2.32|m|abbr=on}} wide, {{convert|1.36|m|abbr=on}} deep, weighing {{convert|170|t|abbr=on}}}} was removed by the Italian army in 1937, and returned to Ethiopia in 2005 and reinstalled 31 July 2008.<ref name="whc.unesco.org"/> The next tallest is the {{convert|24|m|abbr=on}}{{refn|group=a|{{convert|20.6|m|abbr=on}} high above the front baseplate, {{convert|2.65|m|abbr=on}} wide, {{convert|1.18|m|abbr=on}} deep, weighing {{convert|160|t|abbr=on}}}} [[King Ezana's Stele]]. Three more stelae measure {{convert|18.2|m|abbr=on}} high,{{refn|group=a|{{convert|1.56|m|abbr=on}} wide, {{convert|0.76|m|abbr=on}} deep, weighing {{convert|56|t|abbr=on}}}} {{convert|15.8|m|abbr=on}} high,{{refn|group=a|{{convert|2.35|m|abbr=on}} wide, {{convert|1|m|abbr=on}} deep, weighing {{convert|75|t|abbr=on}}}} {{convert|15.3|m|abbr=on}} high.{{refn|group=a|{{convert|1.47|m|abbr=on}} wide, {{convert|0.78|m|abbr=on}} deep, weighing {{convert|43|t|abbr=on}}}}<ref>Scarre, Chris ''Seventy Wonders of the Ancient World'' 1999</ref> The stelae are believed to mark graves and would have had cast metal discs affixed to their sides, which are also carved with architectural designs. The [[Gudit Stelae]] to the west of town, unlike the northern area, are interspersed with mostly 4th century [[tomb]]s.

[[File:Ark of the Covenant church in Axum Ethiopia.jpg|thumb|The Chapel of the Tablet]]
The other major features of the town are the old and new [[Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion|churches of ''Our Lady Mary of Zion'']]. The Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion was built in 1665 by Emperor [[Fasilides]] and said to have previously housed the Ark of the Covenant. The original cathedral, said to have been built by [[Ezana of Axum|Ezana]] and augmented several times afterwards, was believed to have been massive with an estimated 12 naves.{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}} It was burned to the ground by [[Gudit]], rebuilt, and then destroyed again during the [[Ethiopian–Adal war|Abyssinian–Adal war]] of the 1500s. It was again rebuilt by Emperor [[Gelawdewos]] (completed by his brother and successor Emperor [[Menas of Ethiopia|Minas]]) and Emperor Fasilides replaced that structure with the present one.  Only men are permitted entry into the Old St. Mary's Cathedral (some say as a result of the destruction of the original church by Gudit). The New Cathedral of St. Mary of Zion stands next to the old one, and was built to fulfil a pledge by Emperor [[Haile Selassie]] to Our Lady of Zion for the liberation of Ethiopia from the [[Italian East Africa|Fascist occupation]]. Built in a [[Byzantine Revival architecture|neo-Byzantine style]], work on the new cathedral began in 1955, and allows entry to women. Emperor Haile Selassie interrupted the state visit of Queen [[Elizabeth II]] to travel to Axum to attend the dedication of the new cathedral and pay personal homage, showing the importance of this church in the Ethiopian Empire. Queen Elizabeth visited the Cathedral a few days later.  Between the two cathedrals is a small chapel known as The Chapel of the Tablet built at the same time as the new cathedral, and which is believed to house the Ark of the Covenant. Emperor Haile Selassie's consort, Empress [[Menen Asfaw]], paid for its construction from her private funds. Admittance to the chapel is closed to all but the guardian monk who resides there. Entrance is even forbidden to the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church, and to the Emperor of Ethiopia during the monarchy. The two cathedrals and the chapel of the Ark are the focus of pilgrimage and considered the holiest sites in Ethiopia to members of its Orthodox Church.

[[File:Aksum, iscrizione di re ezana, in greco, sabeo e ge'ez, 330-350 dc ca. 10.jpg|thumb|upright|left|The [[Ezana Stone]], engraved from AD 330 to 356, is written in ancient Ge'ez, [[Sabaean language|Sabaean]] and [[Greek language|Greek]].]]
Other attractions in Axum include archaeological and ethnographic museums, the [[Ezana Stone]] written in [[Sabaean language|Sabaean]], Geʽez and [[Ancient Greek]] in a similar manner to the [[Rosetta Stone]], [[King Bazen's Tomb]] (a [[megalith]] considered to be one of the earliest structures), the so-called [[Queen of Sheba's Bath]] (actually a [[reservoir]]), the 4th-century [[Ta'akha Maryam]] and 6th-century [[Dungur]] palaces, [[Abba Pentalewon|Pentalewon Monastery]] and [[Abba Liqanos]] and about {{convert|2|km|abbr=on}} west is the [[rock art]] called the [[Lioness of Gobedra]].

Local legend claims the [[Queen of Sheba]] lived in the town.