The ruins of the ancient city of Aksum are found close to Ethiopia’s northern border. They mark the location of the heart of ancient Ethiopia, when the Kingdom of Aksum was the most powerful state between the Eastern Roman Empire and Persia. The massive ruins, dating from between the 1st and the 13th century A.D., include monolithic obelisks, giant stelae, royal tombs and the ruins of ancient castles. Long after its political decline in the 10th century, Ethiopian emperors continued to be crowned in Aksum.

Axum is described as home of the arc of covenant and the cradle of Ethiopian civilization. The more than three thousand years of history, stretching from queen of Sheba to the present day, is an enchantment to the visitors flocking this spectacular part of Ethiopia. By the first century Axum was a major trading center; trading with Egypt, Rome, Greece, Syria and India. One of the major tour sites of Axum is its Stelae.

By the first century Axum was a major trading center; trading with Egypt, Rome, Greece, Syria, and India. One of the major tour sites of Axum is its Stelae. The Stelae Park comprises of seven mysterious monolithic stelae from which Axum is identified. These dates between the 1st and the 3rd century AD and received recognition by the UNESCO in 1980.

The million-dollar question is what happened to the Arc of the Covenant? The story begins with the queen of Sheba (Saba) who reigned in Axum in the 10th century BC. Inspired by the tales she heard from her merchant, the queen paid an official visit to Jerusalem to meet this wise man known as King Solomon. She returned home enlightened and pregnant with a child who would grow up to the Emperor Menelik I, the first in the Solomonic Dynasty, a Dynasty which would last until Emperor Haile Selassie I was overthrown nearly 3,000 years later. The 22–year–old Menelik I traveled to meet his father, who asked him to remain in Jerusalem to succeed him as king. When Menelik I declined, Solomon insisted him be accompanied home by the first-born sons of important elders in the kingdom. Apparently, upset with their fate, some of the sons took the Arc of the Covenant from the temple and replaced it with a replica.