Axum is located in the Central Zone of the Tigray Region, near the base of the Adwa mountains. It has an elevation of 2,131 metres (6,991 feet) and is surrounded by La'ilay Maychew, a separately administered woreda of the Tigray region.

Axum is believed to be the final resting place of the Ark of the Covenant brought from Jerusalem by the Son of Queen of Sheba and Solomon of Israel. Axum and its surrounding vicinity are home to more than 100s rock churches rich in extraordinary architectural tradition and Ethiopian Religious Culture.

Made of single blocks of granite, the tallest stood over 33 metres high – the largest monolith in the world. The biggest now standing is 23 metres high. All three section of the 1,700-year old Axum obelisk has arrived back in Ethiopia, 68 years after it was looted by Italian fascists.

Rock-hewn churches, hikes up to hilltop monasteries, the beautiful Gheralta mountains and the ancient Stelae obelisks and ruins in Axum, one of Ethiopia's former capitals... there's lots to see in the northern highlands of Tigrai.

The Obelisk of Axum (Tigrinya: ሓወልቲ ኣኽሱም, romanized: ḥawelti Akhsum; Amharic: የአክሱም ሐውልት, romanized: Ye’Åksum ḥāwelt) is a 4th-century CE, 24-metre (79 ft) tall phonolite [3] stele, weighing 160 tonnes (160 long tons; 180 short tons), in the city of Axum in Ethiopia.

But Ethiopia has numerous other claims to fame, including the mysterious granite obelisks of Axum, the extraordinary rock-hewn churches of Lalibela and - most enigmatic of all - the church of St. Mary of Zion, probable location of the Holy Arc of the Covenant.

Oct 26, 2013 · Like Timbuktu, Axum is hot, dusty and sleepy; unlike Timbuktu, Axum is home to a wealth of sites of great historical importance. This area is also the cradle of Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, the region is dotted with rock-hewn churches and ancient monasteries.

Axum, Ethiopia’s most ancient city, and capital of one of the most glorious empires of the past, boasts of an extremely rich culture of civilization symbolized by the remaining sites and treasures. The Axumite Empire was one of the four great empires of …

The Obelisk of Axum (Tigrigna: ሓወልቲ ኣክሱም) is a 4th-century CE, 24-meter-tall (79-feet) phonolite stele/obelisk, weighing 160 tonnes, in the city of Axum in Tigrai. It is ornamented with two false doors at the base and features decorations resembling windows on all sides.

Formerly the heart of the Axumite empire that spanned for nearly one thousand years, Axum is home to a 24-metre megalith surrounded by a ring of smaller Obelisks.