If
you walk upstream along the banks of the river, some of these Stone Age
tools can often be seen, particularly in the dry washes. Remember,
however, that collecting of Stone Age artefacts is prohibited, and
local citizens help to enforce this restriction.
Tiya Stones
Ethiopia's
earliest known capital, Yeha, is less than two hours' drive from Axum
through some dramatic highland scenery. As the birthplace of the
country's earliest high civilization, it is well worth visiting. To get
there, head east for twenty kilometres (12 miles) to Adwa. Continue
along the main road towards Adigrat for another twenty-four kilometres
(15 miles) and then turn north on to a short dirt track, where you will
see the imposing ruins of Yeha's Temple of the Moon about four
kilometres (2.5 miles) to the right of the track.
Tiya Stones
The Stele site of Tiya in Gurage
Zone is registered in the UNESCO world heritage list as world heritage
sites in 1980. Tiya is distinguished by 36 standing stones or stelae.
They are marking a large, prehistoric burial complex of an ancient
Ethiopian culture.
The
site contains more than 40 ancient stelae. The largest of which stands
up to 3.9m high. They form only one cluster and are intriguing and
mysterious. Almost nothing is known about the monoliths carves or their
purpose. Most of the stones are engraved with enigmatic symbols, notably
swords. French excavations have revealed that the stelae mark mass graves of individuals aged between 18-30 years.
Yeha - Temple of the Moon
Ethiopia's
earliest known capital, Yeha, is less than two hours' drive from Axum
through some dramatic highland scenery. As the birthplace of the
country's earliest high civilization, it is well worth visiting. To get
there, head east for twenty kilometres (12 miles) to Adwa. Continue
along the main road towards Adigrat for another twenty-four kilometres
(15 miles) and then turn north on to a short dirt track, where you will
see the imposing ruins of Yeha's Temple of the Moon about four
kilometres (2.5 miles) to the right of the track.
The
ruins of this large, pre-Christian temple, erected around the fifth
century Be, consist of a single roofless oblong chamber twenty metres
(66 feet) long by fifteen metres (50 feet) wide. The windowless
tenmetre-high (33-foot-high) walls are built of smoothly polished
stones, some of them more than three metres (ten feet) long, carefully
placed one atop the other without the use of mortar.
Immediately beside the temple is a modern church dedicated to Abune Aftse, one of the Nine Saints from Syria who founded many important monasteries in northern Ethiopia in the fifth and sixth centuries. The building's front facade has been fitted with stones from the original temple, which are decorated with reliefs of ibex with lowered horns. The church contains many crosses, old manuscripts and stones bearing ancient Sabaean inscriptions, which can be seen on request.
Archaeological research at Yeha has unearthed many historical treasures, including a number of Sabaean inscriptions and a variety of animal figurines. Several of these antiquities are on display in the National Museum in Addis Ababa.
Immediately beside the temple is a modern church dedicated to Abune Aftse, one of the Nine Saints from Syria who founded many important monasteries in northern Ethiopia in the fifth and sixth centuries. The building's front facade has been fitted with stones from the original temple, which are decorated with reliefs of ibex with lowered horns. The church contains many crosses, old manuscripts and stones bearing ancient Sabaean inscriptions, which can be seen on request.
Archaeological research at Yeha has unearthed many historical treasures, including a number of Sabaean inscriptions and a variety of animal figurines. Several of these antiquities are on display in the National Museum in Addis Ababa.
