Obelisk of Axum | የአክሱም ሐዉልት
The Obelisk of Axum (Amharic: የአክሱም ሐውልት) is a 1,700-year-old, 24-metres (78-foot) tall granite stele/obelisk, weighing 160 tonnes, in the city of Axum in Ethiopia. The stelae were probably carved and erected during the 4th century A.D. by subjects of the Kingdom of Aksum, an ancient Ethiopian civilization.
Aksum (also spelled Axum) is a city in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.
The ancient capital, located on the northern border of Ethiopia, is
famous for its stelae, churches, monasteries, tombs and the ruins of
palaces. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1980. It has a population of 56,000.
Get in
By plane
Given the often trying conditions of Ethiopian roads, flying into
Aksum is a much more reasonable option. There are daily flights from Addis Ababa
to the small and rural, but well-functioning, Aksum airport. Some
flights are direct, others make stops along the way. At the airport,
there will be taxis eager to drive you into town. Many hotels also offer
van service to and from the airport.
By bus
Buses from Addis Ababa take a minimum of three days to travel via Dessie and Mekele. It is a very taxing ride over rough roads.
From Gondar,
take the dawn bus to Shire and change there for Aksum – you can usually
get through in a day. To travel to Gondar, you must take an afternoon
bus to Shire, spend the night there, and catch the dawn bus to Gondar.
The road between Shire and Gondar is one of the most spectacular in
Ethiopia.
From Debark and the Simien Mountains,
there is only one bus heading north to Shire. That is the Gondar bus,
and it is often full when it passes through Debark. You can either take
your chances (it isn't always full), or hire someone from Debark for
about 150 birr to go into Gondar the day before and ride the Shire bus
to Debark for you, guaranteeing you a seat. (Note that you must make
arrangements the morning prior to the day you want to leave. If you are
going trekking, you can make arrangements before you leave for your
trek.) There are many buses travelling between Shire and Aksum. To
travel to Debark, go to Shire in the afternoon, spend the night there,
catch the Gondar bus the next morning, and get off at Debark. You will
probably have to pay the full fare to Gondar (about 50 birr).
