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Abba Liqanos Monastery
Northeast of the town centre and around 20 minutes by foot from the Abba Pentalewon Monastery, the Abba Liqanos Monastery boasts excellent views and contains some fine religious paraphernalia. Ask to see the so-called crowns of King Kaleb and Gebre Meskel.
While it's not a must-see, the walk there is pleasant.
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Abba Pentalewon Monastery
Around 2km from the tombs of Kings Kaleb and Gebre Meskel, and thought to date from the 6th century, is the Abba Pentalewon Monastery . Inside are some fine illuminated manuscripts, metal crosses, censers and sistra, which can usually be brought out by the priests. The site of the monastery was sacred to pagans and it's thought the monastery was built here to bolster Christianity and eradicate pagan beliefs.
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Ancient Quarries of Aksum
Near the Lioness of Gobedra, at a site on Gobedra Hill known as Wuchate Golo, are the Ancient Quarries of Aksum, the birthplace of the famous stelae. Mystery still surrounds the tools that were used by the master craftsmen of Aksum, but you can see clearly, in one area, the process by which they cut the hard stone from the rock. After the intended break was mapped out, a row of rectangular sockets were cut.
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Animal Market
Aksum has a couple of sleepy markets that burst to life on Saturday. The Animal Market is ripe with camels, donkeys and fodder.
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Arbatu Ensessa Church
The Arbatu Ensessa Church is a good example of traditional architecture.
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Archaeological Museum
The Archaeological Museum contains some fine and well-preserved Sabaean and early Ge'ez inscriptions, some dating back over 2500 years. There's also an interesting variety of objects found in tombs, ranging from ordinary household objects such as drinking cups, lamps and incense burners, to quite sophisticated glassware including perfume bottles.
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Axumait Handicraft Center
Don't forget to check out the craftsmen at the Axumait Handicraft Center, which houses a large collection of good-quality, but not cheap (by local standards) handicrafts. Ask for the energetic and well-informed Haile, himself a carver for over two decades.
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Basket Market
A bustling Basket Market takes place near the massive tree shading the taxi and gari stand.
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Dungur
The structure at Dungur, is similar to Ta'akha Maryam, but much better preserved (though smaller), and fully excavated in places rather clumsily restored. The architectural style with small undressed stones set in a timber framework and walls recessed at intervals and tapering with height are typically Aksumite. The stairwells suggest the existence of at least one upper storey. The well-preserved flagstone floor is thought to have belonged to a throne room.
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Enda Iyesus
For as long as 5000 years, monoliths have been used in northeast Africa as tombstones and monuments to local rulers. In Aksum, this tradition reached its apogee. Like Egypt's pyramids, Aksum's stelae were like great billboards announcing to the world the authority, power and greatness of the ruling families. Aksum's astonishing stelae are striking for their huge size, their incredible, almost pristine, state of preservation, and their curiously modern look.
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Ethnographical Museum
An elderly woman runs the so-called Ethnographical Museum from her home, which showcases eclectic arts and crafts (from her wedding dress to fine basketry and other household objects). It gives a tangible glimpse into life 'in the old days'.
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Ezana Park
Within a rather ugly tin-roofed tukul in Ezana Park is another famous 4th-century AD stone of King Ezana. This inscription is also written in Sabaean, Ge'ez and Greek and records the honorary titles and military victories of the king over his 'enemies and rebels'. One section of script thanks the God of War, thus placing the stone's age before Ezana's conversion to Christianity.
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Great Stele
Lying like a broken soldier, this massive 33m Great Stele is believed to be the largest single block of stone that humans have ever attempted to erect, and overshadows even the Egyptian obelisks in its conception and ambition. Scholars theorise that it fell during its erection sometime early in the 4th century.
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Gudit Stelae Field
Though less immediately arresting than those found in town, the stelae in the Gudit Stelae Field, are still worth a visit. Named after Queen Gudit, most stelae in this field are small, undressed and lie on the ground. Locals suggest the largest stele marks the Queen of Sheba's grave. Despite excavations in the 1970s and 1990s, little is known about the field.
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King Bazen's Tomb
Despite being the crudest of tombs, roughly hewn into solid rock instead of constructed with fine masonry, King Bazen's Tomb has a slightly magical feel about it. Stand in its dark depths and look up its rock-hewn stairs through its arched entranceway and you'll see why. It's even better if explored by candlelight.
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King Ezana's Inscription
On the way up to the tombs of Kings Kaleb and Gebre Meskel, you'll pass a little shack containing a remarkable find stumbled upon by a farmer in 1981. Inside is King Ezana's Inscription, an Ethiopian version of the Rosetta stone, a pillar inscribed in Sabaean, Ge'ez and Greek. It dates between AD 330 and AD 350 and records King Ezana's Christian military campaigns in Ethiopia and southern Arabia, as well as his quest to return the Ark to Aksum from Lake Tana.
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King Ezana's Stele
The Northern Stelae Field is Ethiopia's biggest and most important stelae field. It contains over 120 stelae, though the original number was higher - some have been removed, others probably lie buried. Although standing slightly off kilter, the magnificent 24m-high King Ezana's Stele at the field's entrance has done something no other stele of similar stature has - remained standing!
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Lioness of Gobedra
It was here that the Archangel Mikael fought a tremendous battle with a fierce lioness. The fight ended when the saint mustered all his strength and hurled the lion into a massive boulder. The impact had such force that the outline of the beast is still visible today. If it sounds like a story that legends are made of, you're right. It's only a legend! Who's responsible for the work or when it was created is still anyone's guess.
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Main Market
Aksum has a couple of sleepy markets that burst to life on Saturday. In the centre of town is the traditional Main Market, with spices and the like.
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Mausoleum
The so-called Mausoleum was discovered in 1974, but not excavated until the mid-1990s. A monumental portal (hewn from a single slab of granite) marked the tomb's entrance and was also carved with the stelae's curious false door motifs. The portal leads into a passageway with 10 chambers. Part of the tomb had been disfigured at some unknown date by robbers, who succeeded in digging through 1.5m of solid masonry! The mausoleum was almost set for its opening to the public during our visit - enjoy!
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Queen of Sheba's Bath
Despite the colourful legends, Queen of Sheba's Bath postdates the legendary queen by at least a millennia. This large reservoir was more likely an important source of water rather than a swimming pool or gargantuan bath. Its size is even more impressive considering it was originally hewn out of solid rock, no small feat in the world of ancient engineering. It's also known as Mai Shum, which translates to 'Water of Chief'.
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Rome Stele
At 24.6m high, the Rome Stele - or Aksum Obelisk to those in Rome - is the second-largest stele ever produced at Aksum and the largest to have ever been successfully raised. Like the Great Stele, its ornate carvings of multistoried windows and doors adorn all four sides. Pillagers raiding the site are believed to have accidentally caused its collapse sometime between the 10th and 16th centuries.
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St Mary of Zion Churches
Opposite the Northern Stelae Field in a walled compound lie the two St Mary of Zion Churches .The rectangular old church is a remarkable example of traditional architecture and was built by the Emperor Fasiladas, the founder of Gonder, in 1665. It's thought that the old podium on which it sits may well belong to Africa's first church, which was erected by King Ezana or King Kaleb in the 4th or 6th century.
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Ta'akha Maryam
Early excavations revealed that Ta'akha Maryam was a magnificent palace, probably dating from the 4th or 5th century AD. Unfortunately, much of the stone was removed and what remained was obliterated when the Italians cut a road straight through it. Today, little more than a few piles of rubble and a couple of dressed stone blocks remain, strewn on either side of the road.
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Tomb of Nefas Mawcha
The megalithic Tomb of Nefas Mawcha consists of a large rectangular central chamber surrounded on three sides by a passage. The tomb is unusual for its large size, the sophistication of the structure and the size of the stones used for its construction (the stone which roofs the central chamber measures 17.3m by 6.4m and weighs some 360 tonnes!). It's believed the force of the Giant Stele crashing into its roof caused the tomb's spectacular collapse.
