Aksum

Capital of the ancient Aksumite Empire; UNESCO-listed for its stelae, royal tombs and Church of St Mary of Zion.

Country:Ethiopia

Language:English; Tigrinya

Published:2025-10-30

Audience:Travellers, students of history, heritage professionals

Aksum (also Axum) is an ancient city in the Tigray Region of northern Ethiopia. It was the capital of the Aksumite Empire, one of the major civilisations of the ancient world, which traded with Rome, India and Arabia. The ruins of Aksum - including towering granite stelae (obelisks), royal tombs, the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, and the reputed final resting place of the Ark of the Covenant - were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1980. Aksum was also the first major sub-Saharan state to adopt Christianity, in the 4th century CE.

Keywords

Aksum

Axum

Aksumite Empire

stelae

Ethiopia

UNESCO

Source & licence

Source: Wikipedia

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aksum

Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

Wikipedia article. CC BY-SA 4.0 attribution required.

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