Axum Photo Gallery by Brian McMorrow at pbase.com

Axum

Welcome to Axum	A large open square in the center of Axum	The Yeha Hotel has a pleasant hilltop location	Yeha Hotel, Axum
Yeha Hotel, Axum	Cactus and rocky peak, Axum	Prickly pear cactus, Axum	Small Ethiopian Orthodox church at the base of the Yeha Hotel
Axum, Ethiopia	The famous Stele of Axum	Handicraft shops, Axum	The main road to the stele are lined with tourist shops
Stone houses, Axum	Stone houses, Axum	Ethiopian post box, Axum	Axumite Heritage Foundation and Public Library
The old palace, Axum	Roundabout monument, Axum	War hero General Hayelom Araya	Ethiopian carpets at a shop, Axum
Flower in the garden of the Yeha Hotel, Axum	Ethiopian beer tour, Axum	Ethiopian beer tour, Axum	Tour company stickers, Yeha Hotel
New Church of St. Mary of Zion, Axum, from Yeha Hotel	Northern stele field from Yeha Hotel, Axum	View from the Yeha Hotel, Axum	New Church of Saint Mary of Zion, Axum
Cactus with St. Mary of Zion, Axum	Ethiopian priest, Axum	Obelisks of the northern stelae field, Axum	Stele of Axum
Stelae of Axum, ca 1800 years old	King Ezana's Stele, 24m tall	The recently re-erected Rome Stele, 24.6m	King Ezana's Stele with support
Leaning Stele of King Ezana, Axum	Ruins of the toppled Great Stele, 33m, Axum	The broken Great Stele of Axum, 4th Century	This stele was taken to Rome by Mussolini
Entrance to Axum's stelae field	A doorway carved from a single piece of granite	The Great Stele of Axum	It is believed that the Great Stele toppled during erection
The fall of the Great Stele ending the stelae building era in Axum	The Rome Stele was returned 2005	The Rome Stele was re-erected in Axum in 2008	Sitting on the ruins of the Tomb of Nefas Mawcha, Axum
Keith on the ruins of the Tomb of Nefas Mawcha	Mausoleum discovered in 1974 near the Great Stele	Keith with the Stelae of Axum	Mausoleum near the Great Stele
In the mausoleum near the Great Stele	One of the 10 tomb chambers of the Mausoleum	Mausoleum by the Great Stele	Some of the 10 tomb chambers were left undisturbed
Mausoleum excavated in the 1990s	Me at the Tomb of the False Door	Tomb of the False Door, Axum, 4th-6th Century AD	Stairway descending ito the Tomb of the False Door, Axum
The tomb of the false door was pillaged during antiquity	Tomb of the False Door, Axum	Archaologists breached a 2nd tomb behind the Tomb of the False Door	Guide pointing out the original entrance by stairs
4th-6th Century AD tomb, Axum	4th-6th Century AD tomb, Axum	The majority of Axum's stelae are undecorated	Base of a pillar, Northern stelae field, Axum
The fallen Great Stelae with the New Church of St. Mary of Zion, Axum	The fallen Great Stelae with the New Church of St. Mary of Zion, Axum	Keith beneath the Great Stele	Carved door, Great Stele, Axum
Undecorated stele, Axum	Northern Stelae Field, Axum	The re-erexted Roman Stele	A small, undecorated stele, Axum
A small, undecorated stele, Axum	Archaeological museum, Axum	Historic photo of the Stelae field surrounded by huts	Former directors house, Northern Stele Field
Former directors house, Northern Stele Field	Roughly carved granite stele, Axum	Ethiopian baskets	Ethiopian baskets on sale next to the Archaeological Museum, Axum
Ethiopian baskets on sale next to the Archaeological Museum, Axum	Ethiopian baskets on sale next to the Archaeological Museum, Axum	Ethiopian baskets on sale next to the Archaeological Museum, Axum	Ethiopian baskets on sale next to the Archaeological Museum, Axum
Ethiopian baskets on sale next to the Archaeological Museum, Axum	Ethiopian baskets on sale next to the Archaeological Museum, Axum	Speckled pigeon, Axum	EthiopiaJan09 2898.jpg
Ethiopian wedding, Axum	Ethiopian wedding, Axum	Ethiopian wedding, Axum	Ethiopian wedding, Axum
Ethiopian bride and groom posing for photos at the Axum stelae field	Ethiopian bridge and groom	Music at an Ethiopian wedding	Stele, Axum
Undecorated stele, Axum	Undecorated stele, Axum	Undecorated stele, Axum	Northern stelae field, Axum
The fourth decorated stele at Axum, fallen and broken	Stele of Axum	Simple stele, Axum	Push harder!
Simple undecorated stele, Axum	Striped ground squirrel - Xerus erythropus, Ethiopia	Our local Axum guide with the 5th decorated stele	5th decorated stele, Axum
It looks like it would be rather simple to reerect the 6th decorated stele	6th decorated stele, Axum	Only the very tip broke during the toppling of the 6th stele	The 6th decorated stele of the northern stelae field, Axum
A fallen undecorated stele, Axum	Squeeeeeeze!	The same wedding we saw earlier	Circling the wedding car, Axum
The wedding car is covered with a decorated white cloth	Ethiopian bride, Axum	Drummer at the wedding, Axum	"Italy and Ethiopia people's will live in friendship forever"
The plaza in front of the Stelae of Axum	Founders of the Organization of African Unity	Cathedral of St. Mary Tsion, Axum	Bell tower, Cathedral of St Mary of Zion, Axum
The bell tower vaguely resembles a Stele of Axum	New Cathedral of St Mary of Zion, Axum, built in the 1960's	The old chapel of the Ark of the Covenant, St. Mary of Zion	Ornate cross on top of the new cathedral, Axum
Cathedral of St Mary of Zion, Axum	Compound of the Churches of St. Mary of Zion, Axum	The new chapel of the Ark of the Covenant where it is said the original Ark is kept	The Guardian of the Ark of the Covenant
The new Chapel of the Ark of the Covenant, Axum	Stained glass windows inside the New Cathedral of St Mary of Zion, Axum	The story of the Ark of the Covenant, St. Mary of Zion, Axum	The Crucifixion, Cathedral of St Mary of Zion, Axum
Cathedral of St Mary of Zion, Axum	Cathedral of St Mary of Zion, Axum	Ancient Ethiopian Bible, Cathedral of St Mary of Zion, Axum	Many paintings in Ethiopian churches were based on these
St. George and the Dragon	Pages from an ancient Ethiopian Bible said to be the basis of many of the wall paintings in churches today	Ancient Ethiopian Bible, Cathedral of St Mary of Zion, Axum	Bible written in Geetz, an ancient Ethiopian language
Cathedral of St Mary of Zion, Axum	Drums, Cathedral of St Mary of Zion, Axum	Cathedral of St Mary of Zion, Axum	New Church of St. Mary of Zion, Axum
Old and new bell towers at the churches of St Mary of Zion, Axum	Old and new bell towers	Old Church of St. Mary of Zion, built in 1665 by Emperor Fasilidas on the ruins of Africa's first church (4th-6th Century)	Old Church of St. Mary of Zion
Old Church of St. Mary of Zion, Axum	Old Church of St. Mary of Zion, Axum	The ever-present St. George, Old Church of St. Mary of Zion	Old Church of St. Mary of Zion, Axum
Door to the Holy of Holies	Peering through a crack in the door, Old Church of St. Mary of Zion	Religous art, Old Church of St. Mary of Zion, Axum	Virgin and Child, Old Church of St. Mary of Zion, Axum
Black Madonna of the Old Church of St. Mary of Zion, Axum	Old Church of St. Mary of Zion, Axum	Old Church of St. Mary of Zion, Axum	St. Samuel riding the Lion
Old Church of St. Mary of Zion, Axum	Old Church of St. Mary of Zion, Axum	Stone on which Ethiopian Emperors were crowned	Coronation Stone, Axum
Coronation stone, St. Mary of Zion, Axum	Emperor of Ethiopia?	Coronation stone, St. Mary of Zion, Axum	Western facade of the Old Church of St. Mary of Zion
Fragment of a decorated stele, St. Mary of ZIon	Old and new bell towers, St. Mary of ZIon	New Cathedral of St. Mary of ZIon	New Cathedral of St. Mary of ZIon
Cross on top of the dome of the New Cathedral of St. Mary of ZIon	Priest giving a blessing, St. Mary of Zion, Axum	Speckled pigeon, St. Mary of Zion	Bird shit!
Red-cheeked Cordonbleu, Axum	That was apparently the only vehicle available in Axum for the 2 of us	Ethiopian license plate - Addis Ababa (AA)	Your tour director, Brian
A good place for lunch in central Axum, just west of Ethiopian Airlines	We managed to talk the guide out of taking us to the hotel for lunch	Traditional Ethiopian food, Axum	Chair in the form of a Stele of Axum
Ethiopian license plate from Tigray region, TG	Ezana Park, Axum	Soldier and helicopter painting, Axum	Axum is the sister city of Denver, Colorado
The big basket is for injera bread	Carrying an injera bread basket/table	Bath of the Queen of Sheba, old, but not THAT old	Bath of the Queen of Sheba, Axum
Queen of Sheba's Baths, Axum	Queen of Sheba's Baths, Axum	Queen of Sheba's Baths, Axum	Traffic in Axum
Rugged mountains northeast of Axum	Tombs of Kaleb and Gabra Masqual, 2 km NE of Axum	Stairs leading to the 6th Century tombs of 2 Axumite kings	A small lizard, Axum
Stairs leading to the 6th Century tombs of 2 Axumite kings	Descent to the Tomb of Gabra Masqal	Tomb of Gabra Masqal, Axum	Tomb of Gabra Masqal
Storage room, Tomb of Gabra Masqal, Axum	Small bat in the Tomb of Gabra Masqal, Axum	Tomb of Gabra Masqal	Stairs to the Tomb of Kaleb
Small caravan of camels, Axum	Ethiopian "Rosetta Stone"	King Ezana's inscription - trilingual Greek, Ge'ez and Sabaean	The trilingual stone dates from 330-350 AD
King Ezana's inscription was found by a farmer in 1981	Axum	Axum	Axum
The end of the paved road in the direction of Shire	The guide describing Dungur Palace, Axum	Outer wall to Dungur Palace, Axum	Dungur Palace, a noble residence from 6th Century AD
Dungur Palace is popularly attributed to the Queen of Sheba	Dungur Palace, Axum, was built 1500 years after the Queen of Sheba	Dungur Palace, Axum	Cactus-like plant bearing fruit
Dungur Palace, west side, Axum	Panorama of Durgar Palace, Axum	Dungur Palace, east side, Axum	Dungur Palace, Axum
Dungur Palace, Axum	Drainage, Durgar Palace	Old kitchen of Durgar Palace	Doorway, Durgar Palace
Staircase, Durgar Palace, Axum	Dungur Palace, Axum	Gudit Stelae Field, Axum	Goats resting in the shade of a fallen stele
Goats resting in the shade of a fallen stele	Gudit Stelae Field, Axum	Farmhouse near the granite quarry west of Axum	Gobedra Hill, the Axum granite quarry which supplied stone for the stelae
Farmhouse near the Axum granite quarry	Some of the overenthousiastic child-guides live here	Axum granite quarry	Haystacks
Lioness of Gobedra, 3 km west of Axum	The age of the lioness us unknown	Some of the "all too willing local children" referred to in the Lonely Planet guide	Local kids at the Lioness of Gobedra, Axum
Excavations near the granite quarry, Axum	Granite quarry, Axum	Granite quarry, Gobo Dura, Axum	Granite quarry, Axum
An unfinished stele at the quarry, Axum	A partially cut stele, Axum granite quarry	A partially cut stele, Axum granite quarry	Granite quarry 3 km west of Axum
The "all to willing local children" looking for new victims	Leaving the granite quarry	Keith and the remainder of the pack of kids	Driving back from the quarry to Axum along the main road
Main Street of Axum	An old yellow Peugeot decorated for another wedding	An old quarter of Axum	Looking for the Tej house
Donkeys headed home	Another wedding spilled over into the streets	Back streets of Axum	The kids pretty much left us alone
Old men passing time, Axum	Tej, Ethiopian honey wine	Keith seemed to like it but I was a bit turned off by the dead bugs in the glass...	Keith said it was ok...he makes his own mead...
Our guide and driver joined us at the Tej house, Axum	Keith with the guide and driver at the Tej House in Axum	Cactus, Axum	Axum, well outside the tourist zone
You have to get a ticket at St. Mary of Zion first	Bell tower, Enda Iyesus Church	Enda Iyesus Church, Axum	Enda Iyesus Church, Axum
These paintings are rather new	Enda Iyesus Church, Axum	Enda Iyesus Church, Axum	More martyrs...
Enda Iyesus Church, Axum	Demon carrying a heavy burden	Enda Iyesus Church, Axum	Enda Iyesus Church, Axum
Enda Iyesus Church, Axum	Enda Iyesus Church, Axum	Enda Iyesus Church, Axum	Enda Iyesus Church, Axum
The Axumite Kingdom minted coins from the 3rd to 7th Centuries	I'd have to guess that "Axumite Coins" for sale in a place like this are fake...	Terrace of the Yehe Hotel for drinks with tourists from the quarry	The mountains make for a nice sunset
Birds at sunset from the terrace of the Yeha Hotel	Dusk, Axum	Going native at the Tej House	Pouring Tej...after getting rid of the dead bugs
Friendly Obama-loving tourists from Addis Ababa	Traditional Ethiopian food for dinner at the Africa Hotel	I actually did like the Ethiopian food for the most part	Lots of Dashen Beer
Dashen Beer, Axum	A pub across the street from the Africa Hotel, Axum	Cheers!	Church of St. Pentalewon on a hilltop east of Axum
The road leading out of Axum to the east	Monument, Axum Airport	Emperor Yohannis IV (1837-1889)	Axum Yohannes IV Airport
Axum Yohannes IV Airport, domestic terminal	To save the tortuous 2 day drive to Lalibela we chose the 45 minute flight	Ethiopian Airlines Fokker 50. All our flights were ontime or even early	Keith walking to the airplane, Axum Airport

comment |

Tony Roth		20-Feb-2017 05:40
7-OCT-2008 Bird nesting in the sandy soil, Signal Hill. Actually, the bird is 'dust-bathing'

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