Things to Do in Axum: A Guide to Ethiopia’s Sacred Ancient City

I came to Axum with a long list of questions and left with an even longer list of stories. This is one of the oldest inhabited cities in Africa, the center of a powerful empire that reached its height more than a millennium and a half ago, and it is claimed by some to hold one of the most important religious relics in the world. It is not a polished tourist city, and that is exactly why I loved it. Here is how I explored Axum.

Walk Among the Great Stelae

The first thing you notice in Axum is the field of giant granite obelisks that stand in the center of town. Known as stelae, these carved monoliths were erected more than 1,700 years ago as markers for royal tombs, and some of them reach several stories into the sky. I walked slowly along the line of standing stones, some upright and one famous fallen example lying broken on the ground. One obelisk, over twenty meters tall, was returned from Italy in 2005 after being taken more than a century earlier. Standing beside these carvings, with their fine detail etched into the granite, I felt the weight of a very long history.

Visit St Mary of Zion and the Chapel of the Ark

For many pilgrims, Axum is the holiest city in Ethiopia. The Church of St Mary of Zion is an active Orthodox place of worship, and the older small church beside it and the newer cathedral are surrounded by crowds of believers, particularly on festival days. I removed my shoes at the entrance and joined the steady flow of people who come to pray and to be near what tradition holds is the Ark of the Covenant, said to be kept in a guarded chapel that no one but a single monk may enter. I could not see the Ark itself, and no one can, but the atmosphere of reverence around that small building was unlike anything I have experienced.

See the Ruins of Dungur and the Queen of Sheba’s Palace

Just outside the center lie the crumbling remains of a large ancient structure that local tradition associates with the Queen of Sheba. The site, known as Dungur, consists of the low walls of rooms and courtyards spread over a wide area, and a local guide brought it to life for me by pointing out the layout of what was once a grand residence. The identification with the queen is a matter of legend rather than certainty, but the ruins are genuinely ancient and worth the walk to see. On the way I climbed a small hill for a view over the town and the green fields that surround it.

Explore the Tombs Beneath the Stelae

Some of the most fascinating parts of Axum sit underground. I visited the Tomb of King Kaleb and the nearby Tomb of the False Door, which are carved directly into the hillside and date from the time of the empire. Walking down the stone stairways into the cool, dim chambers felt like stepping back into another age. Above one tomb, the single slender stele that marks it is a striking sight. A good local guide can explain the layout and the burial practices of the Aksumite kings, and I found these underground spaces among the most memorable parts of my trip.

Climb to the Ezana Stone and the Monastery of Debre Damo Views

A short distance from the stelae field stands the Ezana Stone, a carved block that preserves an inscription in three ancient scripts and documents the moment the kingdom turned to Christianity. It is easy to pass by, but I stopped to read it with a guide and it connected the ancient site to the living faith all around me. From the edge of town there are also excellent views across the high plateau, and I watched the sun go down over the wide valley that has been the home of this civilization for thousands of years.

Visit the Museum and Dungur’s Neighbors

The small archaeological museum in the center holds a collection of Aksumite finds that helped me make sense of what I had walked through above ground. Among the displays are well preserved coins, pottery, and rock inscriptions that date back to the era of the empire. I spent an hour looking at the objects and found they put the stones and tombs in far clearer context. A little farther along the same road, the scattered ruins of what may have been a royal bathing pool and other outbuildings add to the sense of a once vast city. It is an easy walk from the museum to the main stelae field, so I did not need any transport to see all of them in a single afternoon.

Plan Your Visit Well

Axum sits in northern Ethiopia and is most easily reached by a short flight from Addis Ababa or by a long but scenic road journey from other towns in the region. The main sights around the stelae field and the churches are close together, so you can see the core of the city in a day, though I recommend allowing two to get a slower feel for the place. The dry season from October to March is the most comfortable time to visit. Axum gave me a rare sense of standing at the source of something very old. Between the carved stones, the living worship, and the stories that run through the town, this ancient city left me with far more than I expected.