From the 10th to the 1st centuries BC, Axum (also spelled Aksum) was the capital of the great Axumite Empire, which is considered one of the last of the great civilizations. It was a thriving hub of commerce with Red Sea and Indian Ocean ports and the earliest Christian kingdom in the world. The empire included most of what is now Eritrea, its port to the world was Adulis on the Red Sea, and it is still considered as the basis of current Ethiopia. The empire lasted from before Christ to the 7th century, after which it declined. At the time, it was one of the most advanced civilizationswhen it comes to technology and trade.

The modern city of Aksum is located in the northeastern portion of what is now Ethiopia, on the horn of Africa. It lies high on a plateau 7200 ft above sea level, and in its heyday, its region of influence included both sides of the Red Sea. Modern Axum retains little of its former grandeur, but it is still the spiritual heart of the country. It is a deeply religious city (both Ethiopian Orthodox and Sunni Muslim) that houses the country's most sacred artifact, the reputed Ark of the Covenant. Axum is where Christianity arrived in the fourth century and it is the holiest city of the Ethiopian Orthodox faith. Axum is also a delight to archaeologists, with ruins of ancient tombs, stelae, palaces and churches seen everywhere. Amazingly, 98 percent of the ancient city remains to be excavated. For all this historical and religious richness, the city of Axum has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Even now, the town already boasts many proofs of its history, but much more seems to be waiting to be uncovered under the ground. The most evident proof of Axumite power are the stelae, proudly standing on the western side of town. They are finely decorated, precisely carved, and large: the largest ones are taller than the tallest obelisk of ancient Egypt. The function of the stelae is still subject to discussion, probably they mark graves of emperors. In fact, under the stelae field in Axum you can find tombs of emperors, unfortunately robbed of their treasures - but then again, who knows there might still be yet uncovered tombs still holding their original contents?

The largest currently standing stele of Axum is of King Ezana. It towers 23 metres above the field, and is finely carved with a door and windows, probably representing the door and windows of his tomb. One obelisk had been taken by the Italian occupiers in the 1930s, but is back in Axum resurrected at its original place. The tallest stele lies broken on the ground - it symbolizes overreach of the empire. In the drive to build always larger stele, the able Axumites apparently went too far, and the sorry sight of the Remhai stele testifies to their overconfidence. In any case, while the stelae were probably transported from the quarry to Axum by elephant, it is still not clear how the stelae were erected.