Tag it:

Even though much of Axum's history is still shrouded in semi-darkness, it is clear that Axum was and still is the captial of the Christianity religion, reaching it's peak at the reign of Ezana in the 4th century and upheld its position for about 12 centuries.

The Great Stelea

Giant stelea at Axum

Axum monoliths seen from distance

The Great Stelea

Ancient Axum reached its peak during the reign of Ezana, who is said to have been converted to Christianity in the fourth century (current era) and who was responsible for the fashioning of several stone inscriptions relating his conquest and subjugation of several tributary kingdoms and laying the foundation for present day Ethiopia.

Whatever else can or cannot be said about Axum, since much of its early history is still shrouded in semi-darkness. It was certainly a city known well to Greek traders as the center of a considerably large empire, which "dominated the vital crossroads of Africa and Asia for almost a thousand years" (Ethiopian Tourism Commission, Spectrum Guide to Ethiopia). Classical greek was used by King Ezana as one of the languages of stone inscriptions, stones which were used as coins at that time.

Axum declined between the 9th and 13th centuries, notably due to the twin threats posed to it by the rebellion of the legendary Queen Yodit (also popularly known as Gudit) and the fast spread of Islam at the time, though it did not suffer a direct attack by the latter.

Axum was revived about 1270, with the renaissance that saw the expanding of the empire and the flourishing of Ethiopic (religious) literature. It started to lose its footing and, then, decline once and for all as the glorious city it had been towards the end of the 16th century, eventually giving way to different towns as seats of various kings, princes, and warlords, until, in the middle of the 16th century Gondar replaced it as the permanent capital of expanding Ethiopia. One thing that Axum had been, and still is, is Christianity's religious capital.