We reveal the connection between the extinct kingdom of Aksum, the Queen of Sheba and the Ark of the Covenant
16. 01. 2020The kingdom of Aksum (sometimes also written "Axum") was an ancient kingdom in present-day Ethiopia and Eritrea. This kingdom existed roughly between the 1st and 8th centuries AD. Because of its convenient location between the Mediterranean (linked by the Nile) and the Indian Ocean (linked by the Red Sea), the Aksum kingdom was an important trade broker between the Roman Empire and ancient India. It was probably because of trade that it had penetrated into this ancient kingdom and successfully rooted in religions such as Judaism or Christianity. This is reflected in the story of the origin of the ruling dynasty.
Solomon's Dynasty
According to Ethiopian tradition, the city of Aksum (capital of the kingdom) was the seat of the Queen of Sheba. Although this queen lived many centuries before the establishment of the kingdom of Aksum, its kings refer to their origins precisely to her and to King of Israel Solomon. Therefore, the ruling genus is also known as the Solomon dynasty. Ethiopian traditions also claim that the Queen of Sheba learned of Solomon's wisdom from a merchant named Tamrin and immediately decided to visit Solomon. According to Ethiopian legends, Solomon forced the Queen of Sheba during her visit to Jerusalem to take an oath not to take anything from his house. One night Solomon slept in bed on one side of his chamber, and the queen slept on the other. Before he fell asleep, Solomon placed a container of water beside her bed. The queen woke up at night, and because she was thirsty, she drank water in a container. That awakened Solomon, and when he saw the queen drink water, he accused her of breaking the oath. Nevertheless, King Solomon was enchanted by the Queen's beauty and made love to her. The Queen of Sheba became pregnant and gave birth to a son upon her return to her native land. The boy named Menelik, also known as Ibn al-Malik, became the founder of the Solomon dynasty.
Covenant Ark and conversion to Christianity
The ties between Israel and Aksum were restored two decades later when Menelik reached maturity. As a young man, he asked who his father was and his mother told him that it was none other than King of Israel, Solomon. So he decided to visit Solomon in Israel and stayed there for three years. Apparently Solomon and his son were confused by the Israelites and complained to the king. As a result, Menelik was sent home with the eldest son of the high priest and 1000 people from each of the 12 Israeli tribes.
Before leaving Jerusalem, the son of a high priest named Azariah had a dream in which he was ordered to take the Ark of Covenant with him to his new home. Azariah took the Ark from the Temple, exchanged it for a copy, and transferred the sacred box to Ethiopia. Therefore, some people believe that the Ark of the Covenant is somewhere in today's Ethiopia. The subsequent Ethiopian kings, including the kings of the Aksum kingdom, derived their origin from Menelik.
In addition, the Ethiopians adopted Jewish culture. However, in the 4th century AD, Christianity changed to Ethiopia. The first Aksum king to embrace Christianity was Ezana. The man who introduced this area of Christianity was known as Fremnatos, or Frumentius, as it is called by European sources. Fremnatos was described as a merchant or philosopher and theologian. According to tradition, he was a Tyrian Christian who was kidnapped on his way to India in Aksum. Because of his scholarship, he became the educator of the future king of Ezana, and it is thought that it was he who led the king to Christianity.
Monoliths to honor the elite
However, it took 200 more years for Christianity to take root in Ethiopia. Yet Christian churches were built during the reign of King Ezan. But they are stellas or obelisks that are the most typical monument of the Aksum kingdom. These richly decorated monoliths are said to have been erected to mark the graves of prominent members of society. One of the most famous is the one that Benito Mussolini had brought to Rome as a booty in the 30s. This monument was returned to Ethiopia in 20 and erected again in 2005.
The importance of the city of Aksum after the fall of the kingdom
At the time of the greatest prosperity of the Kingdom of Aksum, its rulers controlled not only the territory of Ethiopia and Eritrea, but also of northern Sudan, southern Egypt and even the Arabian Peninsula. The end of the kingdom, however, occurred with the decline of trade that flowed through its territory. With the rise of Islam, new trade routes have stabilized, and the old ones, like the ones leading through Aksum, have ceased to be used. Despite the disappearance of the kingdom, its capital Aksum remained an important Ethiopian city. In addition to being the most important center of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, it was also the place where the rulers of the Solomon dynasty were crowned.