Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion
Ancient Orthodox church and compound where, according to tradition, the Ark of the Covenant is kept. The chapel said to hold it is closed to everyone except a single guardian monk.
Axum
Axum, the Aksumite kingdom's ancient capital, is known for St. Mary of Zion Church, royal tombs and carved stone obelisks of giant size.
Attractive locations
Obelisk of Axum
Tall carved stone pillar, standing among the stelae of the old Aksumite capital about 1,700 years ago. Its carved windows and doors imitate a multi-storey building.
Abba Garima Monastery
Monastery in the hills outside Axum, home to an ancient illuminated Gospel manuscript among the oldest Christian manuscripts. Rules on who may enter apply, so check locally before going.
Lioness of Gobedra
Carved rock figure of a lioness, found near Axum and dating from the Aksumite era. It stands on Gobedra hill, outside the town.
Grat Be'al Gebri
Ruins of an early stone building at Yeha, a settlement that is older than Axum. It forms part of a site showing Ethiopia's pre-Aksumite past.
Yeha
Village with the remains of a very old stone temple, built long before Axum's rise. Its tall, neatly fitted walls make it one of the oldest standing buildings in Ethiopia.
Debre Damo
Flat-topped mountain with a monastery on its summit, reached by climbing a rope up a cliff. Women are not allowed to enter, so the visit is for men only.
Airports
Axum Airport AXU
It is about 5 km in a straight line from Axum.
Shire Inda Selassie Airport SHC
It is about 50 km in a straight line from Axum.
Mekele Alula Aba Nega Airport MQX
It is about 113 km in a straight line from Axum.
Scams and safe taxis
Taxi and scam advice for this country is on the Ethiopia page
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan19.5 °C1 mm
- Feb21.5 °C3 mm
- Mar23.2 °C8 mm
- Apr24.4 °C23 mm
- May25.1 °C35 mm
- Jun23.4 °C41 mm
- Jul20.4 °C171 mm
- Aug19.8 °C207 mm
- Sep21.5 °C65 mm
- Oct20.8 °C22 mm
- Nov19.8 °C5 mm
- Dec18.8 °C3 mm
Driest months: Jan, Feb, Dec. Wettest months: Jul, Aug, Sep.
Who can help
Emergency
Reported numbers: police 991, ambulance 907, fire 939 - confirm with your hotel or guide.
ngo
Ethiopian Red Cross Society
Helps with: Ethiopia's national Red Cross society. Its work includes round-the-clock emergency ambulance services, disaster response and family-links services for separated families. Its website gives toll-free 907 for emergencies.
Who qualifies: People in Ethiopia needing emergency, health, disaster or family-links services. The phone shown is the head office line.
Phone: +251-115-18-01-81
Email: ercsinfo@redcrosseth.org
Address: Ras Desta Dametew Avenue, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Ethiopia
Helps with: The UN migration agency, working across Ethiopia since 1995. It supports displaced people and safe, regular migration, and produces migration research and data for policy.
Who qualifies: Migrants and displaced people in Ethiopia, and government or other partners. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: +251 111301000
Address: YeMez Building, behind Zequala Building, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
local government
Police and emergency number 911
Helps with: Reaches the police and general emergency help in Ethiopia. The number comes from UK government travel advice.
Who qualifies: Anyone in the country, including visitors, can call this number.
Phone: 911
local government
Ambulance number 907 (Addis Ababa)
Helps with: Reaches the ambulance service in Addis Ababa only, as given by UK government travel advice. The page lists no ambulance number for other places.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Addis Ababa, including visitors, can call this number.
Phone: 907