AXUM (FROM THE 4TH CENTURY BC ONWARD)

DILLA University
Institute Of Technology
Department Of Architecture

ARCHITECTURAL
HERITAGE

Prepared By: AYANTU MTIKU -SORETI TOLARA

-FABEN GISHU -YEABSIRA ALEMU
-KALKIDAN HAILU To be Presented to: Ins. DEMELASHE
AND FEBEN
THE RISE OF THE KINGDOM OF AXUM

East African kingdom of Kush became powerful enough to push

north and conquer Egypt. During the next century, fierce Assyrians swept into
Egypt and drove the Kushite pharaohs south. However, Kush remained a
powerful kingdom for over 1,000 years. Finally, a more powerful kingdom
arose and conquered Kush. That kingdom was Aksum (AHK•soom). It was
located south of Kush on a rugged plateau on the Red Sea, in what are now the
countries of Eritrea and Ethiopia.
NAME & FOUNDATION
The name Axum, or Akshum as it is sometimes referred to, may derive from
a combination of two words from local languages - the Agew word for water
and the Ge'ez word for official, shum. The Axum rulers now called themselves
by the rather grand title Negusa Negast or 'King of Kings.'
 Aksum was the original capital of the Kingdom of
AXUM THE CAPITAL Aksum, a trading power that ruled the region from 400BC into the
10th century.
The ancient city of Axum (sometimes called Axumis) is
located at an altitude of over 2,000 meters (6800 ft) in the north of
the Ethiopian highlands (in the modern province of Tigray), close
to the River Tekeze, a tributary of the Nile. They mark the location
of the heart of ancient Ethiopia, when the Kingdom of Aksum was
the most powerful state between the Eastern Roman Empire and
Persia. The city, occupied from the 1st century CE, was both the
capital of a trading empire and a ceremonial center which included
many stone monuments. Some such monuments are very similar to
Egyptian obelisks, although curiously, the granite stone is
sometimes worked to resemble architectural features of dry-stone
and timber Axumite buildings.
THE KINGDOM OF AKSUM Access to sea trade on the Mediterranean Sea and
Indian Ocean helped Aksum become an international trading
power. Traders from Egypt, Arabia, Persia, India, and the
Roman Empire crowded Aksum’s chief seaport, Adulis
(AHD•uh•luhs), near present-day Massawa. Aksumite
merchants traded necessities such as salt and luxuries such as
rhinoceros’ horns, tortoise shells, ivory, emeralds, and gold.
In return, they chose from items such as imported cloth,
glass, olive oil, wine, brass, iron, and copper. Around A.D.
550, an Egyptian merchant named Cosmas described how
Aksumite agents bargained for gold from the people in
southern Ethiopia:
A CULTURAL MIX: WRITING & COINAGE

The area which Axum would later occupy used an

Arabian type script from the 5th century BCE called
Sabaean (a Semitic language then used in Southern Arabia).
Greek was also used in some inscriptions. The kingdom of
Axum had its own writing system, the earliest examples of
which are found on sheets of schist rock slabs which date to
the 2nd century CE. This script, called Ge'ez or Ethiopic,
resembles Sabaean but had gradually evolved into a quite
distinct script which included characters for vowels and
consonants and which was read from left to right. The Ge'ez
script is still used today in modern Ethiopia. The usage of
Geez today has declined. It is now utilized exclusively by
Fig : ezana stone write by ge’ez
the religious leaders of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
CONT……

By the third century A.D. Axum had established its own

currency. Aksum Becomes Christian Ezana succeeded to the
throne as an infant after the death of his father. While his
mother ruled the kingdom, a young Christian man from
Syria who had been caught and taken into the court educated
him. It began its manufacturing of coins, the first city in
Africa to do so, by using its depiction of leaders and the
cross of Christianity as a representation of its holy stature. In
320 A.D. Ezana became the King of Axum. Under his rule,
Ezana embraced Christianity in 327 A.D. and made it the
dominant religion of Axum. Ezana made the cross the
official symbol of his conversion. In 340 A.D. the Christian
Cathedral of St. Mary of Zion was constructed in the city.
Axum became the first state in Africa to adopt Christianity
Fig : COLLECTION OF COIN MINTED BY AXSUM KINGDOM
DECLINE & LATER HISTORY

Kingdom of axsum finally declined, however, under invaders who practiced the religion called
Islam (ihs•LAHM). Its founder was the prophet Muhammad; by his death in 632, his followers had
conquered all of Arabia. Axum began to experience a decline during the seventh century with the
rise of Islam which spread west from the Arabian Peninsula. As northeastern African states
converted to Islam, they reorganized the traditional Red Sea trading routes which resulted in the
exclusion of Christian Axum from regional trade and also cutting it off from the rest of the Christian
world.
The other perspective of The Kingdom of Aksum was destroyed by Gudit, a Beta Israel queen -
Beta Israel (Amharic: ቤተ ኢስራኤል) is the term for Ethiopian Jews and the Jewish community in the
Aksum and Habesha regions. After the destruction of Aksum, some of its people were forced south,
and its influence and power declined. The last known king to reign was crowned in the 10th
century.
``
PILLARS OF AKSUM

Aksumites developed a unique architecture. They put no mortar on the stones

used to construct vast royal palaces and public buildings. Instead, they carved stones to
fit together tightly. Huge stone pillars were erected as monuments or tomb markers. The
carvings on the pillars are representations of the architecture of the time. It has many
unique features:
• False doors, windows, and timber beams are carved into the stone.
• Typically, the top of the pillar is a rounded peak.
• The stone for the pillar was quarried and carved two to three miles away and then
brought to the site. By elephant and human labor, the place known gobadra (gobadra
mountain)
• It has monkey head beam structure form that taken architectural structure to the
monastery of debre damo.
``
RUINS OF DUNGAR PALACE (QUEEN OF SHEBA’S)

They all mark graves. They date from the 1st century BCE to 1st century CE. Though
today the remains of the palace are only the 3,250 square meter podium have 50
room, the Dungar palace was a grandeur structure depicting the influence of the
Aksumite kingdom. The central building was surrounded by multiple courtyards that
are accessed by a double staircase. The remains of an array of stone piers, presumed
to have supported the wooden floors were excavated by the archaeologists.

Though various elements were found, the design intent is not very clear, as few
rooms had no doorways and others had them. Constructed in the 7th century, the
construction technique and architectural style of the random rubble structure has a
stark resemblance to the St. Mary of Zion Cathedral.
CONT……

• The larger pillae ranging up to the 33 m (108 ft) long Great Stele and
it is 520 tones believed to have fallen and broken during construction
and other say the under tomb is the reason. The tomb has 10 rooms 5
on the north 5 0n the south direction, the doors is made by one
stone.it known of king remehay pillar.

• The next tallest is the 24 m (79 ft) IT IS 170 tonne King Ezana's
Stele. The Obelisk of Axum was removed by the Italian army in 1937,
and returned to Ethiopia in 2005 and reinstalled 31 July 2008.

• Three more stelae measure 18.2 m (60 ft) high, 15.8 m (52 ft) high,
15.3 m (50 ft) high.

• The other 4 pillars are not decorated it is because of they didn’t bring
new thing on they generation of time. Out of the site they are a lote of
pillars by number 1000 pilers.
``
ST. MARY OF ZION CATHEDRAL

The Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion was built in 1665 by Emperor
Fasilides and said to have previously housed the Ark of the Covenant. The
original cathedral is It is covers an area 85*120m, and it said to have been built
by Ezana and augmented several times afterwards, was believed to have been
massive with an estimated 12 naves. [citation needed] It was burned to the
ground by Gudit, rebuilt, and then destroyed again during the Abyssinian–Adal
war of the 1500s. It was again rebuilt by Emperor Gelawdewos (completed by his
brother and successor Emperor Minas) and Emperor Fasilides replaced that
structure with the present one. Only men are permitted entry into the Old St.
Mary's Cathedral (some say as a result of the destruction of the original church by
Gudit). The New Cathedral of St. Mary of Zion stands next to the old one, and
allows entry to women.
KING BAZEN’S TOMB

Despite being the crudest of tombs, roughly hewn into solid rock instead
of constructed with fine masonry, this place has a slightly magical feel.
According to local beliefs, King Bazen is thought not just to have reigned
at Christ’s birth, but to have been Balthazar, and it was he who carried
news of Christ's birth to Ethiopia. Whether true or not, judging from the
number of tombs and stelae found nearby, the burial site may once have
been quite large and important.

A rectangular pit above the tomb contains a row of burial chambers,

including a few that appear to be unfinished. he controls the axsum 9
years before Christ and 8 years after Christ born.
``
EZANA STONE

From AD 330 to 356, King Ezana ruled the ancient Kingdom of Aksum centered
in the Horn of Africa. He fought against the Nubians, and commemorated his victories
on stone tablets in praise of God. These liturgical epigraphs were written in various
ancient languages, including the Ethiopian Semitic Ge'ez, the South Arabian Sabaean,
and Greek. The king's engravings in stone provided a trilingual monument in different
languages, similar to the Rosetta stone.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church had its beginnings during this period.
Rufinus's Ecclesiastical History narrates that Saint Frumentius, a freed slave and tutor
for the very young King, converted him to Christianity. Towards the end of his reign,
King Ezana launched a campaign against the Kushites around 350 which brought
down the Kingdom of Kush. Various stone inscriptions written in Ge'ez (using the
Ge'ez script) have been found at Meroë, the central city of the Kushites.
TABLETS OF STONE MOSES TEN COMMANDES

St. Mary of zion cathedral On its grounds is the Chapel of the Tablet,
said to hold the Arc of the Covenant with the tablets of the 10
Commandments given to Moses. The Arc of the Covenant, according to
Ethiopian history was stolen from Jerusalem by the son of King Solomon
and the Queen of Sheba and brought to Ethiopia. It was kept in a
monastery in Lake Tana for 400years, before it was brought to Aksum. It
is now said to be in the Chapel of the Tablet on the grounds of the Church
of Mary of Zion.
``
RUINS OF DUNGAR PALACE (QUEEN OF SHEBA’S)

They all mark graves. They date from the 1st century BCE to 1st century CE. Though
today the remains of the palace are only the 3,250 square meter podium have 50
room, the Dungar palace was a grandeur structure depicting the influence of the
Aksumite kingdom. The central building was surrounded by multiple courtyards that
are accessed by a double staircase. The remains of an array of stone piers, presumed
to have supported the wooden floors were excavated by the archaeologists.

Though various elements were found, the design intent is not very clear, as few
rooms had no doorways and others had them. Constructed in the 7th century, the
construction technique and architectural style of the random rubble structure has a
stark resemblance to the St. Mary of Zion Cathedral.
CONT……

• It made with dry stone masonry construction

• Large and squarely dressed stone at the corners
• Small broken stones for the main bulk of walls
• Slabs of slates or similar flat stones to cover the many narrow
“shelves” which are formed because the walls are stepped inwards at
regular intervals.
• The walls are much wider at the bottom higher up.
Characteristics of axumite palaces
• Grand entrances stairs
• Courtyards
• Strong and well-dressed corner walls
• Strong stone buttresses
• Multi story
``
QUEEN OF SHEBA’S BATH

Despite the colorful legends, this large reservoir probably wasn’t where Sheba

came to bathe. It was an important reservoir rather than a swimming pool or

gargantuan bath. Nobody is totally sure of its age, but it’s certainly been used as a

water source for millennia. Its large size is even more impressive considering it’s

hewn from solid rock. It’s also known as Mai Shum, which translates to ‘Chief’s

Water’. It’s used for Timkat celebrations, just like Fasiladas’ Bath in Gonder. Sadly,

the outer portion of the bowl was coated with concrete in the 1960s, making it look

more like a modern trough than an ancient relic.

THE MONASTERY OF DEBRE DAMO, TIGRAY:

It is found on debre dama mountain Estimated to have been built in

the 6th century, it was constructed on top of a 15m rising plateau of
trapezoidal shape, scaled using a leather rope these days. Being the home
of Ethiopia’s ancient illuminated manuscripts, its architecture is
considered a masterpiece. The robust random rubble building, built using
limestone blocks, has the famous ‘monkey head’ style applied to it to
depict the advanced construction technique and knowledge of the
centuries-old Aksumites. The stumps of the projected timber members
contrast the stone in color and texture, enhancing the aesthetics. The
structure ascertains that the recesses, rebates, and re-entrants, which are
typical to the Aksum architecture, was continued throughout the
building.
``
CONT……

As a result, the walls became narrower with height, following the olden

tradition of the area. The door and the window design and aesthetics are depicting

the typical nobbly Aksumite style. The Antechamber has a wood-carved ceiling,

decorated with Ethiopian wild animals’ motifs. The stone pillars supporting the

nave roof have Aksumite inscriptions, but the church has design elements like

wooden clerestory windows, that is borrowed from the Romanesque style.

``
CONT……

Of those who attribute the making of the tomb to Kaleb, few accept that he was
actually buried here. The common theory is that his body lies at Abba Pentalewon
monastery, where he lived after abdicating his throne. The tomb’s unfinished state
fits with the theory. Local rumor has it that there’s a secret tunnel leading from here
to the Red Sea.

``
LIMATA CHURCH

is found on gelalta mountain and the builder is abuna yemata it is made by

one bed rock.
 ARCHITECTURE AND TOWERS

Unlike their northern neighbors of Egypt, Aksum did not

PROPORTION
build pyramids. Instead, Aksum is famous for building tall
towers called stelae. The tallest of these towers was nearly • Proportion in axumite architecture was not by “the golden

100 feet high. The towers were elaborately carved with section” or any similar complicated geometrical procedure

inscriptions, stone doors, and fake windows but by straight forward arithmetical counting of numbers
and units.
WHAT KINDS OF STRUCTURES WERE BUILT IN AKSUM? • Like2:3 or 3:4

The massive ruins, dating from between the 1st and the 13th
century A.D., include monolithic obelisks, giant stele, royal
tombs and the ruins of ancient castles.
CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUE: THE MONKEY HEAD

• horizontal wooden beams, with smaller round wooden

beams set in the stonework often projecting out of the
walls is called monkey head.
• Axumite window and door frames were made of timbers
cut into each other, with no nails but with shallow recesses
and projections.
• The walls are made of small-stone and clay-masonry
• The walls had to be strengthened at narrow intervals with
long squared timbers.
• These were then held by short round cross-pieces the ends
of which become visible as rows of protruding and
smoothly rounded “monkey heads”.
 ART AND ARCHITECTURE
The ‘monkey head’ construction technique, which
used timber members as a strengthening agent, was commonly
used for doors and windows. Square beams were set
horizontally in the walls to support and form ties along the
room’s span. The notable feature of the Ethiopian technique is
the projection of these members that resemble the heads
popping out. These doors and windows were repeated as
motifs and decorative elements in later structures and were
known as the ‘Aksumite frieze’ by the people.
PROTECTION AND MANAGEMENT BY UNISCO
The city of Aksum was put under the jurisdiction and
protection of the National Antiquities Authority in 1980. No
special legal framework is provided to protect the Obelisks of
Aksum, except the general law, Proclamation No. 209/2000,
which also established the institution in charge, the Authority
for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage.
The property is managed at three levels – the site; the
region; and the Federal administration. It prepared a
proclamation that mapped and identified the precise area to be
protected with local site authorities. It is reviewing the
components and may wish to suggest changes to the number
and/or size of the property.
``
CONT……

The boundary and the property’s management plan are not yet established.
There is a need to submit an up-dated map of the property to clearly indicate the
boundary, to produce and submit a management plan and to delineate and submit a
buffer zone. There is also a need for adequate legal protection to be put in place.
CRITERIA OF AXUM THAT WRITE ON UNESCO
Its full fill the criteria of the number 1, and 4
: The exquisitely carved monolithic stelae dating from the 3rd and 4th centuries AD
are unique masterpieces of human creative genius.

: To be an out standing example of a type of building, architectural or technological

ensemble or land scape which illustrate significant stage in human history.
 LIVING IN AXUM: - SOCIAL IMPACT
Axum has interesting modest domestic buildings. Many
visitors would be curious to understand how people live in
such a town. It would be an opportunity for them to understand
that such buildings and structures have formed the basis of
settlements from the earliest times.
• Two basic types of building could be celebrated in this
Centre
PRESERVATION
cultural heritage development in axum faces unique and
multifaceted problems in the face of rapid development,
people tend to symbolically respect the ancient but
nevertheless cherish anything that is new and modern. Well
intentioned modern city planners were responsible for
destroying parts of the old town, an equally important part of
axumite heritage, in the name of development. Assimilating
the modern with the ancient has thus emerged as a challenged
for preservation projects and officials in other words, Axum’s
people must learn to live with their past or it has no chance of
preservation for generation to come.
``
REFERANCE

➢ Wikipedia
➢ www.addisherald.com
➢ www.nationalgeographic.org
➢ www.khanacademy.org
➢ Whc.unesco.org
➢ www.worldhistory.org