Ethiopians welcome back ancient obelisk

Anthony Mitchell (AP)

April 19, 2005

All of a sudden, people ran to the Axum Airport to welcome the obelisk (Photo: Ethiomedia contributor)

A giant Antonov 124 cargo plane brought the middle section of the 80-foot high funeral stone to northern Ethiopia a homecoming that follows decades of demands and promises of its return.

The 58-ton piece was placed under armed guard at the airport until the two remaining pieces are flown to Axum from Rome later this month. The obelisk was taken in 1937 on the orders of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.

Cardinal Ratzinger of Germany Is New Pope Expert Says Haiti Needs Help Full Coverage: Pope Benedict XVI

"This is an historic moment for all Ethiopians," said Minister of Culture Teshome Toga, who received the granite monument that once symbolized one of the most powerful kingdom's on earth, the Axumite Kingdom. "We have waited so long for this."

Priests from the dome-shaped St. Mariam Cathedral chanted and bells rung for the arrival of the first piece of the monolith, which dates back to the third century, predating the arrival of Christianity in Ethiopia.

The Axumite kingdom was established between 200 and 100 B.C. The legendary Queen of Sheba reigned in the region eight or nine centuries earlier, and the Old Testament tells the tale of her journey to King Solomon's court in 980 B.C. with 700 camels loaded with gold, ivory and other gifts. Her bathing pool and substantial remains of her palace can still be found in Axum.

Axum was the capital of a powerful, pre-Christian Axum Empire that stretched into parts of the Arabian peninsula. Legend has it that Axum was also the final resting palace of the Ark of the Covenant.

Massive obelisks are among a few tangible remains of the past glory of Axum, an area lying in the shadow of the Adwa Mountains where Emperor Menelik II defeated the Italians in 1896 the greatest modern victory of an African army over a European force.

"The obelisk is a symbol of pride, of civilization and part of the Ethiopian identity," archaeologist Teckle Hargos told The Associated Press.

The obelisk has a central role in Ethiopian history: Prof. Richard Pankhurst

AXUM, Ethiopia - A piece of history returned home to Axum, Ethiopia, Tuesday.

Nearly 60 years after Italian dictator Benito Mussolini looted the Axum obelisk and brought it to Italy, part of the relic has arrived in Ethiopia by cargo plane. Two other sections of the 24-meter tall obelisk are expected in Axum within the next ten days.

Professor Richard Pankhurst is with the Institute of Ethiopian studies at Addis Ababa University. He spoke to English to Africa reporter Joe De Capua about the significance of the 1700-year-old relic to Ethiopia.

He says, “The first and most important aspect is this is an artifact going back to the beginnings of Ethiopian history and culture. It therefore has a central role in Ethiopia’s identity. At the same time, the fact that the Italian government for so long failed to honor its obligations in accordance with the peace treaty with the United Nations of 1947 that in a way Ethiopia was constantly being snubbed and ignored. And this return of the obelisk shows that the new Italian government has finer perspectives than some of its predecessors.”

Were the reasons for the delay in returning the obelisk strictly political? Professor Pankhurst says, “I think it really brings us to the question of Italy’s image of Ethiopia. You know, in Germany and Japan after the Second World War you had the trial of criminals, war criminals, with the result that the German and Japanese public had some idea of what seizin (possession of land or chattel) meant. In the case of Italy no war crimes took place. Not a single Italian criminal was accused, even though many war crimes took place. I think because of that the Italian public really was not sensitized to the fact that the invasion of Ethiopia in 1935 was not a mission of civilization as Mussolini tried to present it. And for that reason I think support for the restitution of the obelisk, even though there was a treaty obligation, was not forthcoming.”

Priests welcoming the arrival of the ancient obelisk in Axum (Photo: Ethiomedia contributor)

The obelisk is being returned in three separate pieces. Professor Pankhurst says in ancient times, the obelisk fell and broke into three pieces. However, during its display in Rome, the sections were reconnected. The central section is the first to be returned to Axum. He calls the loss of the obelisk “a wound on the Ethiopian psyche for so long.”

He says, “Axum was the capital of the ancient Axumite Empire, the first major state to emerge in this part of the world. And with the coming of Christianity, which came just about the time the obelisk was put up…it became the center of Ethiopian Christendom.”