Aksum

Aksum
Aksum is the holiest city in Ethiopia. According to the Orthodox Church, the original Ark of the Covenant, which holds the Ten Commandments, is somewhere around here. This is also the place where Christianity was declared the national religion in the 4th century. The Ark is supposed to live somewhere in the grounds of the 17th-century St Mary of Zion church, but of course no one is allowed to look at it. The church's museum has a small but impressive collection of bibles, crosses and crowns. Just past the museum is Aksum's ancient stelee field all that remains of the city's past glory. Stelae are huge, carved pillars made from single blocks of granite - the highest of those still standing at Aksum is 24m (79ft) tall.
If you take a walk outside the town, you can have a look at the ruins of King Kaleb's Tomb, and if you keep going up the hill you'll end up at the Pentalewon Monastery - women aren't allowed in, but the views from here are lovely. The ruins of the Queen of Sheba's Palace are also outside the town, although archaeological investigation suggests they are 1500 rather than 2500 years old.
Aksum is about 500km (310mi) north of Addis Ababa. You can fly from the capital, or catch a bus from Gonder, Adwa, Adigrat or Mekele.