An Italian mission of experts is at the archaeological site in Ethiopia’s Tigray State where it is assessing the situation on the ground and submit a proposal for an urgent intervention to sustain the Axum obelisk.
The Obelisk of Axum is a 4th-century AD, 24-metre-tall stele/obelisk, weighing 160 tones, in the city of Axum in Ethiopia.
It is ornamented with two false doors at the base and features decorations resembling windows on all sides.
According to the Italian embassy in Ethiopia, the mission of experts was sent in accordance with the recent agreement reached with Italy’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Emanuela Del Re, in Addis Ababa.
The experts on Wednesday verified the structural situation of the obelisks and will identify a sustainable solution for its consolidation and safeguard
Following this mission, the government of Italy will communicate to the Ethiopian authorities a technical proposal for an urgent intervention, it was learned.
The ruins of the ancient city of Aksum are found close to Ethiopia’s northern border.
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 massive ruins, dating from between the 1st and the 13th century A.D., include monolithic obelisks, giant stelae, royal tombs and the ruins of ancient castles.
Long after its political decline in the 10th century, Ethiopian emperors continued to be crowned in Aksum.
MG/abj/APA