Axum , Ethiopia's most ancient city ,and the capital of the historic Axumite state , is the site of many remarkable monolithic stone stelae or obelisks. Three most important are docorated to present multistoried buildings, complete with doors and windows. The largest obelisk, which was 35 meters long and weighed 500 tons, is the biggest piece of stone ever cut by humanity anywhere in the world, but today lies broken on the ground. Near it stands a smaller, but nevertheless most impressive, 24 meter high obelisk, which is the pride of Ethiopia. A somewhat larger obelisk was taken to Rome, by the Italian fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini, in 1937 but it was return to its homeland Ethiopia, on April 25,2005. Axum , in its day, was a great commercial center , issuing it own currency , and trading with Egypt , Arabia , Persia, India, and even Ceylon. The settlement was the site also of Ethiopia's oldest church ,which dated back to the coming of Christianity as the state religion , in the early 4th century. The original building has long since disappeared, but a structure erected on its site , by Emperor Fasiladas in the early 17th century , is still extant....
