The first recorded kingdom in Ethiopia grew in Axum. Axum, Ethiopia's most ancient city and capital of the historic Axumite state from the 1st to the 10th century A.D. Christianity was introduced here during the 4th century A.D. It is the site of many remarkable monolithic stone stelae, or obelisks, carved out of one single granite stone of the pre Christianity Era, the palace and the beautifully worked tombs of several ancient Axumite Emperors like (Kaleb and Gebre Meskel), and the old and new Cathedral of St. Mary of Zion Churches of Axum. The palace remnants of the legendary Queen of Sheba, her swimming pool, Inscriptions of Ezana and Archeological Museums. In Axum historic relic the Ark of the Covenant cannot be seen but visitors there can see and photograph a number of the remarkable crowns that belonged to several notable Ethiopian monarchs of the past.

In Axum it is worthy to visit the remains, which is located at Dangur, near the mountain from which the obelisks were originally shaped. The three most important obelisks being decorated to represent multi-storied buildings complete with doors and windows. The largest obelisk, which was 35 metres long and weighed 500 tons, is the biggest piece of stone ever cut by humanity anywhere in the world but today it lies broken on the ground. Near it stands a smaller but nevertheless most impressive 24mt high obelisk, which is the pride of Ethiopia. A somewhat larger obelisk was taken to Rome, on the orders of the Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, in 1937, but its return to Axum and it is in the process erection. Axum, in its glory days, was a great commercial center, issuing its own currency and trading with Arabia, Persia, India and even Ceylon. Axum conquered parts of Yemen and southern Arabia and remained a great power until the death of the Prophet Mohammed and it was the greatest ivory market in the northeast.