The history of mankind is reflected in it's artifacts as well as fossils. Most artifacts are self evident in purpose, such as a bowl made of pottery or wood. However, there are some that are not so easily understood. The Obelisks of Axum Ethiopia are obviously more than a sculpture and yet their purpose is not clear. And the intriguing decorations on the Obelisks are themselves a mystery

Axum has a population of about 56, 000. It is extremely isolated and requires considerable planning if you want to make a visit.  Typical of Ethiopia the town has its own peculiar mysteries; one of which is Axum University (established in 2006 ).   “With the strong support of the government, great commitment and effort of its staff,and support by different institutions, Axum University aspires to be one of the leading higher education institutions in Ethiopia.” (brochure)  So what is so strange?  The brochure speaks of a well funded University but if you look at the web site of the University you find….nothing.  However there is a brochure on line which describes Axum University.

Things have a way of disappearing on the net regarding anything about Ethiopia therefore I have  made a copy of that brochure. You can find it on my web site at

http://www.woodlandstar.net/Idaltu/Final_Axum_University_Brochure.pdf.

The following link at one time actually had some construction but now all you get is an error message.  http://aksumuniversity.org/content/home.php

This may eventually be corrected but as of this writing there does not appear to be a University of Axum that has a reliable net reference.    However that did not seem to bother Metro State College in Denver which donated 9 tons of books to Axum University.  If you want to know about University systems in Ethiopia search through the interviews with Professor Mesfin Woldermariam. 

From a comment regarding this book donation.

“Prof Mesfin was describing, in an interview once, what the status quo of these so called Universities in Ethiopia look like. Its all a show, with empty shelves, undisciplined students, and graduates who do not even have the capacity of high school graduates from previous established schools of the nation. One could have dismissed his detailed comments as just merely a statement of an intellectual opposed to the regime.”

If you check with Wikipedia you will find very little information about the University.  What is presented is the tourist guide stuff about the town of Axum.

And in classic disinformation style from Wikipedia you get the following explanation of  the Obelisks of Axum:

“Their function is supposed to be that of "markers" for underground burial chambers. The largest of the grave markers were for royal burial chambers and were decorated with multi-story false windows and false doors, while nobility would have smaller, less decorated ones. While there are only a few large ones standing, there are hundreds of smaller ones in various "stelae fields". The last stele erected in Axum was, likely, the so-called King Ezana's Stele, in the 4th century A.D.”  Wikipedia 

Notice how the word supposed in the above quote is jammed into the sentence.  This is used to demonstrate that the statement is not verified.  However, no statement is made stating in plain English that the function of the Obelisks is not known.  Therefore some readers will remember the statement of ‘burial chambers’ and forget the word ‘supposed’.  This is common whenever you find information on the net about Ethiopia. Although a bit difficult to see, notice the armed guard at the base of the photo of the Obelisk.

The truth is that no one knows why they were built.This whole burial idea is pure conjecture. “Due to their proximity to nearby tombs, the obelisks may possibly have been used as memorials to deceased kings and queens, but this is only a speculation.”  Reference  Grave marking is always specific to an individual.  The  Obelisks of Axum are all carved the same.

These Obelisks are highly prized and at one time Italy actually removed one during their occupation of Ethiopia during WW II. It was returned in 1967. The town of Axum is steeped in myth and mystery: such as “St Mary of Zion church, built in 1665 and said to contain the Ark of the Covenant.” Adding to the mystery there is a plot of ground between two churches in Axum which is “fenced off and heavily guarded.”  The Obelisks are carved with what is said to be false doors and windows. And all the Obelisks are oriented to the rising sun. There is no explanation of the false doors and window. Most authors suggest they had a religious ceremonial function. Also, it is believed that Axum itself is “resting place of the Ark of the Covenant”.

Obelisks can be found in many places around the world including Rome, and Washington D.C. .  However, none of the markings on these obelisks show any relationship to those of Axum.  Although it has been suggested that they are elaborate head stones, no graves have yet been found under an Obelisk.  Since no graves are found, the suggestion that they cover burial chambers seems unlikely.  What you have to keep in mind when using the internet to gather information is that it is extremely redundant. Once something is suggested, that same suggestion is repeated thousands of times by thousands of authors. That in itself gives the illusion that the suggestion is somehow ‘a truth or fact’. There are no truths regarding the obelisks of Axum. They just exist without explanation. 

It is the unusual feature of the false doors and windows that separates the obelisks of Axum from all others.  Now think about what it took 1700 years ago to produce a structure that is over 70 stories tall, made of granite and weighs 176 tons.  With that amount of effort it is highly unlikely that what are called ‘false doors and windows’ are nothing more than decorations without purpose.  At the most literal level they are in fact representations of passage, including light and air.

In order to fully comprehend Ancient Ethiopia you need to understand that by any standard it was the citadel of civilization.  And according to ancient Greek texts Egypt learned from Ethiopia.  “Egypt itself was a colony of Ethiopia and the laws and script of both lands were naturally the same…”.  Does that surprise you?  What it boils down to is that whatever you find in Egypt has a high probability of having been influenced by Ethiopia.  Check out the following references.  They are well done and give a good historic review of Ethiopia.

http://www.abbayesehaq.com/nwhistory_worship.htm
http://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/we/we05.htm
http://sacredsites.com/africa/ethiopia/sacred_sites_ethiopia.html

A sophisticated culture such as that of ancient Ethiopia would not have left out of their texts information regarding their burial practices. The uniform nature of the carvings (false windows and doors) across all obelisks suggest a specific message. It is conceivable that some special societal common knowledge is embedded within the carvings on the obelisks. We have many examples of this in contemporary western civilization such as the symbol for radio active material or the skull and cross bones for something that is toxic.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the Obelisks are very important to a lot of people (governments) around the planet.  Unlike other artifacts, those of Axum are under constant protection by armed guards.  Without a doubt those Obelisks are covering something, but NOT burial chambers.  My best guess is that the Obelisks (and whatever they cover) relate directly to the origin of humanity.  The message of the Obelisks is in the carvings of windows and doors.  Are they ‘false’?  “Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:”  (Jeremiah 5:21)