History news

This ancient illustrated Bible, featuring lavish depictions of sacred scenes and written in the Amharic language, is stored in the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in the Ethiopian city of Aksum. It’s among the artefacts at risk as war continues to rage throughout the Tigray region, in the north of the country. The conflict between the regional government and federal troops, began in November. Shelling has taken place in towns and cities elsewhere in the region, including Mekelle, Humera and Shire. In February, international non-governmental organisation Human Rights Watch reported forces heading towards Aksum.

The town is also of particular interest as the rumoured home of the Ark of the Covenant – the wooden casket said to hold the stone tablets upon which the Ten Commandments were inscribed. However, the whereabouts of such an artefact have never been proved.