Axum Stelae going ‘green’ for Saint Patrick’s Day

This year for the first time the stelae in Aksum (or Axum) will join the list of famous landmarks worldwide going ‘green’ on Saint Patrick’s Day. The ruins of the ancient city of Aksum are one of nine sites in Ethiopia which feature on UNESCO’s World Heritage List and one of the country’s major tourist sites. The stelae (or obelisks) there are about 1,700 years old and are said to mark the burial chambers of the Kings of Aksum. The Church of Saint Mary of Zion nearby is believed to hold the Ark of the Covenant (popularised in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark).