OUR DESTINATIONS
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We offer holidays to the four corners of the globe. If you want specialist advise please phone our travel team and we will be happy to help.
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- Destinations
- Africa
- Ethiopia
- Addis Ababa
- Axum
Axum
Axum is a city in far northern Ethiopia that is believed by
Ethiopian Christians to be home to the Ark of the Covenant, housed
in the 16th century Church of St Mary of Zion. The city was once
the centre of a mighty empire, although from the 10th century it
declined into insignificance leaving behind a dusty, lugubrious
town largely ignorant of its glorious past. Axum's other major
attraction is possibly more remarkable than its putative Ark: its
stone obelisks (stellae), weighing up to 500 tonnes, and dating
from around 300AD. In 2008 one such obelisk was returned to
Ethiopia with great fanfare after having been looted by Italy in
the early 20th century.
Information & Facts
Language
Amharic is the official language, although over 80 local
languages are also spoken. English and Arabic are widely spoken as
well as some French and Italian.
Money
The official currency is the Ethiopian Birr (ETB), which is
divided into 100 cents. Foreign currency can be exchanged at banks
and authorised hotels. Credit cards have limited usage outside of
Addis Ababa, and even in the capital they are only accepted by
major establishments. Visitors should carry a supply of travellers
cheques or hard currency with them, preferably in US dollars. ATMs
are sparse, but banks are usually open every day except Sundays
from 8am to 11am and 1pm till 4pm.
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