 ETHIOPIA THANK YOU FOR READING ME  About Ethiopia, in the Horn of Africa, is a rugged, landlocked country split by the Great Rift Valley. With archaeological finds dating back more than 3 million years, it’s a place of ancient culture. Among its important sites are Lalibela with its rock-cut Christian churches from the 12th–13th centuries. Aksum is the ruins of an ancient city with obelisks, tombs, castles and Our Lady Mary of Zion church. ― Google JUST WHEN I THOUGHT NO MORE COINCIDENCES ANOTHER ONE. Our Lady Mary of Zion church
ANOTHER ONE. Our Lady Mary of Zion church Church of Our Lady Mary of ZionChurch of Our Lady Mary of ZionTools Appearancehide Text Width Color Coordinates:  14°07′49″N 38°43′10″E From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Church of Our Lady, Mary of Zion[a] is an Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church which is claimed to contain the Ark of the Covenant. The church is located in the town of Axum, Tigray Region in northern Ethiopia, near the grounds of Obelisks of Axum. The original church is believed to have been built during the reign of Ezana the first Christian ruler of the Kingdom of Axum (present-day Eritrea and Ethiopia), during the 4th century AD, and has been rebuilt several times since then. Women are not permitted entry into the “Old Church”; the Blessed Virgin Mary, representing the archetype of the Ark, is the only place women are allowed within its premises.[1] HistorySince its founding during the episcopacy of Frumentius, the first Bishop of Axum, (known in Ethiopia as Abune Selama Kesatie Birhan or “Our Father of Peace the Revealer of Light”), the Church of Mary of Zion has been destroyed and rebuilt at least once, or twice as according to tradition. Its first putative destruction occurred at the hands of Queen Gudit during the 10th century, although this isn’t ascertained by historiography. Its second, and first confirmed, destruction occurred in the 16th century at the hands of Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, after which it was rebuilt by the Emperor Gelawdewos, then further rebuilt and enlarged by Fasilides during the 17th century.[2][3] Francisco Álvares, who was in Ethiopia before its destruction, describes it as follows:[4] …a very noble church, the first there was in Ethiopia: it is named Mary of Syon. They say that it is so named because its altar stone came from Sion. In this country (as they say) they have the custom always to name the churches by the altar stone, because on it is written the name of the patron saint. This stone which they have in this church, they say that the apostles sent it from Mount Sion. This church is very large; it has five aisles of good width and of great length, vaulted above, and all the vaults closed, the ceiling and sides all painted. Below, the body of the church is well worked with handsome cut stone; it has seven chapels, all with their backs to the east, and their altars well ornamented. It has a choir after our fashion, except that it is low, and they reach the vaulted roof with their heads; and the choir is also over the vault, and they do not use it. This church has a very large circuit, paved with flagstones like the lids of tombs. This consists of a very high wall, and it is not covered over like those of the other churches, but is left open. This church has a large enclosure, and it is also surrounded with another larger enclosure, like the enclosing wall of a large town or city. Within this enclosure are handsome groups of one storey buildings, and all spout out their water by strong figures of lions and dogs of stone [of different colours]. Inside this large enclosure there are two mansions, one on the right hand and the other on the left, which belong to the two rectors of the church; and the other houses are of canons and monks.
The church of Saint Mary of Zion was the traditional place where Ethiopian Emperors came to be crowned. Which indeed meant if an Emperor was not crowned at Axum, or did not at least have his coronation ratified by a special service at St. Mary of Zion, he could not be referred to by the title of “Atse”.[5][6][7] The church is a significant center of pilgrimage for the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, especially during the “Festival of Zion Mariam” on 30 November (21 Hidar on the Ethiopian calendar).[citation needed] Tigray WarIn mid-December 2020 during the Tigray War, according to Europe External Programme with Africa (EEPA), 750 people who were hiding in the church were brought out and killed by militants. Locals suspected an intention to steal the Ark of the Covenant, but no evidence of that allegation has been found to date.[8][9] A more recent report by Amnesty International points to war crimes committed by Eritrean troops in and around Aksum, and de facto desacralisation of the church, but these reports have not been confirmed by independent investigation or by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission.[10] The Ethiopian government has blocked forensic investigators from accessing the church grounds, and also blocked all external attempts at investigating human rights violations that occurred both at the church and in Axum. The International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE) has called for the Ethiopian government to “provide unhindered access to the ICHREE and other independent investigative bodies, alongside independent media, to thoroughly examine these allegations of human rights violations”, but as of August 2023 the government continues to block independent investigation.[11] Ark of the CovenantSee also: Tabot  The Chapel of the Tablet.  Painting of the Nine Saints (not all in photo) of the Ethiopian Church, as depicted on the mural in the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion. The Church of Saint Mary of Zion claims to contain the original Ark of the Covenant. Accordingly, the Ark was moved to the Chapel of the Tablet adjacent to the old church because a divine ‘heat’ from the Tablets had cracked the stones of its previous inner sanctum. The Ethiopian Empress Menen funded the construction of the present chapel. According to pious tradition, the Ark came to Ethiopia with Crown prince Menelik I after he visited his father King Solomon in Jerusalem.[12] On 9 June 1992, a former professor of Ethiopian Studies at the University of London, Edward Ullendorff, declared that he personally examined the ark contained within the church in 1941 while serving as an officer of the British Army. He described the ark as empty, and a “Middle- to late-medieval construction [from] when these were fabricated ad hoc.”[13][14] At present, only the guardian monk may view the Ark,[15] in accordance with the Biblical accounts of the dangers of doing so for non-Kohanim. This lack of accessibility, and questions about the account as a whole, have led Ethiopians and foreign scholars alike to express doubt about the veracity of the claim.[16] The guardian monk is appointed for life by his predecessor before the predecessor dies. If the incumbent guardian dies without naming a successor, then the monks of the monastery hold an election to select the new guardian.[17] The guardian then is confined to the chapel of the Ark of the Covenant for the rest of his life, praying before it and offering incense.[18] BurialsNotes- Ge’ez: ርዕሰ አድባራት ቅድስተ ቅዱሳን ድንግል ማሪያም ጽዮን, romanized: Re-ese Adbarat Kidiste Kidusan Dingel Maryam Ts’iyon; Tigrinya: ቤተ-ክርስትያን እመቤትና ማርያም ጽዮን, romanized: Bet-Kristiyan ‘Embetena Mariyam Ts’iyon; Amharic: የእመቤታችን ማርያም ጽዮን ቤተ ክርስቲያን, romanized: Ye’Imebētachin Mariyam Ts’iyon Bēte Kirisitīyan
References Wikimedia Commons has media related to Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, Axum. - “Sacred Sites of Ethiopia and the Arc of the Covenant”. Sacredsites.com. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre. “Aksum – UNESCO World Heritage Centre”. Whc.unesco.org. Archived from the original on 21 June 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- “Microsoft Word – EOTC – English version.doc” (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 April 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- Alvarez (1881). Narrative of the Portuguese Embassy to Abyssinia During the Years 1520-1527. Hakluyt society.
- Paul Raffaele. “Keepers of the Lost Ark? | People & Places | Smithsonian”. Smithsonianmag.com. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- Carillet, Jean-Bernard; Butler, Stuart; Starnes, Dean (2009). Ethiopia & Eritrea – Jean-Bernard Carillet, Stuart Butler, Dean Starnes – Google Livres. Lonely Planet Publications. ISBN 9781741048148. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- “en_070” (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- Hundreds reportedly dead after massacre at Oriental Orthodox church in Ethiopia, Catholic News Agency
- Massacre ‘of 750’ reported in Aksum church complex, Tigray, Ethiopia, Church Times
- “Eritrean troops massacre hundreds of civilians in Axum, Ethiopia”. 26 February 2021.
- “Ethiopia: Authorities must grant independent investigators, media unfettered access to Amhara region to probe violations under state of emergency”. Amnesty International. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- Hudson, Myles. “Where Is the Ark of the Covenant?”. Britannica.com. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- Hiltzik, Michael (9 June 1992). “Documentary : Does Trail to Ark of Covenant End Behind Aksum Curtain? : A British author believes the long-lost religious object may actually be inside a stone chapel in Ethiopia”. Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- Jarus, Owen (7 December 2018). “Sorry Indiana Jones, the Ark of the Covenant Is Not Inside This Ethiopian Church”. Live Science. Archived from the original on 1 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- “Smithsonian magazine investigates the Ark”. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
- Ethiopian skepticism of the claims to the Ark have been documented since at least the 15th century. See:
- Pennec, Hervé; Boavida, Isabel; Ramos, Manuel João, eds. (2013). Pedro Páez’s History of Ethiopia, 1622. Ashgate Publishing. p. 122. ISBN 9781409482819.
- Haile, Getachew, ed. (2003). The Geʻez Acts of Abba Esṭifanos of Gwendagwende. Leuven: Peeters. p. 47. ISBN 978-90-429-1740-8.
- Griswold, Eliza (16 December 2010). “Advice From the Guardian of the Ark of the Covenant”. Slate. The Slate Group. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- “L’Arche d’Alliance en Ethiopie ?”. Histoire-pour-tous.fr. Archived from the original on 30 October 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
Other sourcesCategories: the amount of coincidences recently in my life, I am just being washed away I am a Fisherman of Words Why ME?  23/10/2021  21/05/2024  12/06/2023 Published by michaelgcaseyI've updated this 15th Sept 2024 I'm Michael Casey from Birmingham England, the fat silver haired writer in shades. Beware of Others with the EXACT SAME NAME, they are not me, and would not want to be me ... use Google UK to find me, otherwise Posh Americans pop up I've done loads of writing, about 3,000,000 Words worth over 36years now But before I started to write, I LISTENED to BBC Radio 4 for 20 years, from the age of 10 or younger Frank Brown our lodger, went back to County Tyrone and he gifted us his Bush Radio. He'd be nearly 102 now if he is still alive, so say a prayer for him 56 years in love with words, and I still look so dashing. I have a picture in the attic, just like Dorian Gray I've also had an interest in Politics for 56 years with my dad heckling the tv and Politicians. I almost immediately had a hit, a play called Shoplife was accepted but not finally produced by a Theatre. The Kenneth More Theatre, so thank them for sparing you all. This was back in 1989 yes, 35 years ago, the play was written in 1988. So since then I'm more than good enough, as a writer. Anything else..... I also ignore those who just cannot write, pick your own candidate I tend to write Comedy as I'd rather make you laugh than cry I have written over 2000 short pieces of writing, yes 2000 " (c) by Michael Casey" If you include "chats" 5000 samples, all told, the chats do NOT go into my books when I compile them. My first book ,a full length comedy/drama is The Butcher The Baker and The Undertaker You can read translations of it here on this site Up to 20 different languages/translations have been read on the same day via this site, here on Wordpress look fo Translations Galore page, and more And in over 167 Countries world wide too so you have no excuse, find your own language and read The Butcher The Baker and The Undertaker or Quick Stories or any other of the books in Translation on my Wordpress This proves to me that the humour does travel I have readers in over 167 countries now, just to repeat myself From Nepal to American Samoa and all places North South East and West Or its just a hit man on the run, or whatever Unknown Region Means It may also mean that only non English Speakers like my stuff Coverage but lacking penetration as marketing folks might say I did get 21,000 readers in 3 weeks for the Polish version of In Search of an Indian Princess. which is basically the final 3 chapters of The Butcher The Baker and The Undertaker all by word of mouth. And 50,000 plus in Christmas week 2021 If you add up all the downloads from my Wordpress + 13,000 when somebody stole the file. I have had more copies than Boris Johnson's Churchill book distributed. Maybe 40,000 copies . Not made a penny from it, free downloads in multiple languages. Reverse Logic, if the world knows me, eventually somebody will pay me But in reality I'll be dead first, and then just 2 pennies to pay the ferryman is enough I've cut the Plaudits, you can read/decide for yourself As for my life, I was born in the shadow of a Brewery, I was a computer operator for a market research company into alcohol sales, 21 years altogether, StatsMR Call centre guy, like everybody once in their life I was also a Trainee Betting Shop Manager I was a concierge and 10 other roles at Crowne Plaza NEC Birmingham for 3 years. Spent 3 years at Pinsent Masons Law firm in Birmingham I even hid a copy of my comic novel "BBU" in the Law Library at Pinsent Masons, well just for a day.. I did a few other jobs too, working life in reverse so to speak and I was an Esol English teacher in an Islamic school, for a year, I knew I could teach. I got Excellent, Excellent and Exemplary on the external assessment, yes really And I asked them to pray for me at least once a day beside which I've had a Shanghai connection for 20+ years now, including 2 bilingual daughters and being a hausfrau a long time too, I'm a great dad, as I've had lots of time with my daughters I can always make somebody talk or laugh I believe my short stories could be used to teach English, just package them up correctly or App them Or a Tale a Day from Michael, a story telling App What else, I was brawn and brains, I used to be as strong as an Ox, now I just smell like one We have a cat called Totoro, my daughters wanted a pet I said they could have a dog if I died , or a cat if I had a heart attack. A few weeks after that in Jan 2015 I had an Unplanned Quadruple Heart Bypass , it was supposed to be a triple but it ended up a Quadruple, 33% extra free so to speak. Now with an add on Hernia, the size of your fist, pushing through my bypass scar, it hurts when I laugh, so don't make me laugh I also have arthritis and other hindrances that hobble my body and give me pain galore. But my mind is free, though having read my stories you may wish I didn't bother But I'll ignore you, and carry on regardless. I do get heckled by my own Tinnitus these past 5 years+, so I have music on all night long to drown it out. I sleep with Miley, Taylor, Eric Clapton and Will Young, maybe I should buy a bigger bed, or just get a better mattress. Tinnitus is a curse, just trust me I know, each day I wake up, Tinnitus SCREAMS at me for a full hour till it calms down or not at all, a merry go around of noise That's the end of the tidy version of my life To finish here's the list of my 20 books, so far:- 1.The Butcher The Baker and The Undertaker 2.Shoplife 3.Essays and Plays 4.Blogs 2011 5.300 and Not OUT 6.Shorts 2013 7.More Shorts 2014 8.Quick Stories 9.Still Alive 2015 10.Undiscovered Words 2016 11.Still Smiling 2017 12.Altogether Now 13.New Horizons 14.14 Up 15.15 Down 16.Sweet Sixteen 17. 17 Again 18. 18 New Views 19. The Final Cut of the 19th Hole 20. 2020 Words 21. Fresh Fields, i decided was a better title, when the USA election is over I'll launch it 96,000 words so far I write bullet point stuff mainly now as Tinnitus stops me from getting in the zone to write, story stories. (c) by Michael Casey stuff though my bullet points are better than some "writers" discuss, miaow. That's why I dream of a speed typist, so I could dictate from the sofa https://www.amazon.co.uk/Michael-Casey/e/B00571G0YC to buy ebooks Loads of Korean and Arabic translations downloaded from my Wordpress, 1000s of them Quick Stories in Korean is a big hit. Maybe Kim in North Korea should read my books, instead of wasting his countries resources on what? Just keeping one person in power, him? Instead of joining the real world and opening a string on golf courses. That way we could get rid of Trump too. Into the sunset, as they play golf. Tears for a Butcher will be the sequel to BBU, and it too will be 600pages, however I really need a speed typist to put it down, while I sit and dictate like Barbara Cartland, and hopefully my speed typist would be impressed. we'd marry have half Korean kids, and form a Kpop band with our 4 new kids, with me as manager. my 2 daughters are at University now, so if you finally pay me, I can pass it on to them And yes this is more for my bucket list, as Tinnitus keeps me awake too much, 6 months of not sleeping till dawn is really killing me, it is the worse thing in my life ever, and I've had far to many horrible things. That's why I go the other direction and write comedy Michael Casey aka the fat silver haired writer in shades from Birmingham England https://2.gravatar.com/avatar/efda2dca0de5b9269191b7c8b0102473?s=400&d=mm View all posts by michaelgcasey Post navigation |
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