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Article: Travel: In search of... A Lost Ark in Ethiopia Indiana Jones should have saved himself some hassle and gone to Axum. Mark Stratton explains why
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- January 13, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2002 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Indiana Jones's quest for the lost Ark of the Covenant could have
been so much less stressful if he'd have bought an admission ticket.
I simply handed over 60 birr (pounds 5) and entered the compound of
St Mary of Zion church in the Ethiopian town of Axum where, legend
has it, Christianity's most enigmatic symbol resides.
It all sounds a bit Pythonesque
There's certainly a fanciful element to Ethiopia's Orthodox
church. The churches you enter offer vaudeville sanctity; tableaux of
colour, fragrant with frankincense, are unaltered over time. Adorning
the interiors, the Bible is depicted in childlike, cartoon murals,
often centuries-old, and there's always a jack-in-the-box priest on
hand to ...