Tigray’s rich heritage is ‘highly endangered’, experts warn,
as the conflict escalates near key cultural sites
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| The sacred Book of Miracles in the Church of Our Lady of Zion in Aksum, Ethiopia: experts fear sacred texts, Bibles and treasures are being looted amid fighting in the Tigray region. Photograph: agefotostock/Alamy |
It has been hidden from view for thousands of years, and its
whereabouts never proved. But if the Ark of the Covenant indeed rests in a
chapel in northern Ethiopia,
this extraordinary religious treasure could be at grave risk from fighting in
the area.
The Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, which reputedly houses
the ark – a casket of gilded wood containing stone tablets inscribed with the
Ten Commandments, according to the Bible – was the scene of a recent massacre
of 750 people, reports filtering out of the country say.
International experts have raised the alarm over the
security of the ark and other religious and cultural artefacts as a result of
escalating conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.
Among those voicing concern are academics from the Hiob
Ludolf Centre for Ethiopian and Eritrean Studies at Hamburg University, who
warn that Tigray’s rich cultural heritage is “highly endangered”. In an
appeal, they say reports suggest “hostilities are taking place in close
proximity to renowned cultural sites”.
They add: “There are reports of looting of manuscripts from
Tigrayan churches and monasteries, and warnings that they will ... be taken out
of Ethiopia to be sold at antiquities markets in other countries.”
The conflict began in early November when Ethiopia’s Nobel
peace prize-winning prime minister Abiy Ahmed sent federal forces to attack the
Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which ruled the country for almost
three decades until 2018. Abiy has accused the TPLF, which has its own
military, of seeking to destabilise Ethiopia and holding illegitimate
elections. Troops from Eritrea, Ethiopia’s former enemy to the north, have
crossed the border to fight alongside Abiy’s forces.
The Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, in Aksum, said to be home to the Ark of the Covenant. Photograph: Neil McAllister/Alamy
Reliable reports of the fighting and its impact have been
scarce due to a communications blackout and lack of humanitarian access, but
the UN has warned of
mass killings, the displacement of civilians and looting. More than 21,000
people have reportedly fled across the border to Sudan.
Heritage experts
readily acknowledge that the humanitarian crisis must take priority over
protection of the country’s artefacts and antiquities. But, said Alison Phipps,
professor of languages and intercultural studies at Glasgow University, “these
are sacred sites and of incalculable value to the history of Christianity and
its development in Ethiopia in particular.
“Attacks on cultural heritage are devastating in the context
of war as they speak of the destruction of the soul of a people, of things
which have endured through the ancestors.”
Catherine D’Andrea, director of the Eastern Tigray
archaeological project at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada,
said the region was “truly blessed with numerous and varied forms of tangible
and intangible cultural patrimony”.
They include monumental architecture such as the Unesco
world heritage site of Aksum, rock-hewn churches and remains of one of the
earliest mosques in Africa,
which are at high risk of damage, she said. “In addition, there are less
visible cultural treasures, including manuscripts, paintings, oral traditions and
artefacts held by churches and monasteries scattered throughout rural areas of
Tigray. These tend not to be fully documented, so we can’t even begin to
calculate the potential losses if destroyed or pillaged.”
Despite the absence of verifiable information, damage from
the conflict to the recently reconstructed 7th-century mosque complex at Negash
had been clearly documented, said D’Andrea. “It appears that the structure was
shelled and images from within are suggestive of looting.”
At the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Aksum, fleeing
civilians have said the aim of the attack, in which hundreds of people hiding
in the church were brought out and shot, was to remove the ark to Addis
Ababa, according
to Martin Plaut, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth
Studies.
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| The ancient Debre Damo monastery, which dates from the 6th century, is reported to have been attacked. Photograph: Tim Wege/Alamy |
The ark is believed by Ethiopian Orthodox Christians to have been brought to Aksum by Menelik, the son of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon of Israel, after Jerusalem was sacked in 586/587BC and Solomon’s temple destroyed. It has since been guarded by a succession of monks who are forbidden until death to leave the church grounds.
As well as the potential threat to the ark, Eritrean troops
were “looting everything they can get their hands on” in the region, Plaut told
the Observer. “They’ve also gone
through some monasteries and churches, taking Bibles and icons back across the
border. It’s absolutely appalling.”
The monastery of Debre Damo, dating from the sixth century
and containing painted ceilings and walls, is also reported to have been
attacked.
Alessandro Bausi of the Hiob Ludolf Centre said he was
“extremely concerned that unique artefacts will be destroyed or lost”. The
centre is calling on Ethiopia’s state institutions to do “everything possible
to protect the cultural property of Tigray”, and for warring parties “to
abstain from attacking the cultural heritage and to respect the integrity of
the places, both religious and secular, where this heritage is preserved”.
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