Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE COMING OF ISLAM & THE DEMISE
OF AKSUM
According to Muslim tradition, the Prophet Mohammed was nursed by an Ethiopian wo-
man. Later, the Muslim Hadith (collection of traditions about Mohammed's life) recounts
that Mohammed sent his daughter (and successor) along with some of his followers to Ne-
gash in AD 615, to avoid persecution in Arabia.
When things calmed in Arabia, most refugees
returned home. However, Negash continues to
be a crucial pilgrimage point for Ethiopia's
Muslims.
Good relations between the two religions
continued until at least King Armah's death.
Thereafter, as the Arabs and Islam rose to prom-
inence on the opposite side of the Red Sea, trade slowly shifted away from Christian Ak-
sum and it eventually became isolated.
After Aksum's decline around AD 700, Ethiopia endured what is commonly known as
its 'dark age'.
King Ezana is thought to be the man behind the
first church in Ethiopia. Built in the 4th century its
remains can still be seen next door to the St Mary
of Zion church in Aksum.
