ETHIOPIA: Final piece of obelisk returned

AXUM, 26 Apr 2005 (IRIN) - The final piece of a giant stele looted from Ethiopia by Italian troops over 65 years ago was returned on Tuesday, sparking calls for the restoration of the entire African nation’s treasures.

Thousands flocked into the streets, chanting and waving flags as the 60-ton top section of the 1,700-year-old granite obelisk arrived in northern Ethiopia.

"I am very happy and relieved that at last the obelisk is back," said Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who was on the runway tarmac at Axum to receive the granite monument that once represented one of the most powerful kingdoms on earth.

"I think this will bring about a major change in attitude of those countries that have treasures that do not belong to them," he said as cheering crowds and military bands signalled the arrival of the giant Antonov cargo plane that carried the monument.

"This is not just a piece of stone," he said. "This is a symbol of our identity."

The granite monument symbolises the powerful Axumite Kingdom, which was established between 200 and 100 BC and ruled the entire region that stretched across the Red Sea. The obelisk was removed in 1937 on the orders of Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini and stood in Rome until its return.

"Justice has been done," said Abune Paulos, Ethiopia’s patriarch and head of the 40-million-strong Ethiopian Orthodox Church. "This was the right thing for Italy to do."

Ethiopia hopes to re-erect the three sections of the 180-ton monument in October, but concerns remain over whether the 24-metre-high obelisk would collapse if erected on its original site, which archaeologists describe as honeycombed with tombs.

Politicians, religious leaders and elderly men who once fought against the brutal five-year Italian occupation of Ethiopia that ended in 1941 stood shoulder-to-shoulder to receive the monument.

"This is the land of the Queen of Sheba and the obelisk belongs here," Ethiopian President Girma Wolde-Giogis said.

"I never thought I would be alive to see its return. We are very proud of our heritage," he added.

When it was removed, the obelisk was in fragments, having been toppled during a 16th-century Muslim rebellion. Once in Rome, it was restored with metal rods embedded in concrete, making it difficult to disassemble. Massive obelisks are among a few tangible remains of the past glory of Axum, an area lying in the shadow of the Adwa Mountains where Emperor Menelik II defeated the Italians in 1896 -- the greatest modern victory of an African army over a European force.

Ethiopians hope the return of the obelisk will highlight the rich heritage in the only African nation that European powers failed to colonize. Italy occupied Ethiopia from 1936-1941, but it was never a colony.

Ethiopians now hope the return of the obelisk will pave the way for the return of hundreds of priceless artefacts locked up in palaces and museums around the world. Historian Richard Pankhurst said the obelisk is the most important of Ethiopia’s stolen treasures to be given back.

"This is the oldest, largest and most symbolic of treasures to be returned to Ethiopia," he said. "This will open a new era in the restoration of loot from the third world."

[ENDS]