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afrol.com, 4 December - The Axum Obelisk, one of the most representative monuments of the ancient Ethiopian culture, was shipped to Rome in 1937, during the Italian occupation. Since then, it has decorated the Roman Piazza di Porta Capena and the Ethiopian Government demands its return to the real owners. According to PANA, the Committee on Ethiopia's Axum Obelisk now has given the Italian Government until February 2001, to dismantle and return the monument to Ethiopia after noting its deep concern over the lack of progress towards the implementation of agreements signed between Ethiopia and Italy for the return of the Obelisk. The Obelisk, measuring 180 tons and 24 metres height, is one in a group of six obelisks, erected as funeral monuments in the ancient capital of Axum when Ethiopia converted to Christianity during the reign of Emperor Ezana, in the mid-forth century. The monument, however, has suffered a series of damages through history, making a possible transport back to Ethiopia a delicate issue. The legal framework for a return to its country of origin has already been prepared. In 1997, the Ethiopian and Italian governments signed an agreement about the return of cultural goods, especially mentioning the Axum Obelisk. The agreement only came after thousands of Ethiopians had signed a petition for its return. Ethiopia thus followed in the footsteps of most European nations, demanding (and mostly achieving) the return of cultural goods looted during the Second World War. Even putting the legal and diplomatic aspects aside, there remain severe technical problems in shipping this culturally and historically important monument back. According to the American Archeological Institute, the Obelisk has been damaged severely through its history, especially after its arrival to Rome. Already in the 16th century, the Axum Obelisk was tired down, and thus damaged, during a Muslim revolt. Later, during the Italian occupation of Imperial Ethiopia (1936-45), the fascist dictator Mussolini himself ordered the transport of the fragments of the Obelisk to Italy. The transport reportedly put the Italian army and vehicles carrying the heavy fragments to the test. Once in Rome, Italian art conservators gave the monument an irreversible treatment, which will mark the Obelisk for the rest of its existence. The fragments were put together by iron bars in its interior, making any future non-damaging dismantle impossible. Given its enormous weight when in one piece, any overland transport of the monument is also made impossible. Further, there are only two types of aircrafts being able to transport such a heavy and large item, the American Lockheed C5-A Galaxy and the Russian Antonov An-124. There however remains the problem that the airfield in Axum too short for these airplanes to land on and the transport thus still remains an open question. With this problem unresolved, Ethiopian and Italian experts met in Ethiopia in September to discuss possible ways of transporting the Obelisk from Rome to Axum. Several solutions have been proposed over the last years. As a treatment of the object, the only possible way would be cutting it into pieces, preferably making use of the old fragments. Other alternatives not damaging the Obelisk include the enlargement of the Axum airfield to facilitate its direct transport, or transporting it to another location than its site of origin, where a special museum could accommodate the monument. The large history behind the returning of the Obelisk to Ethiopia has complicated diplomatic relations between the two countries, and a special Committee for the Axum Obelisk was created. During these years of negotiations, the demands for a return of the Obelisk have not only been advanced by Ethiopia, but also by other African countries, stating that the return is not only of significance to Ethiopia, but to the entire continent as part of the African cultural heritage. The African country that most has suffered plundering by European ex-colonial powers has been Egypt.
No regarding the 1978 resolution by the UNESCO concerning the return of plundered art, Egypt still has not obtained any of its major works taken to Paris, London, Berlin and other European capitals, generating income to
the national museums of these countries.
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