The slender stone columns which mark the tombs of ancient kings and nobles still stand in a green field at the edge of the modern town of Axum.

But these days the site is dominated by a huge tower of scaffolding, topped by a yellow mobile crane, which dwarfs King Ezana’s obelisk, the one royal monument still standing.

Inside the scaffolding lies part of the Axum Obelisk, looted by Italian troops in 1937 during their brief occupation of Abyssinia.

Italy returned the 1,700-year-old monument in 2005, after decades of negotiations between the two countries.

The obelisk, which weighs more than 150 tonnes, was taken back to Ethiopia in three pieces. Now it is being restored and resurrected back in its original home.

Unique

At the moment an ugly fence of corrugated iron screens off the working area.

But if you get inside, you can see the first chunk of the Rome obelisk already in place, in the centre of the scaffolding tower.

It has been firmly cemented into its new foundations, exactly where it stood in antiquity.

The remains of the old foundations lie nearby – huge blocks of stone cut to fit the base of the monument.

The Great Obelisk – the largest of all – still lies in the area

When the work is done they will be placed alongside so visitors can see the how things were done before the days of cranes and concrete.

The base of the column is a huge block of grey granite, carved – as if it was the ground floor of a tall building – with the unmistakable image of a door, complete with a ring-shaped door handle.

One of the most astonishing things about these monuments is that they appear to mimic the facades of multi-story buildings.

Fisseha Zibelo, from Ethiopia’s ministry of culture, says this carving shows the imagination of the monuments’ creators.

“We know they had two- and three-storey buildings, because in Axum there are big buildings with more than one storey, ” he said, “but here they were imagining the skyscrapers of the future.”

The two other sections of the obelisk are still lying nearby on concrete supports.

It is a unique opportunity to get close to them, to see the sharp clarity of the details, nearly 2,000 years after they were first carved.

You can see the window frames of the imaginary building, and the round beam-ends protruding from the walls in characteristic Axumite building style.

Protective collar

The middle section is due to be hoisted into place soon and is almost ready to go.

The work is being done by an Italian firm, Lattanzi. Site supervisor Mauro Cristini describes the whole project as experimental work.

“Nobody anywhere has ever done anything like this.”

But he says that although the middle section is massively heavy, it is in good condition, solid apart from a mended break at one corner.

That is not the case with the upper section, which is much more fragile.

The slender peak of the column, with its famous curved top, was already broken, and was struck by lightning in Rome, damaging it still further.

Mr Cristini’s workers are painting on a protective coating before fitting it with a strong collar – effectively a handle for the crane to hold onto while raising it into position.

The whole project to raise the obelisk has been quite controversial.

It was lying on the ground when the Italians found it, and had been on the ground for centuries. Some archaeologists think it should have been replaced in that position.

Not only is there the risk of damage to the obelisk itself during the work, but they worry that the new foundations could disturb the complex of underground tombs which lies beneath the monuments, and which has only recently begun to be explored.

The circle is closed now Mauro Cristini Site supervisor

And then there is the risk to King Ezana’s column, the one carved royal monument which has stood since antiquity, and which is very close to the construction works.

It already leans at a slight angle, and has been braced with steel hawsers to prevent it being damaged by the vibration caused by the heavy equipment.

It is regularly monitored, and Mr Cristini says that although some slight movement has been recorded, it has not been enough to cause concern.

The whole team – Ethiopian and Italian – are impatient to see the obelisk finally in place.

The last section should be placed in position in early August, ready for an official ceremony on the fourth of September, just before the end of Ethiopia’s millennium year.

Pride of place

“This monument was made by our ancestors” says Fisseha Zibelo. “It’s only in Axum that this kind of monument was made, so for us, it is a matter of pride and mark of our identity.”

As for Mr Cristini, he says for him this is a little bit of history.

“The circle is closed now,” he says.

“Before it was on the ground, but now the people of Ethiopia will be able to see it on its original site, so everything is going to be even better than before.”

By Mitch Phillips

LONDON (Reuters) – When Haile Gebrselassie was taking distance running to new levels a decade ago few could have imagined that even before he had retired he would be eclipsed by another Ethiopian, Kenenisa Bekele.

If, as expected, the two men line up for the 10,000 meters final in Beijing it will be world record holder, Olympic and triple world champion Bekele who will be the hot favorite.

Bekele, 26, has a remarkable record of consistency, winning championship titles, setting world records and dominating cross country running over the past six years.

This year he regained the world cross title to make it 12 wins in 13 attempts over the two senior distances.

His 10,000 meters world record of 26 minutes 17.53 seconds, set in 2005, is more than five seconds faster than Gebrselassie’s world mark of 1998 – itself half a minute better than William Sigie’s 1994 mark that he first surpassed in 1995.

Bekele also has the 5,000 world record of 12:37.35, previously held by his compatriot, a double Olympic champion at 10,000.

His style is modeled on Gebrselassie too. Both men destroy their opponents with their finishing speed and it is not unusual for Bekele to post a 53-second final lap.

In Athens four years ago the Ethiopians tried to run as a team to help Gebrselassie challenge for a third gold but, injured, he dropped off the pace leaving Bekele to blast through the last lap to win.

Eight days later Bekele just missed out on the double when he was outkicked by Hicham El Guerrouj over the final 50 meters of the 5,000. Despite that setback 2004 remained an annus mirabilis for Bekele.

Within four days of the new year, his fiancee, 18-year-old Alem Techale, died while the two were running together.

Bekele recovered to win double gold again at the world cross country three months later and in that August won the second of his three consecutive 10,000 world titles.

In 2007, he married Ethiopian actress Danawit Gebregziabher. She watched him in championship action for the first time when he reclaimed the world cross title in Scotland this year.

He has carried that form on to the track with the fourth-fastest 10,000 meters – 26:25.97 – in an almost solo effort at the Prefontaine Classic in the United States in June.

With only six days between the 10,000 and 5,000 finals in Beijing, Bekele had said he planned to run only the longer distance but it now looks possible he could double up.

Four-times 10,000m world champion Gebrselassie is putting everything into that race after opting out of the marathon after concerns over the air quality.

(Editing by Robert Woodward)

WASHINGTON, July 21 (Reuters) – The International Monetary Fund on Monday urged “forceful” policy tightening in Ethiopia to reduce inflation, as high oil and food prices also strain balance of payments.

The IMF said a year-long impact of higher oil prices will raise Ethiopia’s oil import bill by about $1 billion, or 3 percent of gross domestic product, over its 2006/07 level.

It projected economic growth in Ethiopia would slow sharply to 8.4 percent in 2007/08 from an average 11 percent since 2003/04.

“The recent signs of growing macroeconomic imbalances manifested as higher inflation and a weakening of the balance of payments suggest that demand is running ahead of capacity expansion,” the IMF said in its annual assessment of Ethiopia’s economy.

“Some supply-side factors may also have driven up food prices and thereby contributed to inflationary pressures,” it said, adding: “At the same time, the surge in world oil prices is placing a large strain on the balance of payments.”

Inflation in Ethiopia was almost 40 percent year-on-year in May 2008, driven largely by rapidly rising domestic food prices, while international reserves have fallen to 1.5 months of imports.

The IMF said restraining spending will be critical for the authorities to adjust to current conditions in Ethiopia, a country which has historically been prone to famine.

“Given the importance of public infrastructure investment, a tighter fiscal stance will require capital expenditure to be aimed at projects that enhance productivity and contribute most to economic growth,” the IMF said. “Restraint on domestic borrowing by public enterprises will be essential,” it added. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Diane Craft)

By Jason McLure, BLOOMBERG

BHP Billiton was granted a potash-prospecting licence for a 17,000 square-kilometre area in Ethiopia’s Afar region, its Mines Ministry said.

Three British and two French nationals were kidnapped in the Afar region in March by rebels.

Potash is used in fertilizers and to make cement.

Ethiopia, Africa’s biggest coffee producer, is keen to attract investment into its mining industry to diversify its economy.

It has deposits of gold, platinum, gemstones and other minerals, according to the the US Geological Survey.

Potash prices may almost double to $US900 a tonne over the next two to three years amid higher food demand and limited supplies of the soil nutrient, according to Paul Matysek, chief executive of exploration company Potash One.

By Tedla Yeneakal, The Capital

Major towns throughout Ethiopia have been hit by a major shortage of diesel fuel, starting Thursday, July 10, 2008 this week, gas stations were congested with vehicles queuing to fill up their tanks. Damenu Kibret, Public Relations head of the Ethiopian Petroleum Enterprise (EPE), told Capital that the shortage occurred from reduced supply at retail companies.

Relevant government officials are discussing with oil retail firms to particularly identify the main factor behind the shortage. However, an official of one of the oil companies blamed EPE for the shortage saying that the enterprise has restricted supply of diesel by setting quotas to limit the amount that enters the country. “The amount was not restricted before, now there is a limit on imports that has been put in place,” said an official from one of the retailing companies.

During the first nine months of the current Ethiopian year, the country spent slightly over 10 billion birr on fuel imports of 1.37 million tons, an increase in the volume of fuel imports during the same period by 10 percent.

The cost of fuel import has been a major element offsetting gains in the export sector, where it has been consuming up to 80 percent of foreign currency secured from international trade previously. Although export earnings were said to grow by about 30 percent, the rate at which fuel import bills have increased has offset the gains. With world oil price hikes continuing unabated, fuel import bills for the current fiscal year are expected to hit well over the amount of export earnings expected to be secured during the same period.

The outcome of the meeting between the Ethiopian government and oil retailing firms did not finalize as Capital went to print.