Author: Nita Bhalla in Addis Ababa
Publication: BBC News
Date: February 9, 2002
Hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians
have packed the streets of Addis Ababa to welcome home an ancient Ethiopian
relic looted by British troops more than 130 years ago.
The 400-year-old "tabot" - a replica
of the Ark of the Covenant - was found in a Scottish Church in December.
It was handed over to a delegation
from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church last month, who travelled to Edinburgh
to receive it.
In a colourful celebration at Addis
Ababa's Trinity Cathedral, Ethiopians rejoiced at the return of the tabot
to its rightful home.
Excitement and pride filled in the
air as the plane carrying the ancient Ethiopian artefact landed at Ethiopia's
Bole International airport on Saturday morning.
Celebration
Many Ethiopians gathered outside
the airport to catch a glimpse of the tabot, held sacred to the 25 million-strong
Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
Adorned in resplendent vestments
made of bright velvet and gold and carrying silver and gold processional
crosses, thousands of priests and religious elders from Addis Ababa's 106
Orthodox churches led a procession from the airport to Addis Ababa's Trinity
Cathedral, where the wooden relic will be stored.
Beating drums, they chanted in the
ancient language of Ge'ez welcoming the tabot home.
Ethiopians sang and danced alongside
the processional cortege as it made the four hour journey along the 11
km (7 miles) route to the cathedral.
Looted
The tabot of St Michael, which can
only be seen by priests, was covered in gold embroidered velvets and silks
and mounted on the head of a chosen priest in the true tradition of the
2,000-year-old Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
Ethiopian ministers, diplomats,
heads of agencies and tourists joined the crowds at Trinity Cathedral to
welcome the tabot, which was looted from the Ethiopian fortress of Maqdala
by British forces in the 19th century.
Some 200 mules and 15 elephants
were loaded with plunder after victorious British forces stormed the mountain
fortress.
The treasures include 10 other ancient
tabots, 500 ancient parchment manuscripts, two gold crowns, crosses and
chalices in gold, silver and copper, religious icons, royal and ecclesiastic
vestments as well as shields and arms made between the 14th and 19th centuries.
Historic day
Teshome Toga, Ethiopia's Minister
for Youth, Sports and Culture said it was a historic day for all Ethiopians.
"We are all excited and we think
that it will be good start to bring back all our cultural heritages."
The Patriarch of the church, Abune
Paulos, said it was impossible to describe how Ethiopia was feeling on
this historic day.
"You can sense the feeling of the
people on the streets today, it is beyond all explanation."
Ethiopians on the streets did not
hesitate to express how they were feeling.
"It is a victory for the Ethiopians
over the British," said one man.
"We must be happy and celebrate
today as a national holiday for what we lost in violence, we have gained
in peace," said one church elder.
Ethiopians now say they hope that
this may lead to the return of all other ancient Ethiopian relics currently
still on display in British museums.
