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All Ethiopia Lioness of Gobedra
AO Edited

Lioness of Gobedra

According to one local legend, this image was created during a battle between a wild lioness and the archangel Michael.

Ethiopia

Added By
Fred Cherrygarden
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The Lioness of Gobedra   Getty / Veronique DURRUTY
The Lioness of Gobedra   Getty / Veronique DURRUTY
A mysterious ancient rock carving depicting a lioness.   Ondřej Žváček/CC BY-SA 3.0
Some of the landscape near Axum   A. Davey/CC BY 2.0
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About

A couple of kilometers west of the ancient city of Axum stands the isolated hill of Gobo Dura, alternatively known as Gobedra. The city in Ethiopia is known for stonework, including elaborately carved stelae and a striking work of ancient art known as the Lioness of Gobedra.

It was first described to the western world by German archaeologists in 1913, but had been known to locals for far longer. The origin of the three-meter-long sculpture, engraved on a huge syenite boulder, has been a mystery for quite some time. One local story holds that the carving is a relic from a tremendous battle between a wild lioness and the archangel Michael. It is said that when Michael hurled his opponent into the rock, the impact was so great that the beast's outline remained. The truth is still a subject of speculation, but the stone lioness is likely thousands of years old.

Since it stands beside the road leading to Axum, it is possible that the rock art was an ancient landmark. This has not been confirmed, and it remains unknown when it was created, who made it, or for what purpose. 

Another engraving that depicts a Greek cross is also visible on the same boulder, also of unknown origins. Nearby, there is an ancient quarry called Wuchate Golo, where the famous stelae in Axum are believed to have been carved. Some uncompleted, abandoned stelae can be spotted here as well.

Related Tags

Art Petroglyphs History & Culture Legends Archaeology

Community Contributors

Added By

Fred Cherrygarden

Edited By

Michelle Cassidy

  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

April 21, 2021

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Sources
  • https://www.aluka.org/stable/10.5555/al.ch.document.unoalpm19960429b
  • https://www.wander.am/travel/axum-90926/places/lioness-of-gobedra-164056
  • http://www.traveladventures.org/continents/africa/gobedra-lioness-quarry.html
  • https://www.lonelyplanet.com/ethiopia/northern-ethiopia/aksum/attractions/gobodura-hill/a/poi-sig/1425167/355294
  • https://www.sfu.ca/archaeology/museum/exhibits/virtual-exhibits/aksum/aksumite-stelae.html
Lioness of Gobedra
Ethiopia
14.120426, 38.680281

Nearby Places

Obelisk of Axum

Aksum, Ethiopia

miles away

Chapel of the Tablet

Aksum, Ethiopia

miles away

Abuna Yemata Guh

East Tigray, Ethiopia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Africa

Places 18
Stories 18

Nearby Places

Obelisk of Axum

Aksum, Ethiopia

miles away

Chapel of the Tablet

Aksum, Ethiopia

miles away

Abuna Yemata Guh

East Tigray, Ethiopia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Africa

Places 18
Stories 18

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