Turkey restoring tomb of Ethiopian King Najashi

 

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) is finishing up a restoration project on the tomb of King Najashi, the former leader of modern day Ethiopia’s Kingdom of Aksum.

TIKA coordinator in Addis Ababa, Fazıl Akın Erdoğan, told reporters that the restoration project on a mosque and tomb located 800 kilometers from the capital would wrap up this year.

 

In addition to the restorations, Erdoğan explained that additional buildings were being constructed in the area.

“We made a full-fledged food court to serve the needs of the guests and visitors. Besides the kitchen, we built a multi-purpose hall that can fit 500 people,” he said.

The restoration team also met the water needs of the tomb area by building 160 ton water depots in two different places.

Noting that the project had been ongoing for three years, Erdoğan said that Ottoman architectural examples were evident in the marble, door, and window details of the mosque and tomb.

Erdoğan emphasized that Turkey had made various negotiations with Ethiopia’s Religious Services Consultancy and that they would like King Najashi’s tomb to be added to the route of pilgrimage and umrah organizations in Turkey.

If this happens, he said, the tomb would be a huge contribution to the tourism industry in Ethiopia.

Source: dailysabah.com