Finally after seven decades, the exiled Askum obelisk is to be re-erected in the exact same spot it was looted from. The event is expected to be one of the highlights of the new Ethiopian Millennium and also usher in the time when all of Ethiopia’s looted historical heritage will return home for good.

The Aksum Obelisk:

Dramatic new development - and future prospects
Many readers are asking what has happened to the Aksum Obelisk, looted by Fascist Italy in 1937, and duly returned to Ethiopia in April 2005. For the story of its return, dear reader, I would refer you to the recent film produced by the distinguished Ethiopian film-producer Samson Gheorghis, currently resident in Paris.
The Obelisk, since its return in 2005, has been patiently awaiting its re-erection in Aksum - though some of the human Aksum Obelisk Return enthusiasts have been waiting for the Obelisk’s re-erection far less patiently.
Arrangements for the Obelisk’s re-erection have, however, at last recently been finalised, and re-erection is anticipated to be one of the major developments in the New Ethiopian Millennium.

Technical Details
Decisive action for the Obelisk’s re-erection was taken on18 June 2007, when the UNESCO World Heritage Centre signed a contract with the Italian  Lattanzi SRL construction company to begin work on speedy re-erection of the Obelisk, which  weighs 150 tons, and was - and will again  be - no less than 24 metres high.
The total budget for the Obelisk re-erection project is USD$2,833,985, to be funded by the Italian Government.
Lattanzi, we understand, has already started mobilizing its staff and equipment, and is expected to begin work in the next few days.
The work, in two phases, is expected to take a total of some 18 months.

The First Phase
 The First Phase, which is scheduled to take 6 months, will consist of:
1- Construction of the Obelisk’s foundation
2- Construction of a temporary embankment (rails to be used for sliding the obelisk parts)
3- Temporary consolidation of the old standing stele - to avoid risks of damage during the erection of the newly returned stele.
4- Manufacturing of construction equipment and materials for the erection of a steel tower, which will serve to lift the obelisk. (At the end of the work this tower will of course be   dismantled, and removed).
5- Maintenance of two mobile cranes (to be provided by the Ethiopian Government)
During this initial period the returned Obelisk will remain on  the ground - and there will be no attempt to move it.

The Second Phase
In the Second Phase, which is expected to take 12 months, the work will entail:
1- Shipment of the manufactured steel elements described in item 4 above
2- Construction of the steel structure
3- Lifting and positioning of the returned Obelisk
4- Cleaning and restoration of its surfaces
5- Dismantling of the steel structure, and final arrangements of the site.
Immediately after the returned Obelisk’s return to Aksum, a multidisciplinary team of UNESCO experts started studying the site: the history, the archaeological remains and the feasibility of a re-erection project.

 UNESCO
In 2006, UNESCO produced a detailed project for the re-erection of the Obelisk, This comprised:
· An impact assessment study, the  main purpose of which was to minimize risks throughout the operation
· Remote sensing investigations, to study with non-destructive means the rich archaeological sub-soil and to identify sensitive areas to be specially  protected during the work
· The installation of a provisional stabilisation structure to ensure the stability of the existing standing obelisk.
The UNESCO plan was developed with the help of the Italian engineering firm of Engineering Studio, Croci & Associati, which was earlier in charge of dismantling the Obelisk in Rome and its transportation to Aksum.
UNESCO’s   operation, which aimed to re-install the Obelisk, was composed of three parts, in the following sequence:
(1) Preparation of the foundation to support the Obelisk and provisional scaffolding;
(2) Construction of an embankment to slide the parts of the Obelisk before lifting them into position;
(3) Construction of a steel tower, 33m high and 150 tons in weight;
(4) Joining the blocks with carbon fibre bars to ensure seismic stability - and to avoid the danger of lightning;
(5) Cleaning and restoration of the Obelisk before the removal of the scaffolding structure.
 
What We - and the People of Aksum - Want
We all welcome the dramatic news that the Obelisk returned from Italy and will soon be standing once again beside the currently standing stele. Re-erection marks a new  - and very welcome - era in the age-old story of this ancient Ethiopian treasure.
We feel, however, that this is by no means the end of the story.
 Think back, dear reader.
What did the people of ancient Aksum want?
It was not to have one obelisk standing for almost two millennia; and another re-erected two millennia later - after a brief sojourn in a foreign land.
No! The people of ancient Aksum erected their obelisks so that all of them could proudly stand together where they erected them - to demonstrate to everyone the greatness of their ancient land.  
These obelisks were designed to stand together - like the stones of Stonehenge, and other such antiquities.
We cannot wait until all the other obelisks are re-erected: - and that, dear reader, should be our aim.
We hope to write shortly of a very strange story related to Aksum!