The Axum stelae field
Carved granite obelisks, the largest of which are among the biggest single pieces of stone ever quarried and raised. Heritage permission and site fees apply.
Filming location · Tigray
Filming in Axum and Tigray
Tigray holds Ethiopia's oldest layer: pre-Christian temples, Aksumite stelae, and churches carved into vertical rock that you reach by climbing. It is also the region where conditions have changed most in recent years, so we treat every Tigray enquiry with a fresh feasibility check rather than an assumption.
Short answer
Axum in northern Tigray was the centre of the Aksumite empire and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, known for its field of carved granite stelae, royal tombs, and the church of Saint Mary of Zion whose Chapel of the Tablet is believed by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church to hold the Ark of the Covenant. The wider Tigray region contains dozens of rock-hewn churches cut into cliff faces, most spectacularly in the Gheralta range. Access conditions in Tigray have varied in recent years, so we give a current, honest assessment before any schedule is committed.
- Region
- Tigray
- Altitude
- approx. 2,100 m
- Nearest airport
- Axum Airport and Mekelle Airport
- Best time
- October to March
- From Addis Ababa
- By air via Mekelle or Axum, subject to current service
What to film here
Church of Saint Mary of Zion and the Chapel of the Tablet
Central to Ethiopian Orthodox belief. The chapel interior is not open to filming or to visitors, and this should be treated as fixed. Exteriors, liturgy and the surrounding compound can be filmed with church consent.
Gheralta rock churches
Churches cut into sandstone cliffs, several requiring a genuine climb to reach, including Abuna Yemata Guh. Spectacular, physically demanding, and needing rigging and safety planning for a camera crew.
Yeha
A pre-Christian temple dating to around the first millennium BC, the oldest standing structure in Ethiopia, and important context for any historical film.
Debre Damo
A cliff-top monastery reached only by climbing a rope up the rock face. Men only, by long-standing rule. Requires rigging, safety planning and monastery consent.
From our shoots
Nearby and related
Other Ethiopian locations
Start a production
Filming in Axum and Tigray?
Send your dates and shot list. We will come back with the permit route, the access position, realistic travel times and an itemised cost — usually within a working day.