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Sandor Carter, a seasoned safari guide, has a wealth of knowledge and is a trusted source whom adventurers call upon to take them on unique sights in remote areas and one-of-a-kind sacred destinations in East and South Africa. From his adventures, he share’s one of his many stories in Ethiopia of the final resting place of the Ark of the Covenant. If you’re looking into your next safari adventure or tips, Sandor can offer his expert opinion on where to find the unforgettable wonders of the world.
Epiphany in Ethiopia — The Home of the Lost Ark
Ark of the Covenant in Ethiopia
Bizarre as it sounds, the final resting place of the Ark of the Covenant may be a village in northern Ethiopia.
The Ark is a sacred object in Ethiopia. Every year, at Timkat, held on the Orthodox feast of Epiphany, models of the Ark are carried in procession through the streets and symbolically baptized. Every church has a model of the Ark for this annual event.
It’s a vibrant and crazy time. The huge crowds dress in white clothes and carry colored umbrellas.
The story goes that the original ark was rescued from the Temple of Solomon and carried up the Blue Nile. According to one version, it was brought by men with red hair — some people suggest that’s an allusion to the Knights Templar.
The Ark is reputed to have come to rest in a tiny white-washed church called the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in the village of Axum in the north of the country.
The whole structure is surrounded by a fence. No one is allowed in, and the single priest who lives there is not allowed out. He is called Gebra Mikail. He must be in his 60s now — a tall, lean, fine-featured man. It's said that when the previous guardian died, Gebra Mikail ran away because he didn’t want the tough job of being sequestered in the church grounds for the rest of his life.
I first met him over ten years ago and I asked him through an interpreter if the Ark of the Covenant was really inside. Naturally enough, he said it was. Who really knows? The romantic side of me wants to believe that something that can destroy entire armies sits in a tiny church in a dusty village in Africa.
A PASSION FOR AFRICA: About Sandor Carter
Sandor's first career was seven years with the British Army. A graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst he went on to see active service as a troop leader in the Middle East during the First Gulf Conflict of 1990/91. In 1993 he was employed by Elephant Back Safaris and it was there that he learnt the ropes of the safari business, as a camp manager, guide and elephant mahout. This is also where he met Passage to Africa founding partner Michael Lorentz. After seven years in Botswana Sandor moved to East Africa where he both guided and managed two of the most remote camps in Tanzania, Greystoke Mahale and Sand Rivers Selous. In 2005, after twelve years in the field, Sandor was invited to join Ker & Downey Kenya Safaris, established in 1946, the oldest safari company in Africa and
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