It was the capital of the earliest Ethiopian kingdom, Tigray, and supposedly the place where the Queen of Sheba lived.

It is renowned for multi-storied ancient carved granite obelisks each carved from a single piece of stone (some as tall as 22 meters), important archaeological remains and the church which claims to house the lost Ark of the Covenant, in the 17th century Cathedral of St Mary of Zion. Access is not allowed as it is considered too holy for anyone but the chosen guardian monk to enter.