In a chapel in the old crenellated church of Mary of Zion in Aksum, Ethiopia is keptan object that emperors, patriarchs and priests have assured the world is the mostimportant religious relic of all time: the tabota Seyon, Ark of the Covenant, the Arkof Zion. This Ark is alleged to be no other than the Ark that Moses had constructedat Sinai and which destroyed the walls of Jericho. It was brought into Jerusalem by KingDavid and installed in a magnificent temple by King Solomon. Then, the story goes, itcame to Ethiopia of its own choice with the half-Ethiopian, half-Jewish son of Solomonand the Queen of Sheba. Are the legends true? Or is this story a monumental deception? Is there any real proofor is it the faith of a people alone that has created this Ark? From ancient texts to localstories, from the Bible to the writings of sixteenth and seventeenth century Jesuits, StuartMunro-Hay traces the extraordinary legend of Ethiopia's Ark in what is a triumph ofhistorical detective work. Munro-Hay scrutinises every mention of the Ark in Ethiopianrecords and tests every theory before he reaches his shocking conclusion. The Quest forthe Ark of the Covenant promises to settle the mystery of the Ark of the Covenantfor once and for all.

In a chapel in the old crenellated church of Mary of Zion in Aksum, Ethiopia is keptan object that emperors, patriarchs and priests have assured the world is the mostimportant religious relic of all time: the tabota Seyon, Ark of the Covenant, the Arkof Zion. This Ark is alleged to be no other than the Ark that Moses had constructedat Sinai and which destroyed the walls of Jericho. It was brought into Jerusalem by KingDavid and installed in a magnificent temple by King Solomon. Then, the story goes, itcame to Ethiopia of its own choice with the half-Ethiopian, half-Jewish son of Solomonand the Queen of Sheba. Are the legends true? Or is this story a monumental deception? Is there any real proofor is it the faith of a people alone that has created this Ark? From ancient texts to localstories, from the Bible to the writings of sixteenth and seventeenth century Jesuits, StuartMunro-Hay traces the extraordinary legend of Ethiopia's Ark in what is a triumph ofhistorical detective work. Munro-Hay scrutinises every mention of the Ark in Ethiopianrecords and tests every theory before he reaches his shocking conclusion. The Quest forthe Ark of the Covenant promises to settle the mystery of the Ark of the Covenantfor once and for all.