The Fall of Axum: Climate, Crisis, and the Rise of Islam

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the decline of the Kingdom of Axum, focusing on the environmental and economic pressures that weakened the empire from within, and the rise of Islam that reshaped Red Sea trade. They discuss the role of the Aksumite navy, the loss of Yemen, the shift of the capital to Kubar, and the mysterious figure of Queen Gudit who sacked Axum in the 10th century. Key terms include: Aksumite stelae, Adulis, the port of Zayla, the Dahlak Archipelago, the reign of Armah, the silver and gold coinage devaluation, and the Ethiopian chronicles that record Gudit's devastation. Lucas also touches on the competing theories of Axum's fall—over-farming, climate change, plague, and the Islamic conquests—and how the legacy of Axum endured in the Solomonic dynasty and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. #Axum #KingdomOfAxum #QueenGudit #FallOfAxum #AksumiteEmpire #RedSeaTrade #RiseOfIslam #EastAfricaHistory #EthiopianHistory #AksumiteCoins #Adulis #Zayla #DahlakArchipelago #Armah #Kubar #ClimateCrisis #History #FexingoHistory #Ezana #Himyar Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo