Ethiopia asked for a sacred object to be returned from Westminster Abbey

The Ethiopian ambassador in the UK is seeking the return to his country of a tabot from Westminster Abbey. The tabot is a kind of tablet that represents the Ark of the Covenant. It was looted during the Battle of Magdala in 1868.

Westminster Abbey, as a Royal Peculiar, unlike other Anglican churches and cathedrals, is under the monarch’s jurisdiction. It has refused to return the tabot.



The tabot could be seen within the altar until 2010 even though the items are considered so sacred by many Christians in Ethiopia that only priests were allowed to look at them.

Hear a spokeswoman for the abbey:
“The dean and chapter are very conscious of the sensitivity of the Ethiopian tabot . . . It was for this reason that steps were taken a number of years ago to ensure that the tabot, which is in a very sacred place, was properly covered and could not be seen by anyone. There were no plans to change these arrangements.”