We've all seen it in films, and witnessed reproductions of its powers, but

what about the real thing.

Covered with gold and surmounted with two golden winged Cherubim facing each

other, the Ark of the Covenant must have been a remarkable sight, but it was 

what lay inside that made it the holiest and most powerful of all religious

objects.

The ark was built to contain the tablets of stone on which God had inscribed

the Ten Commandments, and as such, was believed to have supernatural powers.

The bible describes how, blazing like fire, it inflicted burns on enemies

of Israel, levelled mountains, stopped rivers and laid waste to whole cities.

It was the biblical equivalent of an atomic bomb.

But between 900 and 500BC it disappeared. Its loss is regarded as one of the

greatest mysteries of the Bible. But not to the Ethiopians.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church worships a relic, which they believe to be the 

true Ark. It rests in the Church of Saint Mary of Zion in the town of Axum. 

It is protected by a Guardian - a Coptic priest who never leaves its side, 

and never allows anyone to see it, not even the Emperors of Ethiopia.

There is a ceremony called Timkat in which a bulky rectangular chest, 

representing the Ark is paraded through the town, covered in a blue cloth.

Throughout the procession, the Guardian does not once leave this temple. He

never leaves its side, only on his deathbed will he nominate his successor.

But many other researchers also claim to have found the lost Ark, although

not all of the claims stand up to scrutiny.

The Institute for Restoring Ancient History claims to have found the Ark in

a cave on Mount Nebo, Jordan, in October 1981. However, the Jordanian

government refuses to allow anyone to remove the artefact from the cave, so

no independent researcher can disprove or validate their claim.

Ron Wyatt, from Nashville Tennessee, says he found the Ark near Ashkelon, in 

Israel. He had been excavating a site for three years, beneath where Jesus

was supposed to have been crucified. Wyatt took photographs of the Ark, but

claims they were miraculously clouded when the film was developed.

So, whose claim is real? Does the real Ark of the Covenant lie under the

watchful eye of the Guardian in the Holy of Holies room, in Axum? Or, does

it still lie hidden, waiting to be discovered.

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