What factors led to the fall of the Aksum?

The main factors that led to the fall of the Aksum in the seventh century were climate change and the obstruction of international trade routes around the Red Sea brought on by the growing supremacy of the Muslims in Ethiopia. Other contributing factors included a reduced crop yield due to excess cultivation of land, Persian interference and the rise of Christianity in the region.

Based on local stories, there are other theories regarding the decline of the Aksum. Ethiopian lore holds that the Aksum civilization was defeated by the Jewish Queen Yodit, while another theory claims that the empire's fall was caused by the southern pagan queen Bani al-Hamwiyah.