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GREAT TEMPLE AT YEHA. Twenty-three miles northeast of Aksum lies the Great Temple at Yeha, the oldest standing building in Ethiopia. Dated from the seventh to fifth centuries B.C.E., the temple belongs to the Pre-Aksumite culture and shares features with temples in South Arabia from this period. Sixty-one feet long and 49 feet wide, the temple still stands at an impressive height of 43 feet. Its exterior walls were 4 feet thick and constructed out of sandstone blocks, which fit together without mortar—a technique that reflects South-Arabian influences. The temple had a single entrance, in front of which was a portico, and its interior was divided by pillars into five aisles. The eastern end, opposite the entrance, was divided into three chambers. Because of inscriptions found in the area, it is believed that the temple was dedicated to Almaqah, the Sabaean moon god. After the Aksumite kingdom became Christian, the temple was converted into a church.