ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Italy is preparing to return a nearly 2,000-year-old granite monument to Ethiopia, the Addis Tribune reported.
The 80-foot, 150-ton obelisk, similar in shape to the Washington Monument in the U.S. capital, was stolen by Benito Mussolini's troops in 1937.
Ethiopians revere the object as a symbol of a glorious past empire and have been seeking its return.
Workers will divide the obelisk, now surrounded by scaffolding, into six sections using computer-guided jacks. The obelisk was cut up in various sections by Fascist troops when they transported it to Rome by sea.
But some experts fear dividing it up again may cause it to crumble. The move, expected to be finished at the end of October, is highly complex and is expected to last several weeks.
