Provided is a rope-shape alkali metal-sulfur battery having (a) a first electrode comprising a conductive porous rod and a mixture of a first electrode active material and a first electrolyte residing in pores of the first porous rod; (b) a porous separator wrapping around the first electrode to form a separator-protected first electrode; (c) a second electrode comprising a conductive porous rod having a mixture of a second electrode active material and a second electrolyte residing in pores of the second porous rod; wherein the separator-protected first electrode and the second electrode are combined to form a braid or a yarn; and (d) a protective sheath encasing the braid or yarn; wherein either the first or the second electrode is a cathode containing sulfur or a sulfur compound as a cathode active material and the battery has a rope shape having a length-to-diameter aspect ratio no less than 5.