Addis Ababa City
Historical Sites in Addis Ababa are concentrated in Piassa and Arat Killo areas. Arat Killo the founding places of Addis, the Grand Palace, Africa Hall in Arat killo and St. George Church in Piassa, Menelik Monoument tell the victory of the Ethiopian king and people.
Visit Ethiopia's capital with our Addis Ababa City Tour
Bole Medhanealem (Holy Saviour) Church
is the second largest religious place in Africa near the airport taking the prestige of Holy Trinity cathedral of Arat Kilo for Orthodox Christians as Salvatore Church is founded near Legehar for Catholics. The grand Anwar mosque and St. Ragueal church in Merkato are standing next to each other symbolizing Ethiopian Muslims and Christians are living in harmony.
Addis Ababa University
Ethnographic Museum: You are entering in to the old palace of Haile Silasie. He gave to be the current Addis Ababa University. The University centered by the beautiful gardens, fountains of the old palace, the Institute of Ethiopian Studies, IES shares the ground floor of the palace. The remaining floors belong to the Ethnographic museum. Turn right & stare upstairs! A lion is at the gate watching you because it is a gate of the Lion of Judah. You are allowed to pass if you pay 20 birr entrance fee. The museum hosts the cultural aspects of the people and traditions of the tribes of Ethiopa. The museum is unique in the world for the displays are according to life cycles in a human being. The first section about childhood, second adulthood and last topic is death & beyond practices of each Ethiopian tribes. Traditional tales & games of some tribes are displayed in the childhood. House making, hunting, handicrafts, beliefs, traditional medicines of different ethnic groups are further elaborated in the adulthood section.
In the archive video show particularly in the Hammer Bana tribes bull jumping ceremony one can easily see here how in the bull jumping ceremony solidarity and stoic allegiance of a women volunteer to be whipped instead of the boy who falls the jumping as that indicate the man couldn’t satisfy the rite of passage to adulthood & couldn’t marry.
Haile Selassje Apartments: The bed room, assembly room, bath room of the king and the queen Menen are found in the subsequent rooms. His mirror stroked by a bullet in the 1960 coup d’état is nearer still to the window that you can feel as the king looking the beautiful gardens out. The collection of icons, crosses, magic scrolls in the second floor are said to be representative of the world. This is the finest museum in Africa also has a room dedicated to Ethiopian musical instruments grouped by strings, tones, drums etc according to the notes which instrument is used by the tribes in Ethiopia. Tip: plan to watch the play of Ethiopian musical instruments at a given traditional music clubs eating traditional food Mahberawi (combination of all food stuffs on injera that looks like pancake) & drinking Tej the honey wine.
National Museum
The oldest and complete ever found hominid, ancestor of all human beings.Lucy is the main reason to come here.Lucy is the woman proved died in her 20s, 3.2 million years ago found in Hadar ,Ethiopia in1974.Other archeological findings dating back to 5.8 million years old together with the recent royal family artifacts of modern Ethiopia & costumes, paintings are exhibited in the 4 storey museum. Stone inscriptions of Yeha 2500 BC,a 4th century chair made from rock emblazoned with mythical ibex in the first floor saves your time instead of going to north Ethiopia’s ancient Axum town known for many antique &stone inscriptions.
Zoological Natural History Museum
Situated in the first building of Addis Ababa University,aratkillo campus wildelife speciemens of 450species of birds,50 specis of snakes,50 rodents,36 bats,52,fish,35 lizards,35 amphobians,20carnivourous ,8 mammals are displayed. Among the creatures in the world 31 mamals,21 birds,9 reptiles,4 fish & 24 Amphibians are endemic(found only) in Ethiopia.
Bue Ata Maraym Church Museum
The church was built in 1971 in the premises of Minelik’s second palace.The mausoleum of him,his wife,their only dauthor ,zewditu,thier soul father Pop. Mathew is in the underground crypt.There is also a temporary casket of Hailesilasie until his body buried recently at Holy trinity Cathedral in a massive procession compared to the military government put his body in the public latrine after they removed from the thrown. The church yard is now separated from the palace compound for security.
St. George Cathedral & Museum
This octagonal Cathedral is built in 1896 to commemorate the victory of adowa over the Italians named after by St.George whose Icon was carried on the battle and the victory date March 2 ,is the Saint’s monthly feast day. The collections of Icons ,Holly scrolls ,goat leather paper books in the Ge’ez literature, Coronation grabs of Menelik’s daughter, her regent His majesty Hailesilasie umbrellas, crosses etc are vastly abundant in the museum only ahead by Aksum St.Zion Marry church which is more famous for Ethiopian claim of the Ark of the Covenant /the 10 commandments’ tablet/ is preserved that makes AXUM?Ethiopia unique as a Holy land. Inside the cathedral the east side marble wall is the coronation side of kings. Resurrection paint on the roof is also majestic.
Merkato –The largest open air Market in Africa
Merkato is the a must to see in Addis after the Ethnological Museum visit if you have no time for others not only to shop but a tourist site.Any thing is found here from one leg of sock to dozens of thousands of goods, Souvenirs to Kalashnikovs. Coming from east part i.e from paisa the first site is Vegetable area(Atkilit tera),next Taiwan Tera(from old version of electronic materials up to modern electronics),Dubai tera next is known for textiles .Anwar Mosque and ragueal Church serve the marketers there on time. Souvenir s area is to the right of Ragueal. Visit the Incenses up to Min Alesh tera literally means “what do you have area. Amede Mall is full of only different Shoe in styles. Still a 20 minute tour you can’t finish the whole day. What makes it large is the outdoor markets are extensively in row horizontally .New buildings are under construction to grow the market vertically; still it would be the largest open air market in Africa. Take care of pickpockets and bargain very much specially if you are white.
Monuments
Yekatit 12 martyrs’ Memorial monument
On 12th of Yekatit 1930 that is Ethiopian February 12 and the European February 19,1937(officially 7 days & 7 years back of the Gregorian calendar),Ethiopian Students throw bomb to kill Viceroy Graziani Italian colonizer while he was delivering a speech here in front of Addis Ababa University.The unsuccessful Attempt results in loss of thousands the city dwellers by the Italian solders as retribution.The 23 meter long &white monument of yakatit 12 erected to remember the massacre looks like the obelisk of aksum that stood 100 BC to signify diginity of the era.The funeral place of the martyrs’ was rested and protected in the north side of Holy Trinity Cathedral.
Victory Monument
After 10 minute walk down to Arat killo from Sidest killo /on king George street despite Ethiopian don’t use street names for any place,/ the victory monument is a land mark of Ethiopian patriots victory against the last aggression of Italy ended in 1941.Arat Killo is only named arat which means four to say four directions are converged here. Yes! You guess Sedest killo is the place 6 streets intersect.
Menelik Square Monoument
look at the man! King Menelik raiding a horse at Giorgis near to the St. George cathedral. The horses gallop on two legs on air facing to Adowa to remember The victory place and .annually march 2nd patriots gather here to defiantly celebrate the victory and St George annual festivity of St.Georeg apparently. It is from here to Measure Km of other regions in the country.
Abune Petros Momoumnet
On the way to Merkato near the municipality of addis Ababa the statue of Abune Petros the marytyr killed by 8 bullets just here by the Italians. In addition to being a monk latter pop for Ethiopian Orthodox Church leading Ethiopia was vested on him when Hailesilesie fled to report the illegal aggression of Italians to the league of nations. He took the rank of Saint in Orthodox church and the Swedish built church in his name in Stockholm. Freedom fighter and monk the father is!
Dilachin Momument
Off the Churchill avenue in front of the main postal office erected a tower topped by red star & emblazoned with a golden hammer and sickle/emblem of communism/ in memory of our victory(Dilachin) over the Somalia expansionists in 1970s.A small statue is also recently planted there next showing Ethiopian & Cuban friendship.
Lion of Judah Statue
It was looted by Italians in 1935 & returned home in 1960s,from home where it was replaced next to the massive Vittorio Emmanuelle Monument. A hero detained from Ethiopia,Zeray Deres killed 5 Italians by sword in Rome screaming “the lion of Judah Avenged” on the anniversary celebrations of proclamation of Italian empire in 1938.The monument is originally made for the coronation of Ras Teferi in 1930.It is now found in Legehar rail way station park.
Panoramas/Sights
Addis Ababa is fully visible from the hills of Entoto mountain this is possible on the visit to the entoto St. marry old palace of Minelik II.The building made by the Chinese people government as a gift for the African union is also the giant & tallest hall compared to the Africa hall UNECA hall built by Hailesilasie in 1961.
Parks & Gardens
Africa Park,EthiopianPark,Addis Ababa park are featured in three consecutive lots on MenelikII Avenue from Meskel square respectively.The trres of Africa park are planted by African former leaders and some on the foundation of Organization of African Unity(OAU) Which is found betweenThe grand palace of Menelik of the left & Africa hall,UNECA(UN Economic commission for Africa)on the right. Ethiopia and Addis Ababa parks sited adjacent to the Natural hotspring sp service where Menelik and His wife envisioned moving the capital here from Entoto hills.Behere Tsige park in south ,and Hamle 19 Park in north part of Addis host wedding parties on weekends and are reading places on weekdays. Ambasador and Peacock park in the center are also places to immerse into silent shortly after the chaos in the city.Lion Zoo at sedest killo is a special park comprising green nature with wilde animals such as Lion, rabbits, Tortoise, etc.
