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Addis Ababa, with its approximately four million inhabitants, is Ethiopia’s largest city and the political, financial and cultural center of the country. The city and the country’s long history as a Christian nation and independent country largely without the intervention of the colonial powers have provided a highly interesting destination with many sights.
Emperor Haile Selassie, who was overthrown by Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1974, remains a key figure for visitors to the palaces and other places symbolizing the long-standing monarchy that extends to King David. Haile Selassie was the last king, and from Mengistu Haile Mariam’s communist era there is an interesting 20th century history to look into.
Addis Ababa is home to Lucy, the most famous find of the ancient people on display at the National Museum, where you can also see and enjoy other parts of the country’s rich culture. The city’s other museums are also worth visiting, and together they provide a great introduction to Ethiopia’s history and traditions.
A trip in Addis Ababa is also a visit to a colorful city with a lot of impressions. The city center offers everything from fashionable neighborhoods, institutional buildings and government areas to daily life with small stalls, street kitchens and other things that create a memorable stay in the African capital.
Baeta Mariam is the most important and most interesting church in the area around Menelik Palace in the Ethiopian capital. On top of the church’s dome there is an imperial crown, and outside the church you can see several statues of lions that, like the lions of Judea, represented the Ethiopian imperial family.
Inside the church you can see a beautiful church room under the church dome, and as the church itself acts as a mausoleum for Emperor Menelik II, his wife Taitu and daughter Zewditu, the crypt under the room is set up as a museum under the Ethiopian National Museum.
Close to this and a short stroll to the southeast in the park is the round Sankt Gabriel Church/St. Gabriel Church, where you can admire some fine wall paintings of biblical scenes in the elegant interior.
The National Museum of Ethiopia is the leading museum in the country, and it houses some of the largest and most valuable finds from Ethiopian history.
The earliest major exhibition was a collection of royal costumes that could be seen in 1936, and after several decades it was developed into a national museum based on archaeological excavations that took place in the northern part of the country. Today, the fine museum is furnished with four broad theme collections; an archaeological one with the oldest finds, one from antiquity and the Middle Ages, which also contains newer regalia from, for example, Haile Selassie, one with Ethiopian and international art and a collection with an ethnographic exhibition.
Some of the best-known things in the museum are the fossilized remains of early great apes, to whose family modern humans belong together with, among others, chimpanzees and gorillas. An example from the exhibition is Lucy, who lived 3-4 million years ago and who belongs to the extinct Australopithecus Afarensis. From the same branch you can see Selam, believed to be 3.3 million years old.
Holy Trinity Cathedral is a cathedral also known as Kidist Selassie. It was built to commemorate Ethiopia’s independence after the country’s time under Italian rule. The church is the seat of the Orthodox Archbishop of Addis Ababa, and religiously it is the most important in the country after Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion/ርዕሰ አድባራት ቅድስተ ቅዱሳን ድንግል ማሪያም ፅዮን in the city of Axum.
Holy Trinity Cathedral was built in the years 1928-1942, and it served as a burial church for, among other things, some of those who fought against the Italians in connection with the struggle for independence.
In front of the altar you can see two thrones that were Emperor Haile Selassie I and Empress Menen Asfaw’s seats in the church. The emperor’s chair is the one furthest to the north.
You can also see the tombs of Emperor Haile Selassie I and Empress Menen Asfaw in the north transept. Haile Selassie’s grave is the one facing south and thus closest to the altar. Several members of the imperial family are also buried in the building’s crypt.
In the southern nave, the archangel Michael’s ark is located. British forces had removed the ark from the citadel of Magdalla in 1868, and it was returned to Ethiopia in 2002.
The cathedral complex also contains a smaller church that dates from the site’s monastic times, which was founded earlier than the current church. There is still an active monastery, a school, a seminary, a museum and several monuments here.
The museum behind the church is set up as a museum for Emperor Haile Selassie. The museum is relatively small and manageable, and it gives a good impression of, among other things, the emperor’s relationship to the church in the form of a number of exhibited effects.
The Ethnological Museum in Addis Ababa belongs to the Institute of Ethiopian Studies/Institute of Ethiopian Studies, which was founded in 1963. The institute consists of units for research, a library and a museum whose purpose is to collect, analyze and disseminate knowledge about the language of Ethiopia, culture and history.
The museum’s space spans distinguished ethnographic collections and an interesting art exhibition. You can also visit Emperor Haile Selassie’s bedroom in the physical setting, where his bed still stands.
The museum’s exciting collections are housed in Haile Selassie’s former palace, Guenete Leul/ที่วี่วันที่รับต้าย. The palace was built in European style in 1930 by Haile Selassie, who had inherited a house right here from his father. The first year, the new house was used as guest accommodation, and Sweden’s Crown Prince Gustav Adolf and his wife were the first guests in 1931. After that, Haile Selassie used it as his primary residence, although his seat of government remained the Menelik Palace.
The palace area was large, and Saint Mark’s Church/St Mark’s Church was built here as a church for the imperial family and the workers on site.
With the Italian occupation of Ethiopia in 1936, Guenete Leul Palace was set up as the residence of Italy’s Viceroy of Italian East Africa. Three viceroys lived here; Marshal Badoglio, Marshal Graziani and Prince Amadeo Di Savoia, who was Duke of Aosta. In 1941, Haile Selassie was able to return to the palace from his exile.
In 1960, there was a failed coup attempt against Haile Selassie on the palace grounds, and then he moved to the newly built National Palace. Guenete Leul Palace he donated to the current Addis Ababa University, which uses it as its primary campus. The palace itself was renamed after Haile Selassie’s father, who was the original owner, and thus called Ras Makonnen Hall.
La Gare in Addis Ababa is the name of the city’s railway station, which, however, is no longer used for passenger trains since 2004. The station was inaugurated in 1929 and stands as a beautiful example of railway architecture with the station building itself and fine details such as the departure platform.
The railway from La Gare and the Ethiopian capital runs 784 kilometers east to Djibouti, thereby providing access to the sea. The start of the line was taken in 1894, when the company Compagnie Impériale des Chemins de Fer Éthiopiens was founded, and in 1917 the meter gauge line was opened.
Immediately west of the station building, there is a transition over the track body via a metal bridge. From here there is a good view of the remaining tracks, and from there you can imagine the hectic station environment in the old days.
The Lion of Judah is one of Addis Ababa’s well-known monuments. The lion can be seen in front of Addis Ababa’s railway station building from 1929, and this monument was erected in connection with the coronation of King Haile Selassie as emperor in 1930.
Ethiopia’s association and use of the Lion of Judea dates back historically to the time of Makeda. She was Queen of Sheba, and according to tradition, she visited King Solomon in Jerusalem, and with him she had the boy Menelik, who became the founder of the Solomonic dynasty. Like Solomon, Menelik was also of the tribe of Judea, and the king and emperor Haile Selassie I was a descendant of Menelik, Solomon and King David, who according to the scriptures was Solomon’s father.
The Lion of Judea is and has been throughout history the symbol of the Ethiopian monarchy, and you see the lion in many places in the city and the country. However, this particular statue has a special history. It was captured by Italy in 1935 and brought to Rome, where it was erected on the colossal monument Il Vittoriano in the heart of the Italian capital.
During the celebration of the jubilee of the Italian Empire in 1938, Zerai Deress of Eritrea saw the lion and he knelt before it and prayed to it. He then attacked Italian soldiers with a sword while shouting that “the Lion of Judea has risen”. He wounded several before being shot himself. The lion was returned to Addis Ababa in the 1960s.
Meskel Square is one of Addis Ababa’s major squares and is often the site of major gatherings or demonstrations in the city. It is best known for the Meskel Festival, which has been celebrated for over 1,600 years. Meskel means cross and this festival commemorates the moment Saint Helena found the Cross of Christ during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The event is celebrated on the 17th of Meskerem in the Ethiopian calendar, which corresponds to September 27 in the Gregorian calendar.
During the festival, a pyramid is ignited and it burns through the night until the festivities are over. Originally, it was the country’s emperor who, together with some representatives of the church, lit the fire. It happened earlier in front of St. George’s Cathedral until Meskel Square was laid out under Haile Selassie.
With the fall of the monarchy in 1974, Meskel Square was renamed Revolution Square. The square was also expanded so that parades could be held not least on 1 May, and colossal portraits of Marx, Engels and Lenin were erected here. After the fall of Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991, the square got its old name back.
Today, you can experience folk life in the square, where one of the city’s large minibus stations is located. There is always a relaxed atmosphere on the many spectator terraces, and the space is often used to play football.
Our Struggle Monument is a monument that was erected as a gift from North Korea, and it was supposed to stand in memory of fallen Ethiopian and Cuban soldiers in the Ethiopian-Somali War of 1977-1978. It was built during the Derg era under Mengistu Haile Mariam.
The monument was laid out with traditional communist grandeur and you can see soldier sculptures and a central obelisk with a red star on top. The monument is 50 meters high and it was inaugurated on September 12, 1984. It happened in the decade of Haile Selassie’s deposition.
In the many details in the reliefs in the monument, you can see, among other things, Mengistu Haile Mariam depicted, and here is also a scene with Haile Selassie being overrun by a crowd in the form of his crown.
Red Terror Marty’s Memorial Museum is a museum designed as a monument to the victims of the Marxist regime that ruled the civil war-torn country some decades ago. A visit here provides partly information about the things that happened under the communist military regime and partly about terror in general.
The so-called Red Terror took place in the years 1977-1978 under the communist rule of Mengistu Haile Mariam, who under the name Derg had taken control in Ethiopia in 1974 by overthrowing Emperor Haile Selassie. The terror was initiated with a speech at Meskel Square, where this museum is located today. In the speech, Mengistu said that counter-revolutionaries must die, and to emphasize the message, he threw three bottles of red liquid as the symbol of the blood that would be shed.
There are no definitive accounts of the actions during and the consequences of the Red Terror, but here at the museum you can form an impression based on information and various effects. Mengistu Haile Mariam’s rule was changed in 1987 and ended in 1991. In 2007 he was found guilty in absentia of genocide, but had since gained asylum in Zimbabwe.
Taitu Hotel is a historic hotel located in the heart of old Addis Ababa, which is made up of the Piazza neighborhood. The hotel was built in approximately 1905 as the first in the country, and behind the opening was Empress Taitu Betul, who wanted to establish a place where the guests of the court could stay and eat.
Today, the hotel is still in the middle of Addis Ababa’s old center with the charm of these streets. The site was carefully chosen by the empress due to breezes and a then good view of the lower-lying areas close by.
The National Palace is one of Addis Ababa’s imperial palaces. It was built in 1955 on the occasion of Haile Selassie I’s 25-year reign, and it is therefore also called the Jubilee Palace/Jubilee Palace.
In the first years, it was not the emperor’s residence, but it became after a coup attempt in 1960 against Haile Selassie in the palace Guenete Leul, which at the time was the emperor’s residence.
The National Palace was greatly expanded in the years 1966-1967, and in 1974 it was the place where Haile Selassie was deposed. It happened in the library, where ten officers from the so-called Derg read the deposition information to the emperor.
The Derg was a coordinating committee for police and military units, and politically this regime came to rule the country communistically until 1987, during which time the National Palace was used for official events such as state visits. With the proclamation of Ethiopia as a federal republic, the palace became the residence of the country’s president.
St George’s Cathedral is a church that was founded in 1896, and it stands with its octagonal shape as one of Addis Ababa’s most distinctive buildings.
The church is Ethiopian Orthodox and was designed by Sebastiano Castagna, while the construction itself was carried out by Italian prisoners who had come here after a decisive defeat at the Battle of Adwa in the First Italo-Ethiopian War, which secured Ethiopia, the Empire of Abyssinia, independence in an otherwise European-colonized Africa.
The cathedral has been the setting for several coronations. In 1917, Empress Zewditu was crowned here, and in 1930 it was Haile Selassie’s turn, which has since made the place a pilgrimage church for members of the Rastafarian movement.
The church’s special exterior is beautiful, and this also applies to the building’s interior, which contains, among other things, a small museum, objects from the war in 1896 and a throne from the imperial era.
Parliament is the name of the Ethiopian parliament building, which is home to the country’s legislative assembly. The building was built in the 1930s, and it was originally decorated with a large mosaic of Ethiopia’s patron saint, Saint George, and of the two lions of Judea, which have been symbols of Ethiopia and especially the country’s emperors throughout the ages. The mosaics were painted over during the Derg regime that ruled from 1974-1987.
The Derg regime also moved the parliament to the new Shengo Hall building in 1987 in conjunction with the country’s new constitution. After the fall of the leader Mengistu, the institution was moved back to the old building.
In 2012, the plan for a new building complex for the parliament was adopted. It consists of three drum-like structures in exciting modern architecture. The drums symbolize negarit drums, and they are supposed to house the lower house of the parliament, the House of Peoples’ Representatives/Өezezề ក្រ្រងងកាកា្រ្រ [Yehizbtewekayoch Mekir Bet], the upper house House of Federation/ទ្ន្ន្រ្ន្រ្រ្រា [Yefedereshn Mekir Bet] and the Parliament Library. The new buildings will be built immediately south-west of the current parliament.
Medhane Alem Cathedral is one of Africa’s largest church buildings. Both from the outside with its three domes and in its interior, it is very attractive. The large church was built from 1924 to 1931 to the design of the Indian Zenaye Workeneh.
The cathedral’s name means Savior of the World, and inside you are greeted by a bright church room in mainly blue and white. There are balconies, beautiful murals and glass mosaics on both sides of the room. It is clear that the style is a beautiful blend of Ethiopian and European architecture.
Merkato is the answer if you are looking for a large and centrally located market in Addis Ababa. Here you can buy almost anything, and naturally you can find quite a few Ethiopian specialties. Merkato is a mixture of an outdoor market and shop buildings, where there is a good market atmosphere.
Merkato is even one of the largest markets of its kind in all of Africa, and that’s saying a lot. The history of the market goes back to the 1930s, when the Italian government moved the then market area close to St. George Church to Merkato. They did this to establish the so-called Piazza with European-style shops.
Mount Entoto is a mountain located near the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. The mountain is 3,200 meters high, making it the highest in the Entoto Mountains. There are therefore naturally enough beautiful views over the area and to Addis Ababa from Mount Entoto.
The mountain is a historical place where Emperor Menelik II lived and built his palace when he came from Ankober and founded Addis Ababa. It is considered a holy mountain and has many monasteries. Mount Entoto is covered with eucalyptus trees that were imported from Australia during the reign of Menelik II and they were mostly planted on the mountain under Emperor Haile Selassie.
On Mount Entoto, you can see, among other things, the Entoto Maryam Church/ប្រ្រងងង្រ្រ្រ្រ្រ, which was built in 1887 by Emperor Menelik II. The church is the burial place of Menelik II and his wife, Empress Taitu. The church is therefore historically important, and there are various royal effects in the church space.
Adadi Mariam is a rock-hewn monolithic church located southwest of Addis Ababa. Local tradition says that it was King Lalibela who commissioned the construction of the church in the 12th century. According to tradition, Adadi Mariam was one of 76 rock-hewn churches that he had built, and among them are Lasta’s famous churches.
Today, Adadi Mariam is a popular tourist destination. The church is 19.5 meters long, 16 meters wide and 6 meters high. It is devoid of paintings, but originally the church was decorated. You can get here via three stairs, two of which were for priests and men, while one was for women. A space separates the church itself from the rock in which it is dug, and where cells have been carved out for fasting or meditation. The roof is covered with grass.
Adadi Mariam functioned as a church until the 16th century, after which it was filled in and then forgotten. It was in the year 1887 under Ménélik II that the church was rediscovered, and it had taken little damage due to vegetation and water. Major restoration work has taken place, and as a result the church could be opened again and visited by locals and tourists.
Melka Kunture is an area with a collection of Paleolithic sites near the village of Melka Awash south of Addis Ababa. Archaeologists have excavated and researched Melka Kunture since the 1960s and discovered several different archaeological levels.
Today you can see the area and the site’s interesting museum, which houses exhibitions on African prehistory, geology and volcanology, palaeoanthropology and Melka Kunture’s prehistory. You can also see parts of the excavation at the site.
Tiya is a small town in central Ethiopia. It is particularly known for being an archaeological site, where a collection of 36 stelae has been included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The 36 stelae stand in nature and are made of granite.
There are engravings on 32 of the 36 stelae, and the decorations depict, among other things, swords and figures. The production of these types of stelae is a tradition that goes way back in Ethiopia’s history, but the stelae at Tiya are believed to date from between the 9th and 15th centuries.
Debre Libanos is an Ethiopian Orthodox monastery located northwest of the country’s capital, Addis Ababa. It was founded in 1284 by the saint Tekle Haymanot, who meditated in a cave at the present site of the monastery for 29 years.
The original old buildings have not been preserved to this day, but the area is interesting for its history. And you can see a church that Emperor Haile Selassie had built in 1961 over Tekle Haymanot’s grave.
The Portuguese Bridge is a bridge that is often seen on organized tours in the area north of Addis Ababa. The bridge is called Portuguese, and some would think that the bridge was built by the Portuguese in the 16th century.
The bridge is certainly in the Portuguese style, but it was built by Ethiopians in the 1800s under the leadership of Ras Dargein. However, that does not change the fact that it is an exciting building and that there is a beautiful view from here.
Bole Medhane Alem
Kera
Africa Avenue
Piazza, Churchill Avenue, Merkato
Africa Park
Menelik II Avenue
The Lion Zoo
Russia Street
In comparison with Ethiopia’s long history as a monarchy and a Christian nation, Addis Ababa’s history has started relatively recently.
In various places in the vicinity of the present capital, the city has, over time, been the residence of the country’s leaders. These include Ankobar north of Addis Ababa, which was the capital of the Shewar Empire for a period of time. Yerrer is another place used as the kingdom’s political center.
In 1886, Queen Taitu Betul decided on the present site of Addis Ababa, and King Menelik II founded the new settlement that was initially intended for the mountain of Entoto, but due to insufficient water resources and firewood, the settlement was established. in the valley south of the mountain.
Taitu had a house built on the hot springs of the place, and several nobles and wealthy builders in the area around Taitu’s house, which King Menelik II had expanded into a residence palace. Menelik II was king of the Shewa province and subsequently became emperor; and at that time Addis Ababa got its name.
Already in the late 1880s, about 15,000 people lived in Addis Ababa, whose name means “The New Flower”, and in 1891 it became the country’s official capital instead of Entoto.
The new status provided a growing population and the need for a large number of new buildings and institutions in the city. An example is church buildings where St. George’s Cathedral was built in the 1890s.
Greater planning and planting were also undertaken in the first decades of Addis Ababa’s history. You can still see some of the many eucalyptus that Emperor Menelik II had planted along the city’s streets in 1903.
A new coin saw the light of day in the city in 1904, and it was just one of several new plants. Telephone lines, schools and cultural institutions were also established, and around 1910 more than 70,000 residents lived in the city.
In 1917, the operation of the railway linking Addis Ababa started with the port city of Djibouti on the Red Sea. The lane opened to new traffic and new development for the city, and to this day freight continues to be driven between Ethiopia and Djibouti this way.
The following decades were also where Haile Selassie became emperor, which happened at a coronation in 1930. Selassie commissioned new palaces, and with time also several other buildings such as the city’s university, theater and church, named after Haile Selassie.
On May 5, 1936, troops from Italy invaded Addis Ababa. It happened during the Second Italian-Abyssinian War. The result was that the Ethiopian city became the capital of Italian East Africa during the period 1936-1941, during which time the country was ruled by Italy’s emissary governors.
Emperor Haile Selassie I was exiled by the Italian invasion, and after the British forces’ victory over the Italians in 1941, he was able to return home on the fifth anniversary of the exile; on May 5, 1941.
Incidentally, it is from the Italian era that one can still find the spelling Addis Ababa used in some places. It was Italy’s designation for the city.
Haile Selassie was one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the Organization of African Unity in 1963, and he invited the organization to head office in Addis Ababa, where it is still located; since 2002 under the name of the African Union. The Union is just one of the organizations that has its seat in the city. Another example is the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.
By 1961, the airport in the suburb of Bole had been established, and today it has become the center of ever-increasing international traffic to, from and via Addis Ababa.
In the early 1970s, the population increased to over one million inhabitants, and the city spread from suburb to suburb.
It was thus in the city of population growth that in 1974 a coup against Emperor Haile Selassie was witnessed. The leadership of the country was taken over by Mengistu Haile Mariam and the communist Derg military regime.
In Mengistu’s time, the population continued to rise, and cultural institutions such as Addis Ababa Museum were built and established. Of special construction, Meskel Square was transformed into a parade ground with images of Lenin, Marx and Engels, and monuments were erected in the style of those known from other communist countries of the time.
In 1987, Addis Ababa became the capital of Ethiopia’s Democratic People’s Republic, marking Mengistu’s last period when the regime had gone from military rule to a one-party socialist state. His rule lasted until 1991, when the city had rounded up two million inhabitants.
Today, the country is a federal republic and Addis Ababa is the center of the Horn of Africa region with increased tourism and business in the city that is continuing to expand.
One of the ongoing projects is the construction of new infrastructure with light rail, and the airport of Bole, together with the company Ethiopian Airlines’ expansion as one of the leading African airlines, plays a significant role for the city.
Overview of Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa, with its approximately four million inhabitants, is Ethiopia’s largest city and the political, financial and cultural center of the country. The city and the country’s long history as a Christian nation and independent country largely without the intervention of the colonial powers have provided a highly interesting destination with many sights.
Emperor Haile Selassie, who was overthrown by Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1974, remains a key figure for visitors to the palaces and other places symbolizing the long-standing monarchy that extends to King David. Haile Selassie was the last king, and from Mengistu Haile Mariam’s communist era there is an interesting 20th century history to look into.
About the upcoming Addis Ababa travel guide
About the travel guide
The Addis Ababa travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Ethiopian city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.
Addis Ababa is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.
Read more about Addis Ababa and Ethiopia
Buy the travel guide
Click the “Add to Cart” button to purchase the travel guide. After that you will come to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. Upon payment of the travel guide, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the travel guide immediately or use the download link in the email later.
Use the travel guide
When you buy the travel guide to Addis Ababa you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.
Lion of Judea • Haile Selasse • Museums • Beautiful Churches
Overview of Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa, with its approximately four million inhabitants, is Ethiopia’s largest city and the political, financial and cultural center of the country. The city and the country’s long history as a Christian nation and independent country largely without the intervention of the colonial powers have provided a highly interesting destination with many sights.
Emperor Haile Selassie, who was overthrown by Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1974, remains a key figure for visitors to the palaces and other places symbolizing the long-standing monarchy that extends to King David. Haile Selassie was the last king, and from Mengistu Haile Mariam’s communist era there is an interesting 20th century history to look into.
About the upcoming Addis Ababa travel guide
About the travel guide
The Addis Ababa travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Ethiopian city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.
Addis Ababa is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.
Read more about Addis Ababa and Ethiopia
Buy the travel guide
Click the “Add to Cart” button to purchase the travel guide. After that you will come to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. Upon payment of the travel guide, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the travel guide immediately or use the download link in the email later.
Use the travel guide
When you buy the travel guide to Addis Ababa you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.
La Gare in Addis Ababa is the name of the city’s railway station, which, however, is no longer used for passenger trains since 2004. The station was inaugurated in 1929 and stands as a beautiful example of railway architecture with the station building itself and fine details such as the departure platform.
The railway from La Gare and the Ethiopian capital runs 784 kilometers east to Djibouti, thereby providing access to the sea. The start of the line was taken in 1894, when the company Compagnie Impériale des Chemins de Fer Éthiopiens was founded, and in 1917 the meter gauge line was opened.
Immediately west of the station building, there is a transition over the track body via a metal bridge. From here there is a good view of the remaining tracks, and from there you can imagine the hectic station environment in the old days.
The Lion of Judah is one of Addis Ababa’s well-known monuments. The lion can be seen in front of Addis Ababa’s railway station building from 1929, and this monument was erected in connection with the coronation of King Haile Selassie as emperor in 1930.
Ethiopia’s association and use of the Lion of Judea dates back historically to the time of Makeda. She was Queen of Sheba, and according to tradition, she visited King Solomon in Jerusalem, and with him she had the boy Menelik, who became the founder of the Solomonic dynasty. Like Solomon, Menelik was also of the tribe of Judea, and the king and emperor Haile Selassie I was a descendant of Menelik, Solomon and King David, who according to the scriptures was Solomon’s father.
The Lion of Judea is and has been throughout history the symbol of the Ethiopian monarchy, and you see the lion in many places in the city and the country. However, this particular statue has a special history. It was captured by Italy in 1935 and brought to Rome, where it was erected on the colossal monument Il Vittoriano in the heart of the Italian capital.
During the celebration of the jubilee of the Italian Empire in 1938, Zerai Deress of Eritrea saw the lion and he knelt before it and prayed to it. He then attacked Italian soldiers with a sword while shouting that “the Lion of Judea has risen”. He wounded several before being shot himself. The lion was returned to Addis Ababa in the 1960s.
Meskel Square is one of Addis Ababa’s major squares and is often the site of major gatherings or demonstrations in the city. It is best known for the Meskel Festival, which has been celebrated for over 1,600 years. Meskel means cross and this festival commemorates the moment Saint Helena found the Cross of Christ during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The event is celebrated on the 17th of Meskerem in the Ethiopian calendar, which corresponds to September 27 in the Gregorian calendar.
During the festival, a pyramid is ignited and it burns through the night until the festivities are over. Originally, it was the country’s emperor who, together with some representatives of the church, lit the fire. It happened earlier in front of St. George’s Cathedral until Meskel Square was laid out under Haile Selassie.
With the fall of the monarchy in 1974, Meskel Square was renamed Revolution Square. The square was also expanded so that parades could be held not least on 1 May, and colossal portraits of Marx, Engels and Lenin were erected here. After the fall of Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991, the square got its old name back.
Today, you can experience folk life in the square, where one of the city’s large minibus stations is located. There is always a relaxed atmosphere on the many spectator terraces, and the space is often used to play football.
Our Struggle Monument is a monument that was erected as a gift from North Korea, and it was supposed to stand in memory of fallen Ethiopian and Cuban soldiers in the Ethiopian-Somali War of 1977-1978. It was built during the Derg era under Mengistu Haile Mariam.
The monument was laid out with traditional communist grandeur and you can see soldier sculptures and a central obelisk with a red star on top. The monument is 50 meters high and it was inaugurated on September 12, 1984. It happened in the decade of Haile Selassie’s deposition.
In the many details in the reliefs in the monument, you can see, among other things, Mengistu Haile Mariam depicted, and here is also a scene with Haile Selassie being overrun by a crowd in the form of his crown.
Red Terror Marty’s Memorial Museum is a museum designed as a monument to the victims of the Marxist regime that ruled the civil war-torn country some decades ago. A visit here provides partly information about the things that happened under the communist military regime and partly about terror in general.
The so-called Red Terror took place in the years 1977-1978 under the communist rule of Mengistu Haile Mariam, who under the name Derg had taken control in Ethiopia in 1974 by overthrowing Emperor Haile Selassie. The terror was initiated with a speech at Meskel Square, where this museum is located today. In the speech, Mengistu said that counter-revolutionaries must die, and to emphasize the message, he threw three bottles of red liquid as the symbol of the blood that would be shed.
There are no definitive accounts of the actions during and the consequences of the Red Terror, but here at the museum you can form an impression based on information and various effects. Mengistu Haile Mariam’s rule was changed in 1987 and ended in 1991. In 2007 he was found guilty in absentia of genocide, but had since gained asylum in Zimbabwe.
Taitu Hotel is a historic hotel located in the heart of old Addis Ababa, which is made up of the Piazza neighborhood. The hotel was built in approximately 1905 as the first in the country, and behind the opening was Empress Taitu Betul, who wanted to establish a place where the guests of the court could stay and eat.
Today, the hotel is still in the middle of Addis Ababa’s old center with the charm of these streets. The site was carefully chosen by the empress due to breezes and a then good view of the lower-lying areas close by.
The National Palace is one of Addis Ababa’s imperial palaces. It was built in 1955 on the occasion of Haile Selassie I’s 25-year reign, and it is therefore also called the Jubilee Palace/Jubilee Palace.
In the first years, it was not the emperor’s residence, but it became after a coup attempt in 1960 against Haile Selassie in the palace Guenete Leul, which at the time was the emperor’s residence.
The National Palace was greatly expanded in the years 1966-1967, and in 1974 it was the place where Haile Selassie was deposed. It happened in the library, where ten officers from the so-called Derg read the deposition information to the emperor.
The Derg was a coordinating committee for police and military units, and politically this regime came to rule the country communistically until 1987, during which time the National Palace was used for official events such as state visits. With the proclamation of Ethiopia as a federal republic, the palace became the residence of the country’s president.
St George’s Cathedral is a church that was founded in 1896, and it stands with its octagonal shape as one of Addis Ababa’s most distinctive buildings.
The church is Ethiopian Orthodox and was designed by Sebastiano Castagna, while the construction itself was carried out by Italian prisoners who had come here after a decisive defeat at the Battle of Adwa in the First Italo-Ethiopian War, which secured Ethiopia, the Empire of Abyssinia, independence in an otherwise European-colonized Africa.
The cathedral has been the setting for several coronations. In 1917, Empress Zewditu was crowned here, and in 1930 it was Haile Selassie’s turn, which has since made the place a pilgrimage church for members of the Rastafarian movement.
The church’s special exterior is beautiful, and this also applies to the building’s interior, which contains, among other things, a small museum, objects from the war in 1896 and a throne from the imperial era.
Parliament is the name of the Ethiopian parliament building, which is home to the country’s legislative assembly. The building was built in the 1930s, and it was originally decorated with a large mosaic of Ethiopia’s patron saint, Saint George, and of the two lions of Judea, which have been symbols of Ethiopia and especially the country’s emperors throughout the ages. The mosaics were painted over during the Derg regime that ruled from 1974-1987.
The Derg regime also moved the parliament to the new Shengo Hall building in 1987 in conjunction with the country’s new constitution. After the fall of the leader Mengistu, the institution was moved back to the old building.
In 2012, the plan for a new building complex for the parliament was adopted. It consists of three drum-like structures in exciting modern architecture. The drums symbolize negarit drums, and they are supposed to house the lower house of the parliament, the House of Peoples’ Representatives/Өezezề ក្រ្រងងកាកា្រ្រ [Yehizbtewekayoch Mekir Bet], the upper house House of Federation/ទ្ន្ន្រ្ន្រ្រ្រា [Yefedereshn Mekir Bet] and the Parliament Library. The new buildings will be built immediately south-west of the current parliament.
Medhane Alem Cathedral is one of Africa’s largest church buildings. Both from the outside with its three domes and in its interior, it is very attractive. The large church was built from 1924 to 1931 to the design of the Indian Zenaye Workeneh.
The cathedral’s name means Savior of the World, and inside you are greeted by a bright church room in mainly blue and white. There are balconies, beautiful murals and glass mosaics on both sides of the room. It is clear that the style is a beautiful blend of Ethiopian and European architecture.
Merkato is the answer if you are looking for a large and centrally located market in Addis Ababa. Here you can buy almost anything, and naturally you can find quite a few Ethiopian specialties. Merkato is a mixture of an outdoor market and shop buildings, where there is a good market atmosphere.
Merkato is even one of the largest markets of its kind in all of Africa, and that’s saying a lot. The history of the market goes back to the 1930s, when the Italian government moved the then market area close to St. George Church to Merkato. They did this to establish the so-called Piazza with European-style shops.
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