Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa has been the location of many important historical finds and the National Museum of Ethiopia has great displays to show them off. “Lucy”, which is the skeleton of an early human that was discovered during an archaeological dig in Ethiopia in 1974, is often displayed in the museum and is certainly worth seeing. There are similar ancient objects as well in the museum, and exhibits looking at more recent history too. Meskel Square is an important part of Addis Ababa and tourists will want to explore the area. St George’s Cathedral, Shengo Hall, Parliament Building and Ethiopian Ethnological Museum are other interesting locations.

Top 10 things to do in Addis Ababa

When it comes to African cities with stark contradictions between opulence and abject poverty, only Lagos and Nairobi can hold a candle to Addis Ababa. But unlike the other two, Addis Ababa is also one of the safest capital cities on the continent only bedevilled by petty theft as opposed to dangerous crime. Ethiopia has a rich religious history in the Abrahamic faiths so a lot of the must see places in Addis Ababa have a religious element.

1. Walk from Meskel Square to Sidest Kilo – This is the section of the city with the largest proportion of landmarks, some of which you can enter and others that you can only look at from the outside. Some of the important buildings here include the Africa Hall, Parliament Building, Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, palaces and cathedrals.

2. The Ethiopian National Museum – Here, you will find anything you would expect in a museum – probably even more given that Ethiopian civilization is one of the world’s oldest. The National Museum is best known for Lucy – a 3.5 million year old early hominid fossil.

3. Ethiopian Ethnological Museum – Housed in the former palace of Emperor Haile Selassie, the ethnological museum is home to numerous exhibits of Ethiopian traditions and history. Ethiopia has several ethnic groups and this is the best place to understand the country’s cultural diversity.

4. St George’s Cathedral – A relatively small cathedral but with an imposing past. The hexagonal Orthodox cathedral was constructed in 1896 to commemorate the Ethiopians’ victory over Italians making it the only country in Africa that successfully resisted European colonization. The cathedral sees scores of Rastafarian pilgrims each year.

5. Holy Trinity Cathedral – At one time was the largest Orthodox cathedral in Ethiopia. You will have more luck getting directions to the cathedral if you tell locals you want to go to the ‘Haile Selassie Church’. The remains of the Ethiopian Emperor are in the cathedral’s precincts hence the nickname.

6. Merkato market – Reputed to be one of the largest markets in the world, you will probably agree once you see it. You can get wood craft souvenirs, t-shirts, clothing fabric, hand-beaten metallic utensils etcetera. Bargaining is standard operating procedure because the traders will usually start off at a high price once they see or discern you are a foreigner. Maintaining a sense of humour will help you get the best deals.

7. Habesha restaurant on Bole Road – Habesha serves the best of traditional Ethiopian cuisine. But it is not just sampling the local food that draws patrons in their droves – the singing and dancing plays a part too. Some of the waiters are in fact part of the in house dance troupe.

8. Entoto Mountains – North of the city, the hills are the highest point of this already high altitude city. The tallest peak is Mount Entoto that rises to 3200 meters. Go here if you want a bird’s eye view of the city and its surroundings. The hills are considered sacred by some Ethiopians and are the site of several monasteries.

9. National Palace – Previously called the Jubilee Palace, it was built in 1955 in celebration of Emperor Haile Selassie’s 25th year in power. Today, the palace is the residence of Ethiopia’s President. For this reason, entry to the National Palace is prohibited so you might have to settle for a view from the outside.

10. Lion Park – A small zoo home to more than 15 lions as well as Egyptian Geese, turtles, Lesser Kudu and Gelada baboons. The lions here are different from those found in other parts of Africa because of their distinctly dark manes.

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