Addis Ababa, established in 1887 during the reign of Emperor Menelik and the capital city of Ethiopia, has a lot of natural, historical sites- monuments, museums, market places, modern city architectures, historical houses, old churches and mosques as well as market area, including “Mercato” the largest open market on the continent.
Addis Ababa is also the headquarters of the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. Ethiopia’s official airline, Ethiopian Airlines, has its main headquarters at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa. Addis Ababa is often referred to as the political capital of Africa because of its historical, diplomatic, and political significance for the continent. Because of this, the city hosts several international conferences and meetings topping the highest in conference tourism of the continent.
For anyone who set foot in to the city and aspire to visit the capital these are the best locations tourist destinations.
African Union Commission Conference Center
The new African Union commission Conference Center and office complex, situated in Addis Ababa Ethiopia and inaugurated in 2012, boasts an elegant-cosy atmosphere coupled with modern architecture thus rendering it an apt location for organizing meeting, conference and receptions.
Lion Zoo Park
This Park was established in 1948 and is the only Zoo Park in the city where one could visit caged Lions, Lioness and Cabs. Located at the main roads of Sidist kilo in Arada locality, formerly it was inside the palace of Emperor Haileselassie (the present Addis Ababa University, Sidist Kilo).
Lions kept in the zoo are among the rare and endemic species in Ethiopia: Leopantels Abyssinica. The park is also accommodates Tortoises, cubs, Birds, Baboons, Monkeys, Rabbits, Apes, rabbits, ducks and some fish.
Addis Ababa Museum
It was the former residence of Ras Birru, an honoured Dejazmatch at Menelik’s court. It was built in 1920s. The building is outstanding by the dimension of the complex and its decorations. He was a notable advisor to Menelik II in the early 20th century. Currently it serves as Addis Ababa Museum.
National Museum
It served for multiple purposes before its current function as the National Museum. It was built in the 1920’s. It was the residence of Martial Graziani during the Italian Ethnographic Museum
Genete Leul palace, now the principal university building is one of the early modern palaces which were built in the mid 1930’s and served as a central palace up to 1960.
Merkato
Fascist Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1936. With their racist policy, they planned to establish two markets, namely Arada and Merkato. The former is for Italians and the latter is for Ethiopians only.
Merkato is now the largest and the first open-air market in Africa. It is in here that one can bargain from daily necessities to different artifacts and curios
The Ethiopian Herald May 17, 2020
COMPILED BY STAFF REPORTER
