Addis Ababa Africa
Addis Ababa is the headquarters
of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the African Union.
Addis Ababa city is home to the Ethiopian National Library, the Ethiopian Ethnological
Museum (and former palace), the Addis Ababa Museum, the Ethiopian Natural History
Museum, the Ethiopian Railway Museum and the National Postal Museum. Notable
buildings include St George's Cathedral, Holy Trinity Cathedral (once the largest
Ethiopian Orthodox Cathedral and the location of to Sylvia Pankhurst's tomb)
as well as the burial place of Emperor Haile Selassie and the Imperial family,
and those who fought the Italians during the war. There is also Menelik's old
Imperial palace which remains the official seat of government, and the National
Palace formerly known as the Jubilee Palace, which is the residence of the President
of Ethiopia. The Hager Fikir Theatre, the oldest theatre in Ethiopia, is located
at the Piazza district. Africa Hall is located across Menelik II avenue from
this Palace and is where the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa is
headquartered as well as most UN offices in Ethiopia. Across from the Parliament
is the Shengo Hall, built by the Derg regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam as its
new parliament hall. The Shengo Hall was the world's largest pre-fabricated
building, which was constructed in Finland before being assembled in Addis Ababa.
Near Bole International Airport is the new Medhane Alem (Savior of the World)
Cathedral, which is the second largest in Africa. In the Merkato district, which
happens to be the largest open market in Africa, is the impressive Anwar Mosque,
the biggest mosque in Ethiopia. Southwest of the Anwar Mosque is the Raguel
Church, the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family is also in the Merkato
district. Other features of the city include the large Merkato market, the Jan
Meda Race Ground racecourse, Bihere Tsige recreation centre and a railway line
to Djibouti. Sport facilities include Addis Ababa and Nyala Stadiums. Suburbs
of the city include Shiro Meda and Entoto in the north, Urael and Bole (home
to Bole International Airport) in the east, Nifas Silk in the south-east, Mekanisa
in the south, and Keraniyo and Kolfe in the west.
History
Addis Ababa was founded
by the Ethiopian emperor Menelik II. However ethnic Oromo Ethiopians who have
lived on the land claim that this city has been founded & owned by Oromo people
many centuries earlier. Before Menelik came, the land was known by the Oromo
name Finfinne. Menelik, as King of Shewa, had found Mount Entoto a useful base
for military operations in the south of his realm, and in 1879 visited the reputed
ruins of a medieval town, and an unfinished rock church that showed proof of
an Ethiopian presence in the area prior to the campaigns of Ahmad Gragn. His
interest in the area grew when his wife Taytu began work on a church on Entoto,
and Menelik endowed a second church in the area. However the immediate area
did not encourage the founding of a town due to the lack of firewood and water,
so settlement actually began in the valley south of the mountain in 1886. Initially,
Taytu built a house for herself near the "Filwoha" hot mineral springs, known
to the local Oromo people as Finfinne, where she and members of the Showan Royal
Court liked to take mineral baths. Other nobility and their staffs and households
settled the vicinity, and Menelik expanded his wife's house to become the Imperial
Palace which remains the seat of government in Addis Ababa today. Addis Ababa
became Ethiopia's capital when Menelik II became Emperor of Ethiopia. The town
grew by leaps and bounds. One of Emperor Menelik's contributions that is still
visible today is the planting of numerous eucalyptus trees along the city streets.
Transportation
Public transportation is
through public buses or blue and white share taxis, locally known as "blue donkeys".
The taxis are usually minibuses that can sit at least twelve people. The city
is served by Bole International Airport, where a new terminal opened in 2003.
The old Lideta Airport in the western "Old Airport" district is used mostly
by small craft, military planes and helicopters. Addis Ababa also has a railway
connection with Djibouti City, with a picturesque French style railway station.
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