CULTURE
The multi-ethnic culture and traditions in Addis Ababa date back more than 3,000 years. Today there are more than 80 different languages spoken between all the different groups of people, who fall into four major groups—Semitic, Cushitic, Omotic, and Nilo-Saharan. Among the different populations you will also see very different types of dress, everything from jodhpur-esque pants and tight-fitting shirts to colorful shorts and bright wraps to heavy capes to intricately embroidered dresses. Of course Western dress is common throughout the country, but traditional outfits are still used to celebrate the frequent festivals, when the city centers and main streets are flooded with people celebrating. During Maskal, many locals even decorate themselves with lions’ manes or baboon-skin headdresses. Jewelry and hairstyles are a big deal among the women, too, who may wear silver and gold jewelry with amber beads, bracelets made of heavy brass, copper, or ivory, dozens of hair plaits, and impressive headcloths.
THINGS TO DO
* National museum
* Ethnological Museum
* ‘Red Terror’ Martrys Memorial Museum
* Holy Trinity Cathedral Church
* Merkato Open Market
* Fashionable hotels
* Conference and theatres halls
* And more
ADDIS ABABA CITY
Addis Ababa, sometimes spelled Addis Abeba, is the capital city of Ethiopia. It is the largest city in Ethiopia, with a population of 3,384,569 according to the 2007 population census with annual growth rate of 3.8%. This number has been increased from the originally published 2,738,248 figure and appears to be still largely underestimated.
HISTORY
Addis Ababa, which means “new flower,” began as a military camp on the Entoto Hills. The city was founded in the late 1880s, when Empress Taitu, wife of Emperor Menelik II, decided to live in the nearby valley. Menelik soon led the construction of the National Palace and the St. George Church. In the 1900s, a railway was constructed Addis Ababa to Djibouti and securing access to trade and transport.
In the 1930s the area was occupied by Italian troops during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, until the British helped turn them out during the Liberation of Ethiopia. In the 1940s, Emperor Haile Selassie regained control and Addis Ababa become the headquarters for the Organization of African Unity in the 1960. In recent years, the city has become the seat of the African Union.
