Discover 9 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Ethiopia. Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: National Museum of Ethiopia (Addis Ababa), Church of Saint George (Lalibela) or Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion (Axum).
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Ethiopia.
Table of Contents
National Museum of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa
Museum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The National Museum of Ethiopia, also referred to as the Ethiopian National Museum, is a national museum in Ethiopia. It is located in the capital, Addis Ababa, near the Addis Ababa University's graduate school.[1]
Address: King George VI Street, Addis Ababa
Church of Saint George, Lalibela
Also known as: ቤተ ጊዮርጊስ
Unique monolithic stone church. The Church of Saint George is one of eleven rock-hewn monolithic churches in Lalibela, a town in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Originally named Roha, the historical and religious site was named Lalibela after the King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela of the Zagwe dynasty, who commissioned its construction. He is regarded as a saint by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.[2]
Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, Axum
Also known as: አክሱም ጽዮን
Church in Axum, Ethiopia. The Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion is an Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church which is claimed to contain the Ark of the Covenant.
The church is located in the town of Axum, Tigray Region in northern Ethiopia, near the grounds of Obelisks of Axum. The original church is believed to have been built during the reign of Ezana the first Christian ruler of the Kingdom of Axum (Present-day Eritrea and Ethiopia), during the 4th century AD, and has been rebuilt several times since then.
Today, the site contains the Old Church rebuilt in the 16th century, the New Cathedral built by the Emperor Haile Selassie in 1950s, as well as a chapel that said to house the Ark of the Covenant.[3]
Zoological Park, Addis Ababa
Zoological park in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Addis Ababa Zoo is a zoological park in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.[4]
Address: Russia Street, Addis Ababa
"Red Terror" Martyrs' Memorial Museum, Addis Ababa
Museum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The "Red Terror" Martyrs' Memorial Museum in Addis Ababa was established in 2010 as a memorial to those who died during the Red Terror under the Derg government. The museum has displays of torture instruments, skulls and bones, coffins, bloody clothes and photographs of victims. In free tours of the museum, guides describes the history leading up to the Red Terror, the actions taken toward citizens who opposed the Derg, how the prisoners were treated and how they secretly communicated among each other.
The museum also features pictorial history of the Red Terror.[5]
Address: Bole Road, Addis Ababa
Dungur, Axum
Archaeological site in Axum, Ethiopia. Dungur is the ruins of a substantial mansion in Aksum, Ethiopia, the former capital city of the Kingdom of Aksum. The ruins are in the western part of Aksum, across the road from the Gudit stelae field.
Dungur is known locally and popularly as the Palace of the Queen of Sheba (i.e. the Palace of Makeda in Ethiopia).[6]
Biete Medhane Alem, Lalibela
Also known as: ቤተ መድኃኔ ዓለም
Church in Lalibela, Ethiopia. Biete Medhane Alem is an Orthodox underground monolith rock-cut church located in Lalibela, Ethiopia. It was built during the Zagwe dynasty. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Lalibela. Biete Medhane Alem is home to the Lalibela Cross.[7]
Ezana Stone, Axum
Historical landmark in Axum, Ethiopia. The Ezana Stone is an ancient stele still standing in modern day Axum, the centre of the ancient Kingdom of Aksum. This stone monument, that probably dates from the 4th century of the Christian era, documents the conversion of King Ezana to Christianity and his conquest of various neighbouring areas, including Meroë.
From AD 330 to 356, King Ezana ruled the ancient Kingdom of Aksum centred in the Horn of Africa. He fought against the Nubians, and commemorated his victories on stone tablets in praise of God. These liturgical epigraphs were written in various ancient languages, including the Ethiopian Semitic Ge'ez, the South Arabian Sabaean, and Greek. The king's engravings in stone provided a trilingual monument in different languages, similar to the Rosetta stone.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church had its beginnings during this period. Rufinus's Ecclesiastical History narrates that Saint Frumentius, a freed slave and tutor for the very young King, converted him to Christianity. Towards the end of his reign, King Ezana launched a campaign against the Kushites around 350 which brought down the Kingdom of Kush. Various stone inscriptions written in Ge'ez (using the Ge'ez script) have been found at Meroë, the central city of the Kushites.[8]
Monolithic church, Lalibela
A monolithic church or rock-hewn church is a church made from a single block of stone. Because freestanding rocks of sufficient size are rare, such edifices are usually hewn into the ground or into the side of a hill or mountain. They can be of comparable architectural complexity to constructed buildings.
The term monolithic church is used of churches in various countries, not least the complex of eleven churches in Lalibela, Ethiopia, believed to have been created in the 12th century.[9]