|
THE NEW FLOWER OF
ETHIOPIA
Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia is a delightful
place to experience. It is a city of surprises characterized by diversity
and contrasts. Situated at the foothills of Entonto Mountains, Addis Ababa
rambles pleasantly across many hillsides and gullies cut through with
sparking streams.
Abundant eucalyptus trees and crisp, clear mountain air
endow this African capital with the bracing, pine-scented atmosphere of
a highland summer resort. Its cozy espresso bars and pastries are reminiscent
of Rome and the Mediterranean and its bustling outdoor markets are colorful
reminders of more traditional ways of life.
ADDIS EXPERIENCE
Wide
tree-lined streets, fine architecture, glorious weather and
well-mannered drivers make Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia,
a delightful place to explore—a city of surprises characterized
by remarkable diversity and contrasts.
Abundant
eucalyptus tree and crisp, clear mountain air endow this African
capital with the bracing, pine-scented atmosphere of a highland
summer resort. Its cosy espresso bars and patisseries are
reminiscent of Rome and the Mediterranean and its bustling out
door markets re colourful reminders of more traditional ways of
life. The people, the bursts of music from cafes or shops, the
pungent aromas of spicy cooking, of coffee and frankincense,
form a unique Ethiopian pastiche and the architecture is as
varied as the city itself. Tall skyscrapers, elegant villas,
functional bungalows, flats and condominiums gleaming in their
marble and anodized aluminum vie for attention alongside
traditional homes of wattle and daub, surrounded by cattle,
sheep, goats, chickens, conference halls, and theatres.
Vibrant
Addis Ababa is as cosmopolitan as any of the world’s great
metropolises. There is no designated city-centre because, until
very recently, there was no urban planning. Addis Ababa simply
grew in a natural, organic way- and its present appearance
reflects this unforced and unstructured evolution.
Set in
rising countryside between 2,200 and 2,500 meters above sea
level and dominated by the 3,000- meters-high Entoto mountains
immediately to the north, Ethiopia’s largest city has grown at
astonishing speed since it was founded just over a century ago.
Covering 250 square kilometers, it rambles pleasantly across may
wooded hillsides and gullies cut through with fast- flowing
streams. Despite its proximity to the Equator its lofty
altitude-it is the third-highest capital n world-means that it
enjoys a mild, Afro-Alpine climate with an average temperature
of 16 C. the hottest, driest months are April and May. The rainy
season, which tourists are well advised to avoid, is from July
to September.
In the
dry season the days are pleasantly warm and the nights cool.
During the rainy season days and nights are cool, by local
standards. Visitors coming from the cold European winter,
however, will probably find Addis Ababa’s climate ideal and
light clothing for day time wear, with a jersey and jacket
available for evenings, should suffice.
Although
Addis Ababa has only recently entered its second century, in a
sense it can legitimately claim a distinguished and ancient
pedigree that stretches back more than 2,000 years. The latest
in a long line of capital cities, its brash newness is tempered
by the inheritance of wisdom, sophistication and experience
handed down to it by its predecessors.
The
earliest capital that Ethiopia has known during its long and
turbulent history, founded at least 2,500 years ago, was located
in the far north of the country- at Yeha, in Tigray, where a
great stone temple of pre-Christian times can still be seen.
The next
capital to emerge was the important political, commercial and
religious city of Axum, south-west of Yeha. Axum was the capital
of Ethiopia throughout much of the first millennium of the
Christian era. The city is the site of many fine stone stelae.
One of these monolithic towers, which still stands, rises to a
height of more than twenty-one meters and is carved to represent
a building of nine storey. It tapers slightly towards the summit
and is crowned by a graceful headpiece thought some to represent
the sun. Henry Salt, a British traveler first saw it in 1805.
“My attention was for a long time riveted on this beautiful and
extraordinary monument”. Five years later he declared: “ It made
nearly as forcible an impression up on my mind as at the first
moment I beheld it .” Other antiquities in the city include the
remains of several ancient palaces as well as subterranean tombs
built, like almost everything in Axum, of hard granite. Another
remarkable building is the great church of St Mary of Zion, a
seventeenth century structure erected on the site of a much
older edifice believed to have been founded not long after
Axum’s adoption of Christianity as the state religion in the
fourth century
AD.
Axum, in fact, is an archaeological paradise, and each year
after the rains the local farmers and their sharp-eyed children
find dozens of gold, silver and bronze coins in the fields in
and around the city.
More
|
