Ever wondered how Ethiopia looks looked like in the ancient times and during the Emperors’ reign or how a country that is much connected to King Solomon of the bible and queen Sheba looks like? Then this is your chance to know all about that by visiting the country’s museums that are scattered all over. Ethiopia has many museums both within the capital city and in other cities that are found in the country. Most of the museums here showcase the history of Ethiopia, the history of the human race through the fossils that were found in the country, the culture of the people of Ethiopia and the medieval times. This thread of museums can all be visited during the same trip to Ethiopia and all you need is proper management on how your trip will be and since museums are barely limited to weather, you can visit them any time of the year when you decide to visit Ethiopia.
The National museum of Ethiopia
The National museum is located in Addis Ababa the capital city of Ethiopia and it has many art crafts that will make your trip worth it. It has various items which fall in the ranges of royal regalia, fossils, paintings, medieval items and many more others. There are several beautiful things that you get to see when you visit the National museum of Ethiopia and these are:
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The throne of Emperor Haile Selassie
Emperor Haile Selassie was the emperor of Ethiopia from the year 1930 to 1974 and he headed the second Adwa war against the Italians. During his reign, he managed to get the country to join the United Nations and the country was not colonized too. He became one of the strongest leaders of the country and his throne was placed in the museum so that people get to know more about him.
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The Fossils of Lucy
The skeletons were discovered in the Amharic region in Ethiopia and they are the oldest fossils to be discovered on the African continent. The pieces of the skeleton that were discovered are believed to be over one million years and research people show that the skeleton shows abilities of moving on two legs, jumping from one tree to the next and many more. They were picked up and joined which led to the formation of Lucy who can be seen at the National museum of Ethiopia.
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The Ethiopian crown
The Ethiopian crown was worn by the famous Emperor Menelik who led the Adwa war against the Italians. He is believed to have been a descendant of King Solomon and queen Sheba. History states that queen Sheba went to visit King Solomon for words of wisdom and advice and when she came back to Ethiopia, she was already pregnant and she gave birth to their son who became the first emperor of the country and the father of all the other emperors. He did a lot when it came to the construction of the Ethiopian empire and his crown sits in the museum for all to look at and get its history.
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The Selam fossils
The Selam fossils were found after getting the Lucy fossils and they are sometimes known as Lucy’s baby. They are believed to have the same characters as that of Lucy and they are also showcased in this museum.
There are also other things that can be viewed in the National museum besides those that have been mentioned above and the only way you can see them is by visiting the National museum of Ethiopia.
The Holy trinity cathedral museum
The Holy trinity museum is located in Addis Ababa in a small town known as Yeka Kifle ketema near the house of parliament of Ethiopia. The church museum is a home many historical church relics that have been kept by the church since time immemorial since some of them date back to as early as the 15th century. As you enter the church you will find a list that show all the things that the museum has showcases and this helps you find out where exactly you will find what you are looking for. The museum can easily be accessed and the items that are in it are said to be donations form the different churches, priests and many other individuals.
The Red Terror Martyr’s museum
The red terror martyr’s museum was constructed in commemoration of the people who lost their lives during Emperor Mengistu’s regime. The emperor’s regime was filled with dictatorship and the people were trying hard to fight it and during this war over 750,000 people lost their lives through torture and it did not matter whether they were young or old as long as the emperor suspected that you were against his regime, he would kill you off. The museum is filled with images showing the whole battle, photos of those who lost their lives and these are put next to the remains of that particular person, remains of all those that lost their lives, clothes filled with blood, personal items of those who lost their lives, ropes that were used to kill the people and coffins. Some of the tour guides in the museum were also affected by the war and they can tell you exactly what happened during the terror times.
It might not be a good sight for the faint hearted but it gives you an insight on how the battle was and you get to learn more about Ethiopia. Entrance to the museum is completely free buy you are always welcome to give a donation of any kind because the donations help with sustaining the museum.
The Zoma museum
The Zoma museum is located in Addis Ababa and it was opened up in the year 2019 in March. The museum is filled with many architecture from all over the African continent. A visit to the museum will show you the different art that is done in the country and the rest of the continent and it being located in the city center gives tourists easy access to it and you get to enjoy the lush green gardens that are found in outside the museum after getting a few idea of how African art looks like. There will be a tour guide who will take you through the museum while explaining about everything that you will see in the museum.
Visit the Ethological museum
The Ethological museum is found within the University of Addis Ababa in the palace that was used by the Emperor Haile Selassie. It is one of the best museums in Africa because of all the many things that you will see even before you enter into the University. Both students and other people are allowed to enter into the museum for a small fee and you will see two floors filled with cultural and historical art craft of Ethiopia.
As you enter into the museum you will be greeted with a stair case that ha thirteen steps all decorated by an Italian symbol that represent all the years that Mussolini was in power and as the stair cases get done, you will see the statue of the lion of Judah sitting atop. After the stair cases you will get to the first floor of the museum which has several antics from the different parts of the country and you will be amazed by the way that they are arranged on the first floor that is they are arranged according to the circle of life from birth to death.
The second floor is arranged in a different way is decorated in a different way and most of the things that are found here are art craft, religious relics and many other things that fall in that line. All in all the museum shows you the birth of Ethiopia as a country to where it is now. Your visit will be worth it when you visit the Ethological museum.
The archeological museum in Aksum
The archeological museum in Aksum is located in the stelae field in the old Aksum city where most emperors in the country are said to have originated from. There are several things that you will see when you visit the Aksum museum most of which are ancient tools that were used in the Aksum kingdom, the art craft that is in form of gargoyles, paintings, a three legged bird, taste wonderful coffee as you are heading out of the museum, the old Aksumite coins that were used for trade and many house hold items. With the many items that the museum has to offer those that we have mentioned and those that we have not, you will almost need the whole day to explore this museum and therefore you should prepare for a great day at the museum in Aksum and you will also get a chance to visit the rest of the Aksum city and see all that it has to offer.
