﻿How Ethiopia turned Emperor Menelik's palace into a tourist attraction park.
This may come to you as a bit of a surprise, but 2 pac isn't the only great historical figure to have
worn head wraps. As a matter of fact, someone who definitely had a greater and much more widespread
influence on the world than 2 pac did, wore head wraps too. Emperor Menelik the second, Ethiopia's
greatest and most renowned Monarch is the afore mentioned. Don't believe me. A quick google search
will give you all the confirmation you need. Emperor Menelik the second championed Ethiopia's
victory against the Italians in the very first Italo-Ethiopian war, the battle of Adwa.
On the 11th of October 2019, Emperor Menelik's 19th century palace was opened to us, yes, all of
us, for the first time in more than a century. I know what you're thinking and the answer is "yes".
It's open to you too. We have prime minister Abiy Ahmed to thank for this development.
Want to know how this happened? Keep watching. We'll let you in on all the details.
The Menelik Palace, also called the Imperial Palace or Great Ghebbi, is a palatial compound
located at the very center of Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia. It today contains the offices and
residence of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. The palace is seated on a central plateau
overlooking hot spring plains. The palace was constructed while founding the magneficent city
of Addis Ababa in 1887 by Emperor Menelik the second and his influential wife Empress Taitu.
It may interest you to know that they were both laid to rest in this very same palace,
in the Ta'eka Negist mausoleum, alongside Empress Zewditu,
Menelik's daughter and eventual successor. Dubbed the "brainchild" of prime minister
Abiy Ahmed, the forty acre palace is now called the Unity park.
In a statement from the prime minister's office, the unity park is said to be a
symbol that represents Ethiopia's ability to come together for a common goal and cross the
finish line by, creating an exquisite lasting print of her collective worth.
The project seemed to be a demonstration of prime minister Abiy Ahmed's government's effort
to reconcile Ethiopia’s past – which glorifies unity of the country – and
the then politics of division along the ethnic line. Ethiopia is divided politically into nine
semiautonomous ethno-linguistic regions, which compete for power at the center.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is reported to have initiated the 170.7 million dollar project
for the renovation of the palace, and the United Arab Emirates provided financial support for it.
Abebaw Ayalew, the deputy director general of the Ethiopian Heritage
Conservation and Research Institute who co-managed the construction of the park,
explained that experts from Gujarat and Punjab participated in the restoration of the Banquet
hall since architects from the two Indian states had participated in its original construction.
The grand opening of the Unity Park was attended by leaders from member countries of
the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Kenyan
President Uhuru Kenyatta, Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, South Sudanese
President Salva Kiir and Somalian President Mohammed Abdella in addition to diplomatic
officials, businesspeople and others. The unity park captures 19th and 20th
century Ethiopia along with Ethiopia’s great emperors including Emperor Haile
Selassie who is featured in a life-size waxwork. It also features the post-1991
political works of Tigray People’s Liberation Front in the form of sculptures in the garden
representing nine ethnic-based regional states. The palace grounds contain different churches.
The most important is the Ta'eka Negest or Resting Place of Kings. There's no way you
could miss it. Not with that large Imperial crown perched at the top of the dome.
Other churches within the grounds are the Se'el Bet Kidane Meheret Church also called
the church of Our Lady Covenant of Mercy and the Debre Mengist St. Gabriel Church.
the Unity Park equally features a wide banquet hall made of wood and leather ropes,
wooden and glass houses once inhabited by princes and princesses and an imperial court and hall.
One historic building of great consequence is the massive Gibr Adarash which was used
by Emperor Menelik II to give his periodic great "Gibr" feasts in which he fed large numbers of
his subjects. It was later used as a venue for large gatherings or special occasions.
Emperor Haile Selassie used it as the venue for large state banquets, such as the one held for
the African Heads of State gathered to form the Organization of African Unity in 1963.
The Gbir Adarash was equally used for the state dinners in honor of the visits of
the late British Queen Elizabeth II in 1965 and French President Charles de Gaulle. So
if you get the chance to visit the Unity park, and this building in particular, you may find
yourself walking in the tracks of a Queen. The Gbir Adarash also holds a waxwork model of
Menelik gracefully sitting on his original throne and surrounded with a red carpet wax model.
Now we wouldn't be discussing a late emperor's palace without talking about his throne room,
would we? The Zufan Adarash was used as the main throne hall for imperial audiences. I
can almost see the Emperor holding court, seated upon his large golden throne. Those must have been
glorious days. Things took a much darker turn during the Red Terror, when the military-junta
regime of Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam used it's underground cellars - initially used as a cold
area to keep liquor in barrels and kegs as torture chambers and an ad-hoc prison for prisoners, and
high-ranking officials of the previous regime. A photograph exhibition including images of
imperial-time ministers executed by the military "Derg" regime is also featured in addition to
written descriptions. There is also a three minute video display of a testimonial made by two of the
people who were tortured in the cellars. Next to the throne hall, the first car to
enter Ethiopia thanks to the Emperor, is exhibited within a glass box.
And then we have the Shengo hall. Built by the Derg at a cost of $18 million in the late
1900s. It was prefabricated in Finland, and, at the time of its construction, was the largest
prefabricated building in the world. Today the building is used as an occasional meeting place.
Last but not least would be the Prime minister's office. The building now housing the Prime
Minister's Office was built at the same time as the Shengo Hall to house the offices of
President Mengistu Haile Mariam. After his ouster it became the Prime Minister's Office,
and was renovated between 2018, and 2019. The park also includes a spacious green area
including a botanical garden, a zoo where primates and endemic black-mane lions will roam among 300
individual animals of 46 species, to be watched from an artistic tunnel with grass portions for
viewing. An earthly paradise, if you ask me. In essence visitors get the chance to see the
place where imperial time minister's were imprisoned and tortured, and witness their
tragic demise, in picture exhibits. Not so savory, but intriguing, and interesting non the less. And
definitely something to look forward to. If there is ever an unfortunate scenario
where a medical emergency occurs, there is a branch of St. Peter’s Specialized
Hospital inside the Park where visitors can access free primary medical treatment.
The amount of revenue the park is able to make largely depends on the satisfaction
of it's visitors. There is no question that an entire century's worth of history is there to be
learnt uncovered, and even experienced. But to further improve the experience,
cafeterias have been built at different places in the park, and a store where they sell artifacts.
However the pricing of artifacts is said to be quite high at the park, so those of us who may
not be able to afford them, could do some eye shopping, as it is not prohibited.
Tickets to visit the Park can be purchased online at https://unitypark.et. Regular ticketsfor
foreigners cost $20, while VIP options are $50. For Ethiopians or those with a resident ID,
the prices are 200 Ethiopian Birr for normal and 1,000 Ethiopian birr for VIP. Children
under twelve years can visit the park for free. VIP tickets include a guide and the privilege to
visit the “Egg House”. The "egg house" is an octagon shaped 2 storey building constructed
during the early 1890s, the House got its name from the octagonal shape of its roof. It features
Emperor Menelik II’s bedroom and reception room, Etege Taytu’s dwellings, former imperial princes’
bedrooms and a small banquet room, all of which are connected through passageways.
Since the inauguration of the park, more than 590, 000 tourists have visited,
said Dr. Tamirat Haile, director of Unity Park. He made this statement in an event that
marked the park’s two year inauguration on Saturday the 19th of November 2022.
It is no surprise that the museum has recorded such success.
Of these, 487, 000, including 25, 000 foreign tourists, have paid to visit the
park despite its six-month long closure due to the Coronavirus pandemic. We can only imagine
how much more the number of visitors would have increased if there had not been a pandemic.
The remaining more than 100, 000 were allowed to visit the park, which has become a major
tourist destination in the capital, for free. The park has played a major role in creating
a positive image of the country since its inauguration. It has also created
multiple job opportunities and created revenue for the Ethiopian economy.
Its successful opening and impact has also paved a way for other major
similar projects in other parts of Ethiopia.
Building on the successes of the Unity Park, the Sheger Riverside and Entoto Park projects,
the government is now developing three major tourist sites in three regions.
The sites are located in Gorgora in the Amhara Regional State; Wonchi in the Oromia Regional
State; and Koysha in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Regional State.
Despite prime minister Abiy’s intentions, Unity Park has been met with anger from some Ethiopians.
Emperor Menelik II, though regarded as Ethiopia’s founding father, was a controversial figure.
His former palace, although spectacular in size, was once a secretive place of government where
brutal campaigns were plotted and unspeakable acts conducted during his rule – favor for him is still
very much divided. The palace’s new museum, for instance, gives no indication that Menelik II,
the great founder of Ethiopia, waged what some historians classified genocides as he
conquered the lands he eventually called Abyssinia, which became modern Ethiopia.
The unity park has also been widely criticized as prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's vainglory project.
Eskinder Nega, a journalist and former political prisoner made some bold statements iterating that
the fact that the renovations which were done without consulting the public was a big mistake.
He claimed that since it is about preserving heritage. The people should have had a say
in it as well. He criticized the fact that the decision was made centrally without any thought
to seek the citizens' opinions. Some of such opinions have been
expressed. And some were strongly against the building of the park.
While Abiy has been hailed on the international stage for his apparent dedication to democratic
reform, violent clashes in Ethiopia's countryside say quite a bit about what some Ethiopians think.
Around 3 million people were forced from their homes in 2018, the most in any country in the
world. And Ethiopia’s economy remains dangerously weak, which has prompted tens of thousands to
attempt perilous sea crossings toward Saudi Arabia and Europe in search of better lives.
Although the palace was funded through private donations, some critics have questioned whether
it is the best use of money in a country where the average person earns less than $2,000 a year and
infrastructure is rudimentary in many places. In the words of Biruk Terrefe a PhD student
studying the politics of Ethiopia’s infrastructure. "Addis Ababa is a city
that has constant electricity and water problems, and doesn’t have efficient public transportation.
It is growing faster than Beijing or Jakarta. There are a lot of other things this city needs."
If you would like to visit the park in the future, leave a comment telling us which tourist
attraction you would like to see most. And if you have already done so, leave us a comment telling
us what part of your visit was most interesting. One more thing, read and follow the rules
and regulations of the park. The last thing you need during
recreation is to get fined, or worse arrested. Thanks for watching our video, see you next time.