Palace Of Emperor Minilik and Empress Taitu 1883

In 1883 future Emperor Menelik II and Empress Taitu of Ethiopia moved into this palace in the Entoto Mountains above Addis Ababa. Some years later the current city was founded in the valley below.

A place rich in history. Where locals can pray and fast. Had the honor of meeting one of the oldest nuns(90yrs) another guide said. The church is just beautiful. Minilk II(Menilek II)'s palace on top of the hill offers a breathtaking view of the city Addis Ababa (New Flower) his wife Empress Taitu discovered in 1886. In the same grounds are the first church (a small whitewashed roundavel, a olden day mortuary for the royals, banquet hall and a museum. Most of the original materials that were used to building the palace has been maintained. The first imported eucalyptus tree (yellow line in pics) still stands in the palace grounds to this day.The museum offers a lot of the royal memorabilia from clothes, drinking cups , weapons and Bibles. The first brass bell said to weigh 300kgs is also housed in the museum. However, medals won by present day Ethiopian runners and some modern day generals' regalia have been donated to the church and are also in the museum.

In itself the palace is not a great monument and was a very short residence of the Emperor. Visiting it, however, you can breathe the air of the past. The caretaker is very kind and the building is in an elevated location, I think at about 3,000 meters with a superb panorama over the entire city. It is therefore worth making a quick excursion taking advantage of a tuk tuk caught on the fly ..