Addis Ababa – The Lion of Judah Monument http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/sandamichaela-2128419-ethiopia1-addis-ababa/

Ethiopia, formerly called Abyssinia, is one of the oldest Christian countries in the world. Perched atop Africa’s highest plateau, the country is protected by forbidding deserts and tropical lowlands. Despite its apparent mountainous isolation, Ethiopia has long been a crossroads for Africa, the Middle East and the Indian Ocean, and a site of dynamic interaction between people from throughout the world.

Ethiopia developed its own written language and has a sophisticated culture based upon a deep love of religion.

In the highlands, Ethiopia's Orthodox Church predates the Vatican and is one of the oldest continuously Christian churches in the world.

A fascinating and rich history includes legends claiming that the Aksumite Kingdom dates back to when the Queen of Sheba ruled the land, and that Ethiopia’s first king, Menelik I, was the son of this queen and King Solomon of Israel.

The Most Exalted Order of The Queen of Sheba, Grand Cross: Star

Giovanni Demin (1789-1859) Solomon And The Queen Of Sheba.

The Most Exalted Order of The Queen of Sheba, Grand Cross: Badge

The visit of the queen of Sheba to king Solomon(Edward Poynter) 1890

Aida, an Ethiopian princess enslaved in Egypt

National Theatre Prague, Opera Aida, Music: Giuseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901), Apr 26 2014

Ethiopia, officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea to the north and northeast, Djibouti and Somalia to the east, Sudan and South Sudan to the west, and Kenya to the south. With over 93,000,000 inhabitants, Ethiopia is the most populous landlocked country in the world, as well as the second-most populated nation on the African continent. It occupies a total area of 1,100,000 square kilometres (420,000 sq mi), and its capital and largest city is Addis Ababa.

Ethiopia is one of the oldest locations of human life known to scientists and is widely considered the region from which Homo sapiens first set out for the Middle East and points beyond. Tracing its roots to the 2nd millennium BC, Ethiopia was a monarchy for most of its history. Alongside Rome, Persia, China and India, the Kingdom of Aksum was one of the great world powers of the 3rd century. In the 4th century, it was the first major empire in the world to officially adopt Christianity as a state religion.

The Kingdom of Aksum

Ethiopia was the only African country to defeat a European colonial power and retain its sovereignty as an independent country. It was the first independent African member of the 20th-century League of Nations and the UN.

Addis Ababa Bole international airport

Addis Ababa Bole international airport

Addis Ababa Bole international airport

Piero della FrancescaLegend of the True Cross - the Queen of Sheba Meeting with Solomon, Detail. (c. 1452-66) Fresco, San Francesco, Arezzo, Italy

Piero della FrancescaLegend of the True Cross - the Queen of Sheba Meeting with Solomon, Detail. (c. 1452-66) Fresco, San Francesco, Arezzo, Italy

Addis Ababa City hall

Addis Ababa Lion of Judah statue outside the National Theatre

In 1974, at the end of Haile Selassie I's reign, power fell to a communist military junta known as the Derg, backed by the Soviet Union, until it was defeated by the EPRDF, which has ruled since about the time of the collapse of the USSR in 1991.

The Yekatit 12 Square (Sidist Kilo) monument stands in tribute to the thousands of innocent martyrs butchered by the Fascist Italian Occupiers in the (Ethiopian Calendar) year of 1929 (1936 Gregorian Calendar). The massacre took place at the order of the Italian Vice-Roy Marshal Grazziani in response to an assassination attempt against him carried out by two pro-Ethiopia Eritreans.

Addis Ababa (the name means 'new flower') is of fairly recent origin - Menelik II founded the city in 1887

Situated in the foothills of the Entoto Mountains and standing 2,400 metres above sea level it is the third highest capital in the world. The city has a population of about four million.

The Lion of Judah Monument stands in the square in front of Addis Ababa's train station. The golden colored statue of the Lion of Judah in its complete glory stands on a black granite pedestal which is decorated with relief portraits of Emperors Menelik II and Haile Selassie I, and Empress Zewditu, as well as Ras Makonnen.

The Lion of Judah statue has a very interesting history. Erected in 1930 just before Emperor Haile Selassie's coronation, it was looted by the Italian occupiers in 1935 and taken to Rome, where it was erected next to the Vittorio Emanuelle Monument. During the 4th anniversary celebrations of the proclomation of the Itlian Empire, Adolf Hitler chose to visit Rome, and attended the celebratory parades alongside the Fascist Dictator Musollini and King Victor Emanuelle III. In the parade were numerous subjects of Italy's African Empire, including a young Eritrean named Zerai Deres. Zerai Deres was marching with other parade members carrying a ceremonial sword with which to salute the King, the Fuhrer, and el Duce, at the grandstand. As the parade marched past the Vittorio Emauelle monument, Zerai looked up and saw to his shock, the golden Lion of Judah, the symbol of the ancient monarchy to which his ancestors had long owed allegiance, erected as war booty in the heart of Rome.

It was too much for him to bear, and he promptly drew his sword and with tears of anger running down his face he fell on the first Italian officer he could find. He killed and wounded numerous Italian military officers before he was killed. Zerai Deres is lionized to this day as a brave Ethiopian patriot. The monument remained in Rome for several decades, and was finally returned to Addis Ababa after long negotiations in the 1960's. When it was re-erected in its square the day it arrived, the Emperor was present in military uniform to salute, and to pay tribute to Zerai Deres. Following the revolution in 1974, the Dergue regime decided to remove the statue once more as it was a monarchist symbol. However, the elderly war veteran’s association members appealed to the Dergue to consider the memory of Zerai Deres and his sacrifice that was inspired by this very symbol. This act saved the statue and it stood it all its Imperial glory right through the Dergue era, and continues to stand today.

Addis Ababa Ambassador theater

January 28th 2012, the African Union (AU) Conference Center that was constructed with Chinese government assistance was inaugurated in Addis Ababa. The African Union Conference Center is one of China’s key construction aid projects for Africa, the undertaking costing 200 million USD, as well as the the Chinese government’s largest African construction aid project following the Tanzania-Zambia Railway

Before moving to the present site of Addis Ababa, Menelik had established temporary capitals at six different locations caused by exhausting the fuel wood at each of these sites.

Addis itself was in

danger of being

abandoned until the

introduction of fast-growing

eucalyptus trees from Australia provided the city with a regular

source of fuel.

Jacaranda mimosifolia

Jacaranda mimosifolia is a sub-tropical tree native to south-central South America that has been widely planted elsewhere because of its beautiful and long-lasting blue flowers. It is also known as Jacaranda, Black Poui, Blue Jacaranda, or as the fern tree

Addis Ababa is an important administrative centre not only for Ethiopia but also for the whole of Africa. The headquarters of the UN Economic Commission for Africa was established here in 1958 and it is the site of the OAU's secretariat. Besides being the capital city of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa is also referred to as the “capital city of Africa.” One of the reasons why Addis Ababa earns this privilege is because of being the home to such prominent headquarters as the Organization of African Unity and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. In spite of its historical establishments and 50 years of journey, the headquarters of UN Economic Commission for Africa is the owner of the enthralling African themed Ethiopian works of Art, which makes it one of the highlights of the Addis Ababa city. 

After being greeted by the colorful flags of African countries inside the compound, it is the exquisitely embellished foyer of the Africa Hall, which can literally stop you for admiration.

Ethiopian art by the late artist Afewer Tekele, is the highlights of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia all by itself.  And here are other few places in the city of Addis Ababa, where visitors can see paintings by Afewerk Tekele. St. George Cathedral, The National Museum of Ethiopia, and Villa Alpha – the home and personal museum designed and constructed by the Artist himself. 

Monumental window by the artist Afewerk Tekle

The 150-square-meter stained-glass triptych covers an entire wall of Africa Hall portray the Africans of yesterday, today and tomorrow in their struggle for freedom and evolution.  “Total Liberation of Africa” 1960-1961, is one of the many famous works of Ethiopia’s finest, the legendary, the one and the only the late Most Honorable Maître Artiste World Laureate Afework Tekle (1932-2012).There are other works of art by other artists  

With funding from Chinese banks, Ethiopia is building a light rail network in its capital, Addis Ababa.

Once complete, the network will cover almost 70 Kilometers across the city, over which some an estimated 60,000 passengers will move, every hour. The project is due to go online in 2015.

Addis Ababa, Arat kilo, Lion of Judah, statue of Ethiopian Patriots

Meyazia 27 Square is the official name of what is popularly known as Arat Kilo, a name that applies both to the square and the surrounding district of the city of Addis Ababa. The monument at the heart of the Square commemorates the victory over the fascist Italian invaders, and the struggle that preceded it (Meyazia 27 on the Ethiopian Calender, May 5th on the Gregorian Calender, is both the day that Addis Ababa was occupied by the Fascists, as well as the day that Emperor Haile Selassie returned to his capital in triumph exactly 5 years later).

This square was the focus of Victory Day celebrations held on May 5th (Meyazia 27) every year when the Emperor would lay a wreath here following his attendance at Mass at Meskia Hazunan Medhane Alem Church (Church of the Savior of the World, Consoler of the Grieved).

The Dergue regime changed the date of Victory Day to the day that General Cunningham and his British, South African and Nigerian Troops actually entered the city. The post Dergue government in Ethiopia has restored Victory Day to it's original date.

Holy Trinity Cathedral (whose dome can be seen in the background) and the Parliament building are nearby, as are the present office of the Prime Minister and the Imperial Palace.

Dagmawi Menelik II Secondary School is Ethiopia's first modern school. It was founded by the Emperor in 1908

Holy Trinity Cathedral, known in Amharic as Kidist Selassie, is the highest ranking Orthodox cathedral in Addis Ababa. It was built to commemorate Ethiopia's liberation from Italian occupation and is the second most important place of worship in Ethiopia, after the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum.

There are several important monuments from the Imperial era which have survived the revolution of 1974. Many that were linked directly to Emperor Haile Selassie and his immediate family however were distroyed by the Dergue and have not survived.

Ethiopian colorful ceremonial umbrellas

Celebrations in Ethiopia are great and colorful events, mostly religious, and frequently take place over several days

Text: InternetPictures: Sanda Foişoreanu & InternetCopyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuwww.slideshare.net/michaelasanda

Sound: Alemayehu Eshete - Yeminjarua Loga