Ethiopian

Nation

al Museum

You’re Map

Your move after reaching the Bole International Airport could possibly be the National

Museum of Ethiopia. Driving from Bole and passing by Stadium, then taking the wide

boulevard you will reach the circle of Aratkilo. Taking King George Street, next to the

Aratkilo circle in the Northern direction is the Natural Science Campus. A few meters

away in that same direction to the left of the street in Amistkilo district is Saint Mary’s

Church and near the church is the National Museum of Ethiopia.

NME

Background of the Museum

The first museum in Ethiopia was opened in 1936 being part of the national library. A

few presents from the royal family were set to the exhibition. The establishment of the

Institute of Archaeology in 1946 has contributed a lot for the development of the

museum. French archaeologists had a great role in the finding of very important

historical and cultural artifacts. The museum was transferred to the lounge of today’s

National Bank of Ethiopia. A step at a time the museum finally was located in where it is

now.

The archaeology museum that was established in 1946 had started its work by exhibiting

some archaeological findings from the Northern part of the country. Following these

events in 1958 the idea of establishing a national museum had been given a serious

attention by the government. Therefore, the national museum started its work in public

that same year.

The museum houses the nation’s artistic treasures as well as many of the most precious

archaeological findings such as the fossilized remain of early hominids, the most famous

of which is Lucy.

The Compound of the Museum

The compound of the museum is spacious. Many sculpts that give grace to the setting are erected here and

there. On the gate’s check point are few uniformed federal police to check you through. A few meters away

to the right side of the museum under the veranda of one of the old buildings is one of the first automobiles

which entered Ethiopia during the reign of Emperor Menelik. This vehicle is of a very attractive and

interesting model. For those who have never had any encounter with such pleasing things of the past this

will be the best break.

Well you must understand you could not get such automobile for

any great amount of dollars you would be happy to pay unless of

course if not in millions.

Right in front of the gate of the museum’s hall is the cannon used by Emperor Menelik at the battle of Adwa in 1896. The cannon witness that tragic war against the Fascist Italian. Even for anyone without the knowledge of the Battle of Adwa the cannon can give the déjà vu of having been to the battle fields.

Carvings and monuments

In the museum are so many carvings of wood,

stone, bronze, copper, cement and sand and

many others materials. Numerous sand and

cement monuments and carvings feed your eyes a

beauty of living arts. Getting closer to them and

looking in to their magnificence is all you need to

do.

There are many more inside the museum but the

dark rooms were not able to provide enough light

for our cameras and we were not able to use

flashlight for it is forbidden.

Cafes and restaurants

Ardi café and restaurant named after the recently found

bone in Afar region by archaeologists and Lucy café and

restaurant named after Lucy or Dinkinesh are the two main

places that you can have your meal when you start to feel a

little hungry while you are inside the compound.

Enterin

g the Museum

Currently, the National Museum of Ethiopia has four main exhibition sections. The basement is

dedicated to archaeological and paleo anthropological sections. This area shows the previously

mentioned hominids. The first floor contains objects from ancient and medieval periods, as well as

ceremonial objects and souvenirs from former rulers, including Emperor Haile Selassie. The second

floor shows art work in a chronological order, from traditional to contemporary works. These

include murals, Afework Teklie and other Ethiopian artists. Finally, the third floor has an

ethnographic display. Here, the museum gives an overview of the cultural richness and variety of

the peoples of Ethiopia.

Palaeo anthropology and pre-history artifacts collection room The Thron

e of Haile Selassie I (19

30-1974)

This throne is much closer to the word ‘residence’ that throne because of

its gigantic structure. The throne is made of Cordia African Wanza (species

of wood) and Ivory. It was presented to the Emperor by the Indian

Community in Harar in 1985 and was looted by the Italian Fascist troops

during the WWII returned in 1972. Standing by this throne you will

certainly start wondering how it would feel to sit on it and feel the power

of being an Emperor.

Paleon

tology

Bones that bounce your mind back to your own forefathers

In the National Museum of Ethiopia, the paleontological collections are

strongly gifted of taking your imagination and thought back to millions of

years ago. These collections give you the means to understand what had

happened in earth some million years ago and what is going on today; what

is going to happen tomorrow and how serious the climate change of your

planet is getting.

The museum houses the nation's artistic treasures as well as many of the

most precious archaeological findings such as the fossilized remains of early

hominids, the most famous of which is "Lucy," the partial skeleton of a

specimen of Australopithecus afarensis. Recently added to the basement

gallery is a display on Selam, found between 2000 and 2004. Estimated to be

3.3 million years old, this afarensis specimen is considered to be the earliest

child.

Lucy: ‘Dinkinesh’

To the right corner of the pale anthropological collections exhibition rooms

awaits you the warm greeting of Lucy. She says to you, ‘Hi I am Lucy’ and

then invites you to get to know with her world-famous ancestors.

This skeleton is the most complete human ancestor yet discovered in 1974

by Donald C. Johnson. This adult female skeleton was nicknamed Lucy after

the popular Beatle’s song ‘Lucy in the sky with diamond’ But the Ethiopians

prefer to call her, ‘Dinkinesh’ to mean wonderful. She is 3.2 million years

old. Her brain was no longer than chimpanzee’s but she walked on two legs –

a character placing her in the family tree of man. She was of a small stature

standing 3.5 feet tall. Her scientific name is Australopithecus Afarensis.

Unfortunately, the "real" Lucy can't be seen in Addis Ababa. Because of the

rare and fragile nature of fossils, including Lucy's skeleton, molds are usually

made of the originals, which are then used to create detailed copies (casts).

These detailed copies are then used for teaching, research, and exhibits in

institutions around the world. This is what has been done with Lucy.

The "real" Lucy is stored in a specially constructed safe in the

Paleoanthropologist Laboratories of the National Museum of Ethiopia in Addis

Ababa. On display in the museum is one of the casts of the original skeleton.

Visitors to the Ethiopian National Museum in Addis Ababa can see a replica

skeleton laid out by itself in pieces, showing the 40 percent that was

discovered.

Also on display is a fascinating reconstructed full skeleton of Lucy that shows

her height and stance. When she was alive, Lucy would have been about 3-

1/2 feet tall and weighed about 60 to 65 pounds.

Selam

This model of Selam is created by an artist based on her skeleton. Selam in

many Ethiopian languages means peace. She represents the earliest and most

complete skeleton of a child human ancestor ever discussed in the history of

palaeoanthropology. She was about 3 years old when she died and belongs to

the ancient species of Australopithecus Afarnesis. Her archaeological age is

3.3 million years. And she was found in Dikika, Ethiopia. The discovery has

taken a time interval from 2000-to-2004.

Traditional and contemporary Ethiopian art.

African

Heritag

e

This amazing painting is placed on the 3rd exhibition room. World Laureate

Meter Artist AfeworkTekle is the painter of this great painting. For men of

artistic interest it will fix them on the very ground they stand for many

moments as it is complex in idea and attractive in appearance. It was

painted in 1969 with oil on canvas.

The Battle of Adwa

This one also is painted on canvas in the year 2003. Though young in age it

is quite powerful to retell and reflect the old. A black man (Emperor

Menelik?) sitting on the back of a galloping horse again will give the déjà

vu of being in the battlegrounds of Adwa.

The Skull

The Skull, a painting by the same person, is quite amazing and terrifying

for the dark eye sockets stare at you wherever you stand. They follow you

and look in to your eyes with their dark and cold beauty. Such

magnificence, we dare to pronounce, has never been depicted deep in the

heart of death with such a mind-boggling art.

The Great Painting of Saint Mercury

This painting probably has an equal size of one of the walls of your bedroom. It is huge. Saint Mercury riding

on a horse is what you see on this painting but with a maverick manner. This 14th C. painting was brought to

the museum from the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela.