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Dokatu Market
Perched on a ridge 2km west of town, this market proffers grand views over the Rift Valley. For sale, you’ll find women’s traditional skirts, cassava, cheka (home-brewed sorghum beer) and etan (the incense used in coffee ceremonies).
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Bet Danaghel
To the south of the Bet Maryam courtyard is the chapel of Bet Danaghel , said to have been constructed in memory of the maiden nuns martyred on the orders of the 4th-century Roman emperor Julian in Edessa (modern-day Turkey).
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Hyena Den
Below Fantale, a few kilometres north of Metahara, you can routinely see dozens of spotted hyenas exit their dens around dusk. A fee of Birr200 is paid to the community and your park scout gets an extra Birr100 for going with you.
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Ezana Park
A rather ugly tin-roofed hut in this central park holds a stone with identical text to King Ezana’s Inscription, but it’s in poorer condition and in a less attractive location. The park also contains one tall stele and a few random carvings.
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MiG Jet
You can’t miss this weird memorial on the main drag – it displays a Somali Air Force MiG jet fighter which crashed during an aerial bombardment of the city. It lies on a stand that sports colourful murals depicting scenes of the civil war.
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Bilbila Chirkos
Also near Arbatu Ensessa, some 5km off the main road, this is an interesting three-quarter monolith known particularly for its ancient frescoes. Also attributed to King Kaleb, it’s thought to date from AD 523. It’s a three-minute walk from the road.
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Harar National Museum
This modest museum used to be housed in Ras Makonnen’s Palace, and may again after restoration work is finished. Much of the collection is stuff you’ve already seen inside a traditional Harari home, but the jewellery, clothing and weapons make it worth a stop.
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Mikael Cemetery
You don’t come to this place below Mikael Church for the graves, but the excellent views of the old town from the road below them. Photography is best in the afternoon. A contract bajaj should cost Birr10. If the driver doesn’t know it, tell him Deker Condominium.
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Susenyos’ Old Palace
Emperor Susenyos (r 1607–32) built his palace (known by locals as Susenyos Ghimb) on a peninsula (called Old Gorgora) 10km west of town, which can be reached in an hour by boat. Compared with Gonder, it’s a shambles but historical architecture buffs should make the trip.
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Sidamo Zone Ethnographic Museum
The small, neglected collection here isn’t really worth your time; the man with the key is probably on a five-hour lunchbreak anyway. But a large new regional museum that, we were told, will cover the region’s 56 ethnic groups, should be worth a visit when it opens.
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Bet Uraiel
In the trench fronting the western facade of Bet Golgotha, past the symbolic Tomb of Adam (a giant, hollowed-out block of stone) , Bet Uraiel opened as a church in 1998 in what may have been a storeroom. Its rough-hewn rooms are rarely visited by worshippers or tourists.
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Jama Mosque
East of the market area, the modern Jama Mosque hosts Hargeisa’s main Friday prayers around noon, attracting hundreds of worshippers – it is an amazing sight. Though not permitted to enter the mosque, you can admire its whitewashed facade, domed roof and tall twin minarets.
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Mussolini’s Stele
Gorgora was a hard-fought prize during the Italian occupation and on the way into town you’ll pass Mussolini’s stele, high on a hill, which commemorates the capture. In town, the historic-looking ruins on a much lower hill are nothing more than a recent, never-completed hotel.
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Derg Monument
Nothing in the capital is as poignant a reminder of the country’s painful communist rule as the towering Derg Monument. Topped by a massive red star and emblazoned with a golden hammer and sickle, the cement obelisklike structure climbs skyward in front of Black Lion Hospital.
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Gidir Magala
At the end of Mekina Girgir you’ll stumble upon the arcades of the Gidir Magala, the main market (previously known as the Muslim market) and the city’s biggest butchery. Watch how the locals hide their meat purchases from the black kites that fearlessly swoop down trying to steal i
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Yohannes IV Museum
The Italian-designed stone palace built for Emperor Yohannes IV (r 1872–89) is now an interesting museum. Although the palace itself is undergoing a thorough restoration, the three-part collection (royal regalia, religious paraphernalia and Tigrayan artesania) is on display in anot
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Animal Market
The animal market, south of town and a bit west of the out-of-place high-rise, is one of the biggest in the north. It’s ripe with donkeys, goats, sheep and cows but no camels. These are only sold straight from the huge caravans that pass through the nearby countryside from the Dana
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Basket Market
Aksum has two interesting markets that burst to life on Saturday; both are best between 10.30am and noon. This one takes place under the massive fig tree shading the heart of the piazza. It’s absolutely huge at festival time when visiting Ethiopians stock up on high-quality Tigraya
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Yekatit 12 Monument
Rising dramatically from the roundabout Siddist Kilo is this moving monument to the thousands of innocent Ethiopians killed by the Italians as retribution for the attempt on Viceroy Graziani’s life on 19 February 1937. ‘Yekatit 12’ is a date in the Ethiopian calendar roughly equiva
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Livestock Market
An essential part of the Hargeisa experience is the livestock market, which lies on the southeastern outskirts of town. Hundreds of goats, sheep and camels are brought here every day, and it’s a fascinating place to wander. Always ask permission before taking photographs. It’s at i
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