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It often feels like a betrayal whenever "Addis Ababa" is used instead of "Addis Abeba".

But why?

Colonial-era transliteration norms—let’s just say, “በ” was a mouthful.

European tongues stumbled over the softness of “Abeba,” and so, in early publications, it became “Ababa.”

A small shift, but one that stuck around across maps, treaties, and time.

The Ethio-Djibouti railway- Ethiopia’s first major infrastructure collaboration with the French laid more than tracks. It laid linguistic foundations.

By 1907, the Franco-Ethiopian alliance had ushered in a wave of French cartographers, engineers, and diplomats. With them came spelling conventions that bent local names to fit European phonetics.

“Abeba” softened into “Ababa” not out of disrespect, but out of typographic convenience and colonial habit.

The Big question: is it fair to force the true pronunciation on the world?

We will leave the answer to you.

Professor Haile Gerima is a visionary filmmaker, teacher, and freedom storyteller whose films like Sankofa and Teza reclaim African memory and ignite resistance through cinema. Sankofa Video Books & Cafe

King Ezana was a 4th-century ruler of the Aksumite Empire, remembered as the first sub-Saharan African monarch to officially embrace Christianity. Under his reign, Aksum flourished as a powerful trading empire, connecting Africa with the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean worlds.

Colors speak what words cannot. They evoke feelings deep inside us.

Every shade carries its own emotion. From the warm glow of red to the calm embrace of blue, each tone stirs a story within.

Color is the silent language of our soul, painting moods we silently carry. Embrace the hues and let your emotions come alive.

The Arada
“The commercial pulse of Abyssinia” ( Powell-Cotton 1902)

In 1897, the writer Count Gleichen was a little surprised to see so many tents “of all shape and size” dispersed on the hills that make up Addis Ababa. The city had started with the establishment of Menelik II’s palace and, following a feudal land use structure, a dozen gigantic camps - sefer, on the model of Abyssinian military camps, were spread out on land the emperor allocated to his high dignitaries and several craft communities. Dignitaries’ camps were delimited by round enclosures whose size and number of dwellings, where soldiers, servants, and subordinates were living, signaled wealth and social status.

A decade later, the appearance of the city had changed dramatically. Most of the tents were replaced by some 15,000 round houses. This first construction boom saw also the er****on of beautiful residences and around 100 two-story houses, often the work of Armenian, Italian, Indian, and Greek builders and craftsmen. Construction started to fill up the areas surrounding St. George Church and the open market, slowly spreading to Ras Makonnen sefer located on the road going to Entoto hills.

From the onset, the arada - a meeting place in Amharic, was one of the three original city’s cores, together with Menelik Il’s palace and Ras Makonnen sefer. It covers an area of 2 km East-West between two deep valleys, Ginfile and Curtume, and 2.5 km North-South, from St. George Church to Wingate Street.

©Centre Français des Études Éthiopiennes, 2017
Book - Addis Ababa Old Piazza

Ethiopia had three license plate changes, in addition to the new one.

Which design do you like most?

You should bring this guide on your next trip to Dire Dawa to discover its history through places and people.

In March 2013, a beautiful series of historical guides was published. 

This Dire Dawa guide features elegant illustrations, clear maps, and portraits of the local community. 

It walks you through the railway station, coffee warehouses, markets, and the streets where the city’s stories live. 

Whether you are an international or local curious tourist, this guide is a must have.

You can buy this guide from

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Abebech Gobena turned a single act of mercy into AGOHELMA(Abebech Gobena Charity ). Taking two orphaned children into her care after finding a mother dead, a charity was born from one woman’s refusal to walk away