Addis Ababa

The world’s third highest capital city of Ethiopia Addis Ababa meaning ‘new flower’ founded during the last decade of the 19th century by emperor Menilik ll. The site was chosen by the wife of the Emperor Itege Tayitu Betul. The Empress was impressed by the hot mineral spring “Filwoha”, and had built a house for herself near the area where members of the royal court liked to take mineral baths.
Nobility members, their staffs and other households started settling in the vicinity and made the emperor decide his wife’s houses to become the imperial palace which still remains the seat of government. The National palace is also known as the Jubilee Palace (built to mark Emperor Haile Selassie’s Silver Jubilee in 1955) which is also the residence of the President of Ethiopia.