History of Addis Ababa
The history of Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, formally begins with the founding of the city in the 19th century by Ethiopian Emperor Menelik II and his wife Empress Taytu Betul. In its first years the city was more like a military encampment than a town. The central focus was the emperor's palace, which was surrounded by the dwellings of his troops and of his innumerable retainers. In the 1920s, Addis Ababa experienced a significant economic upturn, marked by a surge in the number of middle-class-owned buildings, including stone houses furnished with imported European furniture. The middle class also introduced newly manufactured automobiles and expanded banking institutions. Urbanization and modernization persisted during the Italian occupation, guided by a masterplan aimed at transforming Addis Ababa into a more "colonial" city, a trajectory that continued beyond the occupation. Subsequent master plans, formulated from the 1940s onward with the input of European consultants, focused on the development of monuments, civic structures, satellite cities, and the inner city.
Prehistory
A DNA studies shows from 1,000 people that humans began migrating from Addis Ababa vicinity around the globe for 100,000 years. Other studies confirmed that Africans have more diverse gene than other continents, but new research indicated genetic diversity declination steadily happens while ancestors travelled to Addis Ababa, which roughly a site of exiting "out of Africa" migration. Science journal offered a deductive evidence that ancient explorers emerged from the region to colonized the rest of continents. Similarity, the Nature published that the greater geographic distance between a population and its African ancestors, the more accumulated gene changes occurs.19th-century
Prelude
Regarding the foundation, Mount Entoto has been a watershed for establishment of Addis Ababa. Addis Ababa is surrounded by Entoto to the north, Yerrer to the east, and the most prominent Menagesha to the west. The area generally served as a garrison town of which generals allocated an encampment to settle troops. According to Wolde-Mariam, urbanization faced formidable problems due to large-scale conflict with warlords, which converted into garrison town.Before the advent of Addis Ababa, there were many sites in the surrounding areas that had been used as temporary capitals for the Kingdom of Shewa. Ankober, a site about 160 km north of Addis Ababa, served as the capital of the kingdom of Shewa during the second half of the 18th century. As evidence, the ruins of the palace are still found on the lip of the great escarpment, which is popular in its breath-taking view. The village of Aliyu Amba, which was the most important market center of the Shewa Kingdom, is also located below Ankober palace at one of the broken hills. Other areas, like Wechecha, Yerrer and Entoto were also temporarily used as capitals of the Shewan Kingdom.
Menelik, as Negus of Shewa, had found Mount Entoto a useful base for military operations in the south of his realm. In 1879, Menelik visited the reputed ruins of a medieval town and an unfinished rock church that showed proof of an Ethiopian presence in the area prior to the campaigns of Ahmad Ibrahim. His interest in the area grew when his wife Taytu began work on a church on Entoto. In addition, Menelik endowed a second church in the area.
In 1881, Menelik moved the capital of Shewa from Ankober to Entoto. A relocation of imperial nobilities and armies shaped political atmosphere. In addition, there was also a categorization of the imperial army at the time; fitawrari, loyal to Menelik's expansionism, thrusts to the west and south; on the right wing of the army, to the north, lay the safar of his powerful generals and his cousin, Mekonnen; on the left wing, to the south, lay lesser generals and to the east protect the rear of army lay the palace of dejazemach or commander of rearguard. Between them were scattered subordinates and lesser nobility.
Major safar was expanse that delimited rival army and prevents from potential clashes. Other factors that give boundary was the presence of streams and deep gorges, including the Kebenna, Kechene, Qurtume, and a small Akaki River. There were also a marketplace in the mid area led by Negadrass and was home of foreign elite community; mostly French, Armenians and Indians citizens. The original land charter identified safar besides parishes into division into sections. However, with the presence of military, safar always important than atbiya for locating the city.
Founding
Soon after Menelik II established his capital on Mount Entoto, he and his wife Taytu Betul were soon attracted southwards to the nearby hot springs of Finfinne. At the end of the rainy season in 1886, Menelik and Tatyu, went down to Finfinne along with their retainers and erected a large number of tents. Tatyu, admiring the scene from the door of her royal tent, is said to have ask Menelik to give her the land to build her a house there. He replied, "Begin by building a house; after that I will give you a country." "Where should I build my house?", she inquired. "On this spot", Menelik replied pointing to a large tree, "which my father King Sahle Selassie surrounded with a fence: go there and build your house. Once," he continued, "in this very place Sahle Selassie made the following prophecy, 'O land, today you are full of Gallas, but one day my grandson will build here a house and make you a city.'" That very week, Tatyu decided to construct a house; her steward was given orders to start at once, the work was completed not long after.In the following year of 1887, Tatyu left her camp at Entoto and established herself in her new house above the hot springs. The building of the town soon commenced, all the chiefs were allocated sections of land around the royal area and began building their own dwellings. The new settlement was then given the name of Addis Ababa or "new flower". In 1889 Negus Menelik expanded his wife's house to become the Imperial Palace, which remains the seat of government in Addis Ababa today. Between 1889 and 1891, Addis Ababa became capital of Ethiopian Empire when Menelik II became Emperor of Ethiopia, after becoming the capital of Ethiopian Empire, Addis Ababa grew by leaps and bounds and took on the character of a boomtown. The definite building of Addis Ababa began in the year of 1891, when Menelik ordered French engineers to build the very first stone houses. The main distribution of this land was given to various foreigners who were assured that Addis Ababa would never be abandoned in favor of Entoto or any other place. These foreigners, which included Europeans, Armenians and Indians, had begun to establish themselves in the town, where their presence and commercial activity led to a steady rise in land values and ground rents, while the legations of the British, French, Italians and Russians later established themselves in the settlement. After 1896, the city slowly transformed from military encampment to civilian town. When this happens, travellers and sportsmen often commented look like a "vast camp" or "collection of village" rather than what they perceived town.
Because of the sizeable population of Addis Ababa, a degree of labor specialization not seen elsewhere in the empire was possible and Addis Ababa became the site of many of Ethiopian innovations. The rapid growth of Addis Ababa, especially soon after the Battle of Adwa, was accompanied by the construction of some of Ethiopia's first modern roads, large estates were also granted to various notables who served at the Battle of Adwa such as Tekle Haymanot of Gojjam, Ras Makonnen, Habte Giyorgis Dinagde and Mikael of Wollo. Early its founding, foreigners had an interest to complement as metropolitan, by expanding buildings. Much of its settlement consisted of hut complex, constructed with mud and straw plastered on wooden frame, and thatched roofs. The city further transformed rapidly without planned intention. By 1910, the city had approximately 70,000 permanent inhabitants and also had between 30,000 and 50,000 temporary inhabitants.
20th-century
Pre-Italian occupation (1916–1935)
Ras Tafari, later became Emperor Haile Selassie had a considerable influence in the city after his appointment in 1917. He raised awareness for modernization by distributing wealth to emerging class. Gebrehiwot Baykedagn started occupying the major administrative division post, as he ruled as inspector of Addis Ababa—Djibouti railway in 1916, which also connects Addis Ababa with French Somaliland port of Djibouti.By 1926 and 1927, Addis Ababa saw economic revolution, a surplus of coffee production was growing as a result of capital accumulation. In addition, the bourgeoisie benefited the city with large income of goods. They constructed new, stone-fitted house with imported European furniture and an importation of latest automobile, and expansion of banks across the locales. Total register automobiles were 76 in 1926, and summed up to 578 in 1930.
Road transportation were very unpopular to the city and the country until the opening of Addis Ababa—Djihour Ridge, about 97 miles northward in the direction of Dessie. This road was considered the longest continuous motor route, which initially connecting Italian occupied Assab in Eritrea and Addis Ababa via Dessie as accorded to Italo-Ethiopian Treaty of 1928. The highway were very important to French owned railway of Djibouti because of freight rate were very high caused by lack of competition, and believed that considerable amount of cargo would be increase between Ethiopia and Massawa. Significant merchants of Addis Ababa were received by Tafari Mekonnen on 18 November 1929, to deal with road extension. A traffic police was introduced, they were dressed up in European colonial style khakis, but were barefoot. The Emperor's private printing press, the Berhanena Salam Printing Press was formally opened in December 1929. Modernization in the fields of public health and education led to the erection of a number of schools and hospitals, including a school dedicated for freed slaves founded by Tafari Makonnen in 1927.
After crowned as Emperor, Haile Selassie issued with propelling further development of infrastructures such as importing power lines and telephone, and erecting several monuments, including one dedicated to Menelik II. A couple of cinemas came into existence, while Ras Haylu established a nightclub on Addis Alam road. Prior to the Italian invasion in 1935, the population of Addis Ababa was estimated to be between 100,000 and 200,000 inhabitants, including 6,000 foreigners, mainly Arabs, Greeks, Armenians and some British, French, Italians and Americans.