Lets Shop At Adis Merkato

Addis Ababa meaning ‘new flower’ is considered to be the largest and the capital city of Ethiopia. With a number of significant landmarks like Meskel Square, Holy Trinity Cathedral, St George’s Cathedral, the Ethiopian National Library and many more, the city stands notably amongst the most appealing destinations of the world. The metropolis is located on the foothill of Mount Entoto with the elevation of about 7,546 feet and grabs the attention of oodles of tourists who take cheap flights to Addis Ababa to view this magnificent city.

One of the most striking features of the city is its shopping market Adis Merkato which means ‘Newmarket’ that is considered to be the largest open-air market of Africa. It is located in the district of Addis Ketema and is spread over the land of many square miles providing employment to some 13,000 people in 7,100 shopping entities. The most important and outstanding product of the market is coffee. John Bolton the CO of the Salt Lake Roasting Company is amongst those thousands of businessmen who survey the market in search of ideal coffee bean, he said ‘I woke at 5:00 am and went to the Saturday market in Addis Ababa.

This is a huge setting where they sell everything imaginable. Because we were early, the hordes of people hadn’t arrived yet though it was still busy. Since the streets were crowded, everything was carried in to sell, and often times it had to be carried for several blocks. I witnessed many ten-year-olds carrying baskets on their heads, laden with melons or tomatoes. These baskets easily weighed twice as much as their porters. I think the spices I saw were probably the most interesting items on the market. Also, the flavoured butter and cheeses revealed the diverse tastes and unique heritage that is northeast Africa’.

The market serves as an inland port of Ethiopia and is the main interchange point for pulse, grains, oilseeds, animals and vegetables. When the market is busy ‘coffee auction’ occurs daily where almost 100 growers present almost 150 kinds of coffee beans. Besides, the visitors also find the shops dealing in jewellery, aromas, costumes, electronic items and many other interesting items.

The market also owns a gigantic shopping mall which houses almost 75 distinctive shopping stores. Undoubtedly this market serves as the main retail and trade centre of whose dimensions are unmatchable and once you are in Ethiopia just don’t miss the chance to pop in the gleaming shops of Addis Merkato.

In the close vicinity of the market, Al-Anwar Mosque is located which is considered to be the grand and the oldest mosque of Ethiopia that was built in 1922. The mosque is worth-seeing because of its distinguished and unique architecture and with a beautiful dome of green colour and a heightened minaret. Besides the famous landmark the ‘Cathedral of Holy Family’ is also situated here.

There is a lot more to discover at this splendid market. So whenever you plan up a trip for the fascinating Addis Ababa, do visit the sparkling Adis Merkato where you will be able to find all the products ranging from computer items to live stocks.