Mek’ele - Mek’ele

Mekele, seen from the university
Mekele ·መቀሌ·መቐለ
regionTigray
Residents
323.700 (2015)
height
2,084 m
no tourist info on Wikidata: Add tourist information
location
Location map of Ethiopia
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Mekele

Mekele (also Mekele, Mekelle, Meqele, amharic: መቀሌ, Mäqals, tigrin: መቐለ, Mäx’älä) is located in the highlands of Tigray in Northern Ethiopia. It is the capital of the Tigray Province and has 3,240,000 inhabitants.

background

City map of Mek’ele

Mek’ele (or the smaller towns further north Wukro and Hawzien) can serve as a starting point for exploring the many rock-hewn churches scattered across the breathtaking high desert landscape of northern Tigray. The churches are worth visiting, even if they are (often) difficult to get to. Abuna Yemata Guh is a special highlight, even if it is not recommended for people without a head for heights. The tourist office in Wukro will be happy to help you organize tours and transports.

getting there

By bus

Of Aksum There are three types of buses coming: public buses, minibuses and shared taxis. The buses leave Aksum in the early morning. If you want to go to Mekele in the afternoon, you either have to take a minibus with a stopover in Adwa or take a shared taxi. Ask about specific taxi companies at the bus stop. The public bus should cost around 65 birr, the minibus around 90 birr and the shared taxi around 100 birr.

From Addis Ababa, the buses leave Meskel-Platz in the early morning, cost around 600 birr and take around 14 hours (July 2019). It is advisable to buy the tickets a few days in advance (e.g. the Selam bus has its office near Meskel Square, but there are other companies too). The bus passes by Yangudi Rassa National Park, which offers a beautiful view during your ride. Buses run regularly from Wukro to Mekele.

It is possible to get there by public bus Lalibela to drive. The trip takes a day. You need to be at the bus stop in town just before 6:00 a.m. There are some bus changes along the way but everything goes pretty smoothly until you reach Woldia. There are direct buses from Woldia to Lalibela, these do not go via Gashena, but turn off the B22 before Gashena. However, the direct buses only run in the morning. The buses from Mek’ele arrive in Woldia in the afternoon, so you either have to take a bus to Gashena and change trains or have to spend extra money (300 Birr per person, as of 2020) so that the bus goes directly.

Buses from the north stop at the northern bus stop, about 4 km north of the city. Buses going south leave from the bus station in the city center.

By plane

From July 2011 there will be daily direct flights to Aksum, Addis Ababa and Lalibela.

mobility

Tourist Attractions

Yohannes IV Museum

Museums and monuments

  • 1  Yohannis IV Museum (opposite the Atse Yohannis Hotel). Tel.: 251 (0)34 441 3895. The Tigray Regional Museum is located in the former palace of Emperor Yohannes IV.Open: Daily except Sun 8 am-5pm.Price: 50 Birr (as of 2017).(13 ° 29 '53 "N.39 ° 28 ′ 40 ″ E)
  • 2  Hawelti Semaetat (ሃውልቲ) (the main entrance is on the north side of the complex). The Civil War Museum at the Martyrs Memorial is very interesting and has many photos from the archives of the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).(13 ° 29 ′ 29 ″ N.39 ° 27 ′ 31 ″ E)

Buildings

  • 3  Ras Abreha Palace. Palace built between 1906 and 1916 which is now a hotel.(13 ° 29 ′ 14 ″ N.39 ° 28 ′ 7 ″ E)
  • View from a balcony of the Atse Yohannis Hotel (near the Ethiopian Telecomms building, on the roundabout with a fountain in the middle) with a coffee, a cold beer, fresh juice, lunch or dinner. It's a nice view and you are on the first floor so no more beggars and street stares.
  • 4  Choma'a. Hill with a large metal cross.(13 ° 29 '43 "N.39 ° 29 ′ 18 ″ E)

activities

  • Take a stroll around the city. The tree lined streets are pleasant to walk around and watch life around you.

to buy

  • Traditional clothing and jewelry.

kitchen

There are several restaurants for foreigners in Mekele that serve pizza, meat, chicken, fish, vegetables and salads. There are also many national restaurants and many bakeries and cafes.

  • 1  Geza Gerlase (Geza Gerelassie). Tel.: 251 (0)91 401 7180. Offers great beef dishes like shashlik and shekla. Live Ethiopian music and dancing on the weekend (or is it Thursday and Saturday evening - maybe someone else can confirm that?). Everyone gets up and joins in, it's fun. They also have great food and a bar.Open: daily 7 a.m.-11 p.m.(13 ° 29 ′ 23 ″ N.39 ° 28 ′ 25 ″ E)
  • 2  Karibu Kitchen Restaurant. Serves European and national dishes. The pizza is great and you can eat outside in the lovely garden.(13 ° 29 ′ 23 ″ N.39 ° 28 ′ 38 ″ E)
  • 3  Yordanos Restaurant, Hahefen St., Mek'ele (next to the Abreha Castle Hotel). Tel.: 251 (0)94 567 8278. Serves European and national dishes. They have another branch down the street into town Yordanos Blue (this one has no pizza, but everything else).(13 ° 29 ′ 37 ″ N.39 ° 28 '23 "E)

Going out

accommodation

Cheap

medium

Upscale

Practical advice

  • Tourism Information Center (at the Axum Hotel). Tel.: 251 (0)34 440 9360, (0)34 440 0131. Open: daily from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

trips

In the west of Mek’ele there are two waterfalls, which have a much more dramatic effect, especially in the rainy season. Suitable footwear is required for the muddy ground:

In the immediate vicinity of Mek’ele, for example, several churches can be visited:

  • In the village Feleg Daero there is the Church of St. Michael and the Dejat Abraha Palace from the end of the 19th century.
  • The church Chelekot Selassie is located south of Mek’ele in the village of Chelekot, the church Yohannes Kema at the village of Addi Abro, the church Eyesus Hintsa near Gijet, the church Michael Agra east of Aigudom and the church Maryam Nazre near the village of Addi Abuna.

In the north of the city of Mekele there are other significant cultural destinations:

  • 55 km as the crow flies 1 HawzienHawzien in the travel guide Wikivoyage in a different languageHawzien in the Wikipedia encyclopediaHawzien in the media directory Wikimedia CommonsHawzien (Q3128788) in the Wikidata database away from Mekele. The city is the starting point for exploring many rock-hewn churches in its vicinity.
  • The cities are 100 km as the crow flies 2 AdwaWebsite of this institutionAdwa in the Wikipedia encyclopediaAdwa in the media directory Wikimedia CommonsAdwa (Q380096) in the Wikidata database and 3 AksumAksum in the Wikipedia encyclopediaAksum in the media directory Wikimedia CommonsAksum (Q5832) in the Wikidata database away from Mekele. Aksum was the capital of the former Kingdom of Axum and is famous for its fields of stelae and cathedrals. The village is to the east of Aksum and Adwa 4 YehaYeha in the Wikipedia encyclopediaYeha in the Wikimedia Commons media directoryYeha (Q1081229) in the Wikidata database with the remains of a temple and a palace from the empire of Di’amat from pre-Axumite times.
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