Ethnological Museum

The Ethnological Museum occupies the Guenete Leul palace, built for Haile Selassie in the 1930s and given to the university in 1961, and the building is part of the exhibit: his bedroom and bathroom are preserved, including the mirror through which he is said to have watched the road, and the scale of the rooms gives a sense of the imperial court. The collection itself is organised around the life cycle, from birth through childhood, adulthood and death, drawing on communities from across the country and explaining objects in that framework rather than by region, which works well. Upstairs are galleries of religious art, processional crosses and icons, and a display of traditional musical instruments. It is generally rated the best-arranged museum in the country.

Highlights

• The life-cycle galleries - objects arranged from birth to death.
• Haile Selassie's rooms - the preserved bedroom and bathroom.
• Religious art - crosses, icons and manuscripts.
• Musical instruments - the traditional instruments of the regions.

When to go

Year round. It closes on some public holidays and university dates can affect access. Mornings are quietest. Two to three hours is enough for the whole building.

Before you go

The building is a working university property and parts can be closed. Labelling is better than at most Ethiopian museums but still uneven in places. Photography rules vary and a fee may apply. The campus setting means security checks at the gate.

Nearby

The National Museum is nearby; Entoto hills rise to the north.