Merkato

Amharic Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...

: መርካቶ;

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

: "market") is a large open-air

marketplace A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a '' souk'' (from the Arabic), ' ...

in the

Addis Ketema Addis Ketema ( am, አዲስ ከተማ ክፍለ ከተማ, meaning "new city") is a district of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. As of 2011 its population was 271,664. Geography The district is located in the northwestern area of the city, not far from ...

, district of

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...

, Ethiopia, and the name refers to the neighborhood in which it is located.

Overview

Mercato is the largest open-air market in Africa, covering several square miles and employing an estimated 13,000 people in 7,100 business entities. The primary merchandise passing through the Merkato is locally grown agricultural products — most notably

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. S ...

. Prior to the current Mercato, there was an open marketplace in Addis Ababa near St. George Church at the site where the

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

stands now, but it ended with the Italian occupation of the 1930s. The occupiers moved the market further west to the area around the premises of Fitawrari

Habte Giyorgis Dinagde '' Fitawrari'' Habte Giyorgis Dinagde ( am, ሀብተ ጊዮርጊስ ዲነግዴ; ; 1851 – 12 December 1926) also known by his horse name Abba Mechal was an Ethiopian military commander and government official who, among several other pos ...

, which they named Merkato Dinagde. Thus, the present Addis Merkato was founded by the segregationist policies of the Italian occupational government. Meanwhile, the Italians restricted the historic St. George Merkato to Europeans, renaming it Piazza, which featured European-style shops that displayed commodities through glass windows. The mostly Arab tradesmen who owned stores there eventually relocated a half-mile to the west. Over time, local shopkeepers displaced the Arab merchants and, since the 1960s, the Addis Merkato has had a mostly local flavor. The Mercato Dijino did not have any plan and gradually grew in width and breadth taking different categorical stocks called "terras".

References

* Zewde, Bahru. (1991) ''A History of Modern Ethiopia''. London: James Currey.

External links

* Economy of Addis Ababa Buildings and structures in Addis Ababa Retail markets in Ethiopia {{AddisAbaba-geo-stub