National Museum of Ethiopia

The National Museum of Ethiopia is located near Addis Ababe University and is the main museum in Ethiopia. The exposition of the museum presents national works of art and valuable archaeological finds. For example, the remains of early hominids, the most famous of which is "Lucy", a partial skeleton of an instance of australopithecine afarensis.

The museum’s exposition began with a permanent exhibition, opened in 1936, showing ceremonial costumes donated by the royal family and their loved ones. The second stage of the establishment of the museum was the division of the Institute of Archaeology, founded in 1958 to organize archaeological research in the country. And according to the results of the excavations, a modern exposition of the museum was organized, gradually replenished with new exhibits.

Currently, the museum has four main sections. The basement is dedicated to archaeological and paleoanthropological discoveries. The ground floor displays exhibits dating back to the ancient period and the Middle Ages, as well as regalia and memorabilia from former rulers. The second floor features works of art in chronological order, from traditional to contemporary works by Ethiopian artists. Finally, on the third floor there is an ethnographic exhibition dedicated to the culture of the peoples of Ethiopia.