Addis Mercato (Amharic for "New Market",[citation needed] popularly
just Mercato, from the Italian for "market") is the
name for the large open-air marketplace in theAddis
Ketema district of Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia, and for the neighborhood in which it
is located.
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 Mercato is locally-grown agricultural products — most notably coffee.
The Addis Mercato was
instituted by segregationist policies of the Italian
occupational government. Merkato is said to have been established as
a marketplace during the Italian occupation, when it was called Merkato
Indigino – market of the indigenous. The intention was to marginalise the local
marketers from the centre of the city, Arada Ghiorgis, which the Italians
called Piazza and where they opened shops for their convenience.[1] They restricted the historic St.
George Mercato to
Europeans, causing the mostly Arab tradesmen to relocate a half mile to the
west. Over time, local shopkeepers displaced the Arab merchants and, since the
1960s, the Addis Mercato has had a mostly local flavor.
The Addis Mercato has over
150 stores and four massive shopping centers with 75 stores.
Notable landmarks near the Mercato include the Al-Anwar Mosque and the Cathedral of the Holy Family.
