The city's main market is busy but not Ethiopia's most interesting – its stallholders mostly sell modern household goods and the sort of clothes of interest only to locals.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
26.02 MILES
Rectangular in shape, with six massive free-standing pillars, this large and impressive 14th-century church (also known as Debre Tsion) is known for its…
24.86 MILES
Architecturally speaking, this 10th-century church is one of Tigray’s finest. It’s large and cruciform in shape, with cruciform pillars and…
24.46 MILES
In a pretty valley south of Hawzien and signposted off the Megab-Wukro road, Maryam Papaseit is one of the most accessible and rewarding churches in the…
23.01 MILES
This crooked cruciform sandstone church is semi-monolithic and boasts beautiful cruciform pillars (notice the swirling sandstone laminae), cubical…
21.65 MILES
One of the best museums in Ethiopia's north, Wukro Museum begins with some displays on generators and electricity in Wukro, which are interesting enough,…
25.42 MILES
High atop the mountain and not visible from the ground below, this rectangular chapel has six freestanding pillars that support a ceiling carved with…
27.58 MILES
Built into a small outcrop rather than a big hill, this church feels like a tomb and may have been one before being converted. The 19th-century ‘new’…
0.89 MILES
From a distance, this memorial to the victims of the Derg could be mistaken for the world’s biggest golf ball and tee. From up close it’s another story,…
Nearby Mekele attractions
0.17 MILES
Southwest of the ‘bazaar’, the intriguing monument in the roundabout is a memorial to the victims of the Derg bombing in Hawzien.
3. Nativity of Mary Catholic Cathedral
0.28 MILES
The spiritual hub of Mekele's small Catholic community.
0.47 MILES
The Italian-designed stone palace built for Emperor Yohannes IV (r 1872–89) is now an interesting museum. Although the palace itself is undergoing a…
0.54 MILES
One of many churches that tower over the rooftops of central Mekele.