Haile Selassie Held Captive Addis Ababa’s Imperial Palace, The Imperial Palace is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is also known as Menelik Palace after its builder.
When emperor Menelik II moved his capital from mount Entoto to Addis Ababa, he built the Imperial palace as his main residence in 1886. Emperor Haile Selassie moved later to the Guenete Leul Palace. But the Imperial palace remained the official seat of the emperor until his fall in 1974. After his fall, emperor Haile Selassie was imprisoned in one of the buildings of the palace and later killed here. He was buried secretly within the palace grounds. Based on some reports a latrine was built on his grave. After the fall of communism, the emperor was reburied in 2000. The palace has remained to be the seat of government. Nowadays, the complex holds the residence of the prime minister and it is not opened to visitors.
The palace grounds contains different churches. The most important is the Ta’eka Negest (Resting Place of Kings) Ba’eta Le Mariam Monastery. It has a large Imperial crown at at top of the dome. The church serves as a mausoleum for emperor Menelik II, his wife Empress Taitu, and Empress Zewditu, his daughter and eventual successor. Other churches within the grounds are the Se’el Bet Kidane Meheret Church (Our Lady Covenant of Mercy) and the Debre Mengist St. Gabriel Church.
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