162 ETB/$1at the banks today12°Cin Addis Ababa, Cloudy
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Muslim travellers

Islam reached Ethiopia before it reached Medina: around 615 CE the Prophet Muhammad's first followers found refuge with the king of Aksum, the First Hijra, remembered at the Al-Nejashi Mosque in Negash. Today about a third of Ethiopians, roughly 40 million people, are Muslim, almost all Sunni of the Shafi'i school with strong Sufi traditions; you'll hear the call to prayer across Addis, and Eid is a public holiday. More on Wikipedia.

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Qibla: almost due north

From Addis Ababa, face 4.7° east of north, towards Mecca, 1,383 km away. Mosques show it already; the gold line on the map below points the way.

Grand Anwar Mosque, Merkato
Grand Anwar Mosque, MerkatoFrancisco Anzola · CC BY 3.0
Grand Anwar Mosque
Grand Anwar MosqueGangaddis · CC BY-SA 4.0
Al-Nejashi Mosque, Negash
Al-Nejashi Mosque, NegashEvan Williams · CC BY-SA 4.0
Al-Nejashi Mosque, Negash
Al-Nejashi Mosque, NegashSailko · CC BY 3.0
Jamia Mosque, Harar
Jamia Mosque, HararSailko · CC BY 3.0
A mosque in Harar
A mosque in HararRod Waddington from Kergunyah, Australia · CC BY-SA 2.0
Minaret of the Jamia Mosque, Harar
Minaret of the Jamia Mosque, HararSailko · CC BY 3.0
  • You'll find mosques in every part of Addis Ababa. The Grand Anwar Mosque in Merkato is the largest.
  • Halal: pork is rarely sold in Ethiopia. Muslims buy meat from Muslim butchers and eat at Muslim-run restaurants, which are easy to find and often have Islamic names; if you're not sure, ask. There is no national halal label for restaurants.
  • Drinks: Sen'q (Sinq) and Negus are malt drinks labelled non-alcoholic, as is Malta Guinness; fresh juice (spris), coffee, tea and Ambo sparkling water are everywhere. Tej (honey wine), tella (home brew), areke and local beers contain alcohol. [More on food and drink](/essentials/food-delivery).
  • Muslim butchers stay open on Wednesdays and Fridays, when many others close.
  • Most Ethiopian Muslims speak Amharic, Afaan Oromo or Somali rather than Arabic, though Arabic is used in prayer.
  • If you carry a prayer mat (musalla), you can pray almost anywhere; ask politely in shops, offices or hotels.
  • Shia Muslims: there's no known public Shia mosque in Addis. The Embassy of Iran (Iran Street, Nifas Silk Lafto) hosts gatherings such as Ashura and Eid al-Ghadir; contact its cultural section.
  • Friday midday prayers (Jumu'ah) are busy; arrive early. Many government offices close at about 11:45 am on Fridays for the prayer, so schedule appointments for the morning.

Musalla

Find nearby mosques and prayer spaces, prayer times and the Qibla.

Mosques in Addis Ababa105 mapped

From OpenStreetMap, so not every place is listed. Tap a dot for directions.

Google Maps has more places, photos and opening hours; search "mosque", "church" or "synagogue" near you.