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Yekatit 12 Monument
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Landmark
Yekatit 12 Monument
Obelisk at Sidist Kilo for the victims of the massacre of 19 February 1937
- Area
- Sidist Kilo
The Yekatit 12 Monument is an obelisk at Sidist Kilo, Addis Ababa. It remembers the people killed by Italian forces from 19 February 1937.
Good for
- Free entry
- Visitors
- Remembers the massacre that started on 19 February 1937
- Inaugurated on 2 November 1944 by Emperor Haile Selassie
- Ceremony each year on 19 February
- In front of the main gate of Addis Ababa University
The Yekatit 12 Monument stands in the middle of Sidist Kilo square. The square is also called Yekatit 12 Square.
History
Yekatit 12 is a date in the Ethiopian calendar. It is 19 February 1937 in the Gregorian calendar. On that day two men threw grenades at the Italian viceroy Rodolfo Graziani during a ceremony in Addis Ababa. He lived. Italian forces then killed civilians in the city for several days. Estimates of the dead go from 1,400 to 30,000. A study of 2017 gives about 19,200.
Emperor Haile Selassie inaugurated the monument on 2 November 1944. A ceremony is held at the monument each year on 19 February.
What to see
The monument is a white obelisk. Bands of dark relief sculpture run around it and show the events of the massacre. Lawns and flower beds fill the traffic island around it.
Getting there
The monument is at Sidist Kilo, in front of the main gate of Addis Ababa University. The Ethnological Museum is inside the gate. The Lion Zoo is on the next corner.
Good to know
Entry is free. The square is a busy traffic circle, so use the crossings. Allow 10 minutes.
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Frequently asked questions
What does the Yekatit 12 Monument remember?
It remembers the civilians killed by Italian forces in Addis Ababa from 19 February 1937.
Where is the Yekatit 12 Monument?
It stands at Sidist Kilo, in front of the main gate of Addis Ababa University.
Sources
- Yekatit 12, Wikipedia
- Photo: Antun Augustinčić e Frano Kršinić, monumento allo yehkatit 12, 1955, 02.jpg by Sailko, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Antun Augustinčić e Frano Kršinić, monumento allo yehkatit 12, 1955, 01.jpg by Sailko, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Antun Augustinčić e Frano Kršinić, monumento allo yehkatit 12, 1955, 01 (cropped).jpg by Sailko, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Siddist kilo, built 1955, picture taken 1960.jpg by Bair175, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Profile last reviewed November 12, 2026.
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Museum
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