“He is a one-man institution,” says Bekele Mekonnen, a renowned Ethiopian artist and associate professor at the Ale School of Fine Arts and Design, Addis Ababa University. His words are a testament to a fellow Ethiopian—a passionate collector of antiquities.
Step into three modest rooms, and one sees a treasure trove: ancient books, audio recordings, silverware, gold medals, coins, military and civil insignia, musical instruments like saxophones, violins, and pianos, as well as costumes, reels, and more.
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One of the first artifacts to greet visitors is a rare 1630 bilingual Geez-Latin book, “Historia, di Heliodoro delle Cose; Chaldeae sev Aethiopicae Linguae Institutiones,” which translates to “History,by Heliodorus: Institutions of the Chaldean and Ethiopian Languages.”
This is just the beginning of the remarkable collection curated by Abdi Negash, an energetic, middle-aged man with a deep love for preserving Ethiopia’s past.
Abdi’s store holds thousands of rare history books in German, French, Italian, and English—penned by explorers, missionaries, envoys, and soldiers. Notable among them are works authored by the Pankhurst family, who have been instrumental in documenting Ethiopia’s modern history.
One particular shelf displays Volumes 1-5 of the 1790 publication of Voyage en Nubia et en Abyssinia (“Journey to Discover Nubia and Abyssinia Undertaken to Discover the Sources of the Nile”) by Scottish explorer James Bruce. Bruce, though he failed to find the true source, chronicled his journey to the confluence of the White and Blue Nile in what is now Sudan.
Another rare find is Commassie and Magdala: The Story of the British Campaign in Africa, 1874 by Henri M. Stanley, a British traveler and one of the prisoners held by Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia. Cardinal Massaia’s 12-volume set, Trentacinque Anni di Missione nell’Alta Ethiopia (1888), recounting 35 years of missionary work in Ethiopia, also sits among the crowded shelves.
The store is located just steps away from the state-of-the-art Abrehot Library and Ethiopia’s Parliament, nestled in the heart of Addis Ababa. Abdi’s collection also includes Sir William Cornwallis Harris’s The Highlands of Ethiopia (1844) and Encyclopaedia Aethiopica byHarrassowitz Verlag—a definitive reference on the Horn of Africa.
But these are only a fraction of the treasures in Abdi’s collection. He claims to house several thousand antique books, every shelf brimming with volumes. “I only sell duplicate copies, and on the strict condition that they stay in Ethiopia,” Abdi tells The Reporter Magazine.
In addition to books, the store showcases silver cups adorned with intricate designs, gold coins featuring Ethiopia’s last emperor, medals presented to Emperor Menelik IIby the Holy Trinity Cathedral, and military uniforms worn by Ethiopian troops during their anti-colonial mission in the Congo. Visitors are often serenaded by old Ethiopian music playing on reels as they admire historical paintings and photographs lining the walls.
One of the store’s most prized collections is five massive volumes of New Times and Ethiopia News, an English-language newspaper published by Sylvia Pankhurst between 1936 and 1956 in London. The very first issue, dated August 29, 1936, headlines “Two Victims of Fascism: Spain and Abyssinia,” alongside a powerful photograph of Emperor Haile Selassie I at the Cenotaph.
Every corner of the antique shop tells a story. Here, history isn’t just preserved—it’s alive, waiting to offer visitors an unforgettable journey through time.
The fourth of nine siblings, Abdi’s passion for collecting antiquities began when he served as a clerk at the Italian Library in Addis Ababa. Fluent in Amharic, Italian, and “some” English, Abdi has been growing his collection for the past 25 years, ever since the Italian library closed its doors.
He admits it has been a challenging endeavor. “I don’t own a car or a house. But thanks to my brothers and sisters in business, whenever I needed hundreds of thousands of birr to buy a single antique, they were always there to support me,” Abdi said.
The antique shop has become a haven for scholars from Addis Ababa University, as well as for international researchers, particularly those focused on language, linguistics, and history. Many visitors have stayed for weeks, poring over his vast collection. “They never left without finding what they were looking for, and they always thanked me,” he says with pride.
Bekele notes, “The kind of work Abdi is doing is something only an institution should undertake. He believes Abdi is filling a gap that the state should have addressed. “He needs support—a space to display his collection, and help with curating,” Bekele emphasized.
Bekele himself has benefited from Abdi’s collection. He says he found the scholarly materials he needed to prepare for his exhibition in Italy. “I couldn’t find them anywhere else,” he says, recalling the installation art he showcased in Italy. “I even found medals circulated in Ethiopia by Mussolini during the 1935–41 invasion, as well as other symbols and writings essential for my presentation. These were materials I couldn’t find anywhere else.”
Zekeriya Mohammed, a journalist and author, calls Abdi’s store “a treasure trove where one can spend hours.” He adds, “Abdi’s place isn’t just a bookshop. It’s one of Addis Ababa’s hidden gems—a wonder the city can proudly show to visitors.”
“I think Abdi has established himself as the go-to destination for anyone looking for rare books and antiques,” Zekeriya says.
One of the store’s regular visitors is Alula Pankhurst (PhD), grandson of Sylvia Pankhurst and a renowned Ethiopian studies researcher at AAU.
“I make it a point to bring guests from abroad to Abdi’s store. It houses antiques that you won’t even find in galleries or museums elsewhere,” Alula said. “Even when it comes to the newspapers my grandmother published during the Italian invasion, Abdi’s collection is more complete than mine—I have missing issues.”
However, Abdi’s establishment is challenged by spatial constraints. The artifacts are crammed together, with no room for proper curation. “As much as my landlord has helped me, he can’t keep me here much longer. Where will I go if I don’t find a proper space? I can’t just burn my collection,” Abdi said, gesturing to the packed shelves around him.
Government officials appear to recognize the importance of his collection, and Abdi is in the process of securing a proper space display his cherished possessions. “I have a letter of support signed by former Tourism Minister Hirut Kassaw(PhD),” he says, optimistic about the future.
Despite the ongoing space constraints, Abdi continues to acquire new antiques, ensuring that his store remains a living repository of Ethiopia’s rich history.
