The Palace of Sheikh Khojali in Addis Ababa: A Symbol of Early 20th Century Centre-Periphery Relations

Abstract

This paper discusses the relation between architectural symbolism and historiography. Its point of the departure is the palace of the early 20th-century ruler of Bela Shangul, Sheikh Khojali al-Hasan, in Addis Ababa, and the following question: what do the remains of the palace tell us about centreperiphery relations between Addis Ababa and Bela Shangul during the empirebuilding process of modern Ethiopia, somehow between the 1890s and 1930s? The paper compares similar palaces and architectural representations of other “semi-independent” regions, like Jimma, Naqamtee, and Gubba.