ከታ መስጊድ Keta Big Mosque

Rising as a cherished landmark of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, the Keta Big Mosque carries the Amharic name Keta Masgid for generations of Ethiopian Muslims who gather within its walls for the five daily prayers and for the celebration of the two great Islamic festivals each year. Addis Ababa, whose name in Amharic means new flower, was founded as the capital of the Ethiopian Empire in 1886 by Menelik II and his consort Taytu Betul, and it now sits at roughly two thousand three hundred metres above sea level in the fertile highlands of central Ethiopia, making it one of the highest capital cities in the world. Islam reached Ethiopia during the very lifetime of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), when a small group of early Muslims, facing persecution in Makkah, crossed the Red Sea and sought refuge at the court of the just Christian king known in Arabic sources as the Najashi. That first migration, celebrated in biographies of the Prophet as the First Hijrah, gave Ethiopia a unique place in Islamic history, and every mosque in the country inherits a portion of that noble memory, from the ancient city of Harar to the bustling quarters of the modern capital. Ethiopian mosque architecture blends local highland materials with international Islamic motifs. Walls of dressed stone, plaster smoothed to a soft cream, twin minarets painted in green and white, arched windows edged with decorative tile, and a central dome topped by a crescent moon shape the exterior. Inside, soft carpets woven in the Middle East cover the floor, a wooden mihrab points northeast toward Makkah, and a carved minbar stands beside it awaiting the Friday khutbah delivered in Amharic and Arabic. Reliable daily prayer times for the Keta Big Mosque in Addis Ababa, together with its address, a location map, and practical visitor notes, are provided on this page for residents of the capital, Ethiopian Muslims visiting from the provinces, and international travellers exploring the historic churches, markets, and museums of the city. Addis Ababa is celebrated for the Entoto mountains, the bustling Merkato bazaar which ranks among the largest open markets in Africa, and the National Museum housing the fossilised remains of the hominid Lucy. After Jumu'ah, worshippers at Keta often share plates of injera, spicy shiro stew, and cups of freshly roasted Ethiopian coffee in the warm hospitality that characterises every corner of this ancient highland land.