Cultural heritage management in Ethiopia

Prior to the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie (1930–74), antiquities and art treasures were protected by the state on a case-by-case basis with the direct interest of the emperor. The imperial administrations also contributed to the renovation and restoration of much religious heritage. Even though Ethiopian cultural heritage came to the attention of the international community in the late 1860s due to the fieldwork of General Napier’s surveyors at Adulis, it took another 100 years for Ethiopia to pass any form of cultural heritage legislation. In 1966, the Ethiopian imperial government issued the Antiquities Proclamation to provide for the protection and preservation of antiquities. In 1966, Ethiopian Antiquities Administration was established. In 1969, to regulate export of antiquities, Export of Antiquities Regulations was passed. In 1976, the Ethiopian Government established the Centre for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage (CRCCH) to coordinate various restoration projects. In 1989, the government issued Proclamation 36/1989 on the Study and Protection of Cultural Heritage. In June 2000, the House of Peoples’ Representatives enacted Proclamation 209/2000 on the Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage. In August 2014, the Ethiopian government issued Proclamation 839/2014 on the Classification of Cultural Heritages into National and Regional Cultural Heritages.