Emperor Yohannes IV chose Mekele as the seat of his government and built this graceful stone palace in the 1870s. The two-storey structure, built in a style blending local Tigrinya traditions with Italian-influenced stonework, served as the imperial residence during the years when Yohannes was consolidating Ethiopian power against Egyptian and later Mahdist threats.
After the Emperor's death in battle in 1889, the palace was preserved by successive Ethiopian governments. It is now a museum containing his throne, royal bed, ceremonial dress, rifles, and an impressive church collection: illuminated manuscripts on vellum, gilded processional crosses, and paintings of the saints produced in the Tigrayan style. The courtyard gives a good sense of the palace's original layout, and the views over the city are worth the climb to the upper floors.