Antananarivo (Tana)

Antananarivo, locally known as Tana, was founded in 1610, when Merina King Andrianjaka expelled the inhabitants of the village of Analamanga and proclaimed it to be the site of his capital. It retained its original name until the end of the 17th century, when King Andriamasinavalona renamed it Antananarivo, in honour of Andrianjaka's soldiers, who were said to be 1000 men. Antananarivo means 'City of the Thousand'.

The busy city is built on 3 ridges that intersect at their highest point and include a total of 12 hills. At the summit of these hils is the Manjakamiadana royal palace, which is part of the rova (Palace of Queen Ranavalona). The palace was burned to the ground in 1995 and one of its remaining walls collapsed in 2004, but it has been beautifully restored. Its hilltop location provides excellent views over the city.

The skyline of Antananarivo is a mix of colorful, historic houses and churches, while the surrounding area is covered in rice fields. The residential areas around therova have historically always been inhabited according to social standing, with the higher ranking classes living closer to the palace. As a result, the suburbs higher in elevation are more prestigious and expensive places to live.

Before the 19th century, most buildings in Madagascar were made of wood and reeds, with only tombs built from stone. British missionaries introduced brick-making to the island in the 1820's. The first stone palaces were not built until the 1860's. Later, aristocrats followed with two-story, brick houses with wrapped verandas, known as trano gasy ('Malagasy house'). It remains the predominant house construction style to this day.

As its population grew, the city expanded to the west and later to the northern hilltop neighborhood of Andohalo. The commoners settled on the lower slopes, further away from the royal palace. Those neighborhoods are densely populated and very lively. They feature numerous historic sites. The principal neighborhoods in this area are Antaninarenina, Ankadifotsy, Ambatonakanga and Isoraka. Bordering these neighborhoods are the commercial areas of Besarety and Andravoahangy.

La Haute

Until the mid-19th century, Antananarivo remained a compact city that was mostly concentrated around the rova. This area is nowadays known as Haute-Ville, or 'la haute' (upper town).

La Haute features numerous narrow streets that lead uphill to the rova. You will see more former Royal buildings in some of the streets, as well as some churches. The Andafiavaratra Palace was the home of 19th-century Prime Minister Rainilaiarivony and contains a museum featuring historic artifacts of the Kingdom of Imerina, including items saved from the fire at the Rova. Downhill from the palaces is Andohalo square, where Merina kings and queens delivered speeches to the public. Nearby is an interesting cathedral. The Kianja ny Fahaleovantena (Place de l'Indépendance) is also located in Haute-Ville.

Analakely

The neighborhood of Analakely is northeast of Haute-Ville. It is Antananarivo's commercial center and it is located on the valley floor between the hill ranges. It is the location of the huge Zoma Market. At the market sellers are grouped together depending on what they sell. The Zoma market is one of the best places in Madagascar to buy Malagasy crafts. It is supposed to be the second largest market in the world and it is held on Fridays (Zoma). Beware of thieves and pickpockets though.

The market was originally established by King Andrianampoinimerina at the end of the 18th century. It grew and in the 1930's it was decided to build a pavilion to house the market. Growth continued and by the 1990's the market was so large, it congested much of the area. In 1997, it was split up and the merchants were moved to different districts.

If you want to see how some of the sold items are manufactured, you should visit the Andravoahangy Market in the northeastern side of the capital. Stonemasons, embroiderers, booksellers, carpenters and other professional craftspeople are busy fabricating their wares.

Just south of Zoma Market are the gardens of Ambohijatovo. There you'll find the main street in Tana: the Araben ny Fahaleovantena, or Avenue de l'Indépendance (Independence Avenue). It is only about 500 meters long and it is a good orientation point when exploring the city. At its northern end it runs into the airport road not far from the railway station in the district of Soarano.

Soarano

Antananarivo's main railway station of Soarano is at the northern end of Independence Avenue.

Isoraka

Isoraka boasts a lively nightlife, with many upscale restaurants and inns. The tomb of Prime Minister Rainiharo (1833–1852) and his sons Rainivoninahitriniony and Rainilaiarivony is located there as well.

The Museum of Art and Archaeology is also located in Isoraka. It has exhibits on the history and cultures of Madagascar's various ethnic groups. It is at the junction of La Réunion and Lalana Dok Villette.

Other districts

West of Soarano is the commercial district of Tsaralalàna. It is the location of the Pirates Museum, where you can learn more about the history of maritime pirates and the story of the pirates in Madagascar and their mysterious Republic of Libertalia.

East of Soarano are the districts of Behoririka and Andravoahangy. In Andravoahangy is an interesting artisan market. Another good market is Le Pochard. Antanimena borders Soarano and Behoririka to the north.

In the south of Antananarivo is a tunnel that connnects the neighborhood of Ambohijatovo with Ambanidia. It also provides access to the national Supreme Court buildings and the residential neighborhood of Mahamasina, as well as to Lake Anosy.

In the 195+'s, the bordering district of Anosy was developed to house Madagascar's national ministries and the Senate. Anosy was planned as a the residential district of Soixante-Sept Hectares (often abbreviated to '67'). Together with the neighborhood of Isotry, they are Antananarivo's most densely populated, crime-ridden and impoverished neighborhoods.

Other places of interest

Another interesting place to visit is the Parc Botanique et Zoologique de Tsimbazaza (Tsimbazaza Zoo). You can see various species of lemurs, such as the aye-aye, but you can also see other animals including egrets, herons, crocodiles and Aldabran and Malagasy tortoises. The Musée d'Académie Malgache is on the same grounds. It has exhibitions on the country's nature, culture and tribal village life. There are examples from skeletal remains and preserved eggs from the extinct elephant bird, as well as giant lemurs, a short-tailed white hippo and a dugong. There are also botanic gardens on the premises.

Historic buildings in Tana also include the Ambatondrafandrana tribunal, where Ranavalona I dispensed judgment. The second residence of Rainilaiarivony with its indigenous medicinal plant garden is also worth a visit, as are the Malgache Academy and Mahamasina Stadium.

About 30 km north of the capital is the Ambonimanga, the King's Palace.

There is a wide variety of accommodation in the capital, but it is mostly expensive. There are many restaurants in town, but you can also get nice food from food stalls and hotelys, especially in the area near the Zoma Market. There is a bus connection between the airport and the railway station in Tana. The best way to get around in the city is by taxi. When going uphill the rates are higher than downhill though! the gare routière is a few hundred meters north of the railway station, on the way to the airport.

In the center of town is a lake called Fariky Anasy. Be careful walking around the city at night, as it is quite unsafe.