Streets squares and districts to visit Tana – Antananarivo

It is a circular road that bypasses the capital and follows the Ikopa River. It is an opportunity to get away from the noise and urban pollution. The rice fields which encircle the capital penetrate in the popular districts and the suburbs. On the banks of the Ikopa, long boats glide on the water with their load of wood or bricks. On the banks, the peasants have built their numerous workshops to manufacture, with the earth which borders the Ikopa and the rice fields, the red bricks used for the construction of the houses of the Highlands.

Starting from the railway station of Soarano, we go up the Avenue de l'Indépendance towards the Avenue du 26 Juin. The Zoma (large market) no longer exists, it was closed due to health and safety problems, but there are still kiosks where it is possible to do some shopping.

This main axis, traced in 1912 to join the market to the station of Soarano, is the obligatory place of passage of the traveler. On weekends in the evening, many Malagasy come to park there, showing off their bottles (like so much booty) on their hoods, evoking a popular open-air bar.

Under the arcades, craftsmen and sellers offer souvenirs of all kinds: traditional games, jewelry, solitaires, stones, statuettes, copies of funeral sculptures, embroidery and spices, including vanilla.

Along the sidewalks, the 4L, 404, Renault 14, 2 CV blue, yellow, green, red, and often of a very advanced age, testify to the prodigious mechanical ability of Malagasy drivers, who are among the most qualified on the planet, due to unemployment. In some vehicles, the cell phone unlockers operate with astonishing dexterity.

Going up the Avenue du 26 Juin, the big post office (take a look at the colonial map of the world painted on the wall, it dates from the 1930s; small bulbs indicated the progress of the mail by sea or by plane), one will discover, on the right, a series of stairs going up to the Independence Square. To the right of the stairs, the Lido building is worth the detour: on the first floor, a large choice of postcards at unbeatable prices. Upstairs, the snack bar of the Cercle germano-malagasy (formerly Goethe Institute) is an ideal place to have a drink with some Malagasy artists. Its terrace on the top floor (access for a fee), with a view over the old Zoma (this large bazaar now commonly called the Pavilions) and the whole neighborhood of Analakely, is the best place for your overall photographs.

Along the stairs, sunglasses and stamps vendors are crowded. If you wish to have a stamp with your address and an original logo, it will be done in thirty minutes, by hand, for a derisory price.

At the top of the stairs, you arrive at the Independence Square. There, on stalls spread out in the sun the marvels of a craft born of recuperation: Coca cans transformed into Air Madagascar planes, bush cabs, Harley Davidson and multicolored rickshaws...

The Anosy district can be identified by its lake surrounded by jacarandas and by the imposing Carlton hotel. It can be reached through an unbreathable tunnel located at the top of the avenue of June 26. The tour of the lake is a pleasant walk, but the banks are littered with trash. In the center of the lake, the islet was used as an arsenal by Radama ^I. The central monument is dedicated to the combatants of the First World War. Near the lake stands a set of ministries. Nearby, one can enjoy the daily market of plants and flowers. This area is not the safest in the evening.

An amazing district where old English-style cottages, catholic temples, small gardens and narrow cobbled streets are intertwined. You will discover the Ambohijatovo Aravatra college, where many romantic poets were trained, the Faravohitra temple built in 1870, the Jules Ferry high school (large brick building)... To reach Faravohitra, take the district from Analakely: it goes up but you will appreciate the colorful stalls: one of the most picturesque sites of the center of Tana.

The Chinese are an influential community in local commerce. They have settled in all the major cities and ports of the east coast for two centuries. In Tana, the main Chinese district starts behind the town hall of the^1st district, in Ambodifilaho, up to Behoririka (real local Chinatown). Here, photo stores, restaurants, grocery stores are held by the Chinese community. It is also a popular place for pickpockets... be careful!

The center of the Antaninarenina district is constituted by the presidential palace (which was the former residence of the highest colonial authorities with an interesting architecture) and the set of ministries that surround it. We can spend a moment towards the tomb of the Prime Ministers (located in front of the Mojo Bar), not at all maintained, which reveals a large stone structure of 25 meters long: Jean Laborde had erected it in 1852 for the Prime Minister Rainiharo. After that, one can return to the Independence Square, where the bust of the first President Tsiranana is enthroned.

Going up Ratsimilaho Street on the left, from the Independence Square, beyond the post office, one will stroll among a set of useful and attractive stores: a bookstore, photo laboratories as well as a large choice of jewelry stores offering jewels unique to Madagascar: gold and silver bracelets, reproductions of queens' necklaces, maps of Madagasikara in pendants..

The walkers will continue their way during about twenty minutes by the streets Ranavalona III (old street of the tailors, it is there that the trade of the dressmakers and the tailors with the European mode beat its fullness at the beginning of the XXe century), Ratefinanahary, Venance Manifatra. This route leads to the Rova, the royal enclosure. It is a walking tour to be done by taking your time, by being attentive to the stalls as well as to the architecture of the houses, to the shadows and lights, to the smiles and glances.

This popular district of Tana is flooded every rainy season because the canals which cross it are blocked. Nevertheless, the route is worth to be done. Going along the railway station on the left, you arrive at the flea market. Further on, we reach the market of Isotry. Here, the tailors make you a tailor-made pants in the street, on their old Singer. Still further, on the bridge of Equality, gather every Friday the Mpihira Gasy, these artists of the peasant opera.

The Indo-Pakistani communities (called Karana) are influential in trade throughout the Indian Ocean and Islam has been present in Madagascar since the 8th century. The majority of the Karana are Muslim. The main Indo-Pakistani and Comorian neighborhood is Tsaralalana. Grocery stores, hardware stores, bazaars, almost all the stores are run by Karana. Here many men wear beards; the women wrap themselves in loose clothing that evokes Lahore. Verses from the Koran and pictures of Mecca adorn the stores.