Largest market in Africa, MERCATO

Here is few things about Mercato
Mercato is the largest open air market in Africa, covering several square miles and employing an estimated 13,000 people in 7,100 business entities. The primary merchandise passing through the Mercato is locally-grown agricultural products.Here it is possible to find literally everything, from spices to fabrics, gold jewellery to western-style clothes.
Somali Tera, between Merkato and Arada, is the place to go for spare parts for cars. The central wholesale fruit and vegetable market, Atikilt Tera.
Operating six days a week (it is closed on Sundays), there is seemingly little logic to Mercato, whose small shops, stalls and market halls spin off chaotically into labyrinthine alleyways. But after a while the disorder does make some sort of sense. The markets winding lanes are arranged according to the various products so that youll find mounds of colorful plastic goods grouped together, blaring music will lead you to the electronics section, while the pungent aroma of deep red berbere (chilli pepper) draws you to a heady display of spices. Across the way, the market hall housing multitudinous traditional crafts, silver jewelry and woven cloth is a magnet for tourists.
The Grand Anwar Mosque, a small synagogue and numerous Orthodox Christian churches are located in this area.

I remeber a nice storry on this, some years ago, Ethiopia was going through some difficult political Problems through the election, we remember all, I was watching the News on BBC to catch latest Information as all of us. Suddenly a BBC journalist was Standing on MERCATO, in a verry tentioned Position (you know how they get themself into the right Position to get us realy to feel the risk....) - and I never Forget his words, making me realy laugh -" ... I am her in Addis Abeba at the MARCATO one of the poorest parts of Addis Abeba"  - hey what di he just say, the poorest part,  their is more Money circulating on MARCATO than any other place in Addis, even the local Banks would be guelest if we could hear the right number!

This place sounds good, when is best to go ?