Hagere Selam (Degua Tembien)

Hagere Selam (meaning place of peace) is a town in northern Ethiopia. Located on the Mekelle-Abiy Addi regional road, it is located at an elevation of 2650 metres above sea level. The town is the administrative center of the Dogu'a Tembien woreda. The weekly market is on Saturdays.

Hagere Selam
Hagere Selam
Location within Ethiopia
Coordinates: 13°39′N 39°10′E
CountryEthiopia
RegionTigray
ZoneMehakelegnaw (Central)
WoredaDegua Tembien
Area
 • Total5.22 km2 (2.02 sq mi)
Elevation
2,625 m (8,612 ft)
Population
 (2007)
 • Total8,130
 • Density1,557/km2 (4,030/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+3 (EAT)

Hagere Selam is located on the saddle point between two of the higher points in Tigray (Imba Zuw'ala and Tsatsen). The regional road from Mekelle to Abiy Addi climbs towards Hagere Selam, before going down to the Abergele lowlands. The area is categorized as highland or dega. The local economy is dependent on trading, agriculture, with barley being the main crop grown in the area, and on milk production and apiculture.

Cross-bred cow for milk production in Hagere Selam (Arado x Holstein-Friesian
The southern 'suburbs' of Hagere Selam belong to the village of Dingilet

Demographics

Based on figures from the census in 2007, Hagere Selam had a total population of 8130, of whom 3702 were men and 4428 were women. The 1994 census reported a total population of 3932.[1] The functional agglomeration of Hagere Selam is larger than its administrative boundaries, as urban houses are also built on adjacent land of nearby villages Dingilet, Harena and Melfa.

Water

Given its upper position in the landscape, the town suffers from endemic water shortages. A small reservoir was built at the southern side of the town for sake of irrigation in Addi Selam, but it has been silted up because of erosion during road works.

Religion and churches

Almost inhabitants are Orthodox Christians. There are two churches in Hagere Selam: Medhane Alem and Tsion.

Schools

Almost all children of the town are schooled,[2] though in some schools there is lack of classrooms, directly related to the large intake in primary schools over the last decades.[3] Schools in Hagere Selam include Addi Selam TVET (technical and vocational school) and Hagere Selam High School.

History
Hagere Selam around 2010
Oldest house in modern materials: a chalet built by Swiss nurse Ruth Trummer around 1965

The history of Hagere Selam is strongly confounded with the history of Tembien. For a long time, Melfa, west of Hagere Selam, was the capital of Tembien;[4] later on, the administration was established in Abiy Addi as it was easier of access.[5]

In 1951, Gebru Gebrehiwot, the new governor, decided to create a new capital of Tembien. First the location of Melfa was chosen. As the inhabitants of Melfa rejected the idea, Hagere Selam was created as a new town. It used already to be an open air market place (hence the name "Idaga Hamus" or Thursday market) – the place was a strategically located mountain saddle, also called "May Aleqti". The new town grew then from the pre-existing settlements May Aleqti and Addi Hailom. In practice, the capital remained in Abiy Addi. It was only after the district of Dogu’a Tembien was created that Hagere Selam started to grow. Basic modern infrastructure (electricity, tap water) came only in the early years 2000.[4] Starting 2016, a new settlement was established in a nearby location called Addi Selam.

During the 2020-2021 Tigray War, massacres were carried out in Hagere Selam by the Ethiopian and Eritrean armies, and the town was looted for two days by Eritrean soldiers.[6] A fire was detected during the night of Dec. 15-16 within Hagere Selam town. An EEPA report stated that this corroborated reports of ongoing attacks in the area.[7] On 21 December 2020, an EEPA report stated that ENDF soldiers killed ‘many’ in Hagere Selam. They had come to the town to take revenge after they lost a battle against Tigray Defence Forces. In the subsequent days the town Hagere Selam was ‘entirely’ looted by Eritrean soldiers fighting on the side of the ENDF. They went door to door, forcing their way in and taking what they could. In Hagere Selam there was no water and little food and the hospital was in a dire situation as medical supplies were running critically low. It could not refer patients to the main Ayder referral hospital in Mekelle.[8]

Geology

Geological formations

From the higher to the lower locations, the following geological formations are present:[9]

Intra-volcanic sedimentary rock outcrop in a roadcut at the Ksad Addi Amyuq pass above Hagere Selam

Geomorphology and soils

The Hagere Selam Highlands form a unique geomorphic unit, on the Tertiary volcanic rocks. Corresponding soil types are:[10]

  • Associated soil types
  • Inclusions
    • Rock outcrops and very shallow soils (Lithic Leptosol)
    • Rock outcrops and very shallow soils on limestone (Calcaric Leptosol)
    • Deep dark cracking clays with very good natural fertility, waterlogged during the wet season (Chromic Vertisol, Pellic Vertisol)
    • Shallow stony dark loams on calcaric material (Calcaric Regosol, Calcaric Cambisol)
    • Brown loamy soils on basalt with good natural fertility (Luvisol)
See also: Soil in Dogu'a Tembien

Tourism

Its mountainous nature and proximity to Mekelle makes the tabia fit for tourism.[11]

Touristic attractions
  • Viewpoints at Ksad Addi Amyuq
  • Fortifications of the Derg army on Imba Zuw’ala
  • TPLF previous headquarters in caves in neighbouring Mahbere Sillasie
  • Open-air museum representing the different nationalities of Ethiopia (under construction)

Geotouristic sites

The high variability of geological formations and the rugged topography invites for geological and geographic tourism or “geotourism”.[12] Most geosites are located in surrounding tabias, but at the outskirts of Hagere Selam one finds:

  • Bi’en ridge
  • Kulliheni gully (created after road building)
  • Addi Selam Vertisols
  • Luvisol quarries
  • Columnar basalt
  • Imba Khoboro viewpoint

Trekking routes

Trekking routes have been established around Hagere Selam, often with a starting point at the outskirts of the town.[13] The tracks are not marked on the ground but can be followed using downloaded .GPX files.[14] Route 1 rounds the town and can serve as an introductory trek before venturing to further places (6 km).

Siwa and myes

Hagere Selam is known for its mead (myes) and local siwa (beer). Whereas most villages have a limited number of establishments where these drinks can be consumed,[15] they are numerous in Hagere Selam, particularly at the eastern side of the town.

More detailed information

For more details on environment, agriculture, rural sociology, hydrology, ecology, culture, etc., see the overall page on the Dogu’a Tembien district.

References
  1. Data provided by Woreda Dogu'a Tembien Finance Office
  2. Socio-demographic profile, food insecurity and food-aid based response. In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District. SpringerNature. 2019. ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6.
  3. Hartjen, C.A. and Priyadarsini, S., 2012. Denial of Education. In The Global Victimization of Children (pp. 271-321). Springer, Boston, MA. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4614-2179-5_8 .
  4. Smidt, W (2007). "Mälfa, in: Uhlig S (ed.): Encyclopaedia Aethiopica, Vol 3": 696. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. Zervos, A (1936). L'Empire d'Ethiopie, Le Miroir de l'Ethiopie moderne 1906-1935. Alexandria (Egypt): Ecole des Frères.
  6. Nyssen, Jan (2021). "The situation in Tigray at the beginning of 2021". Researchgate. Archived from the original on 2021-01-14. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
  7. Situation Report EEPA HORN No. 30 - 19 December Europe External Programme with Africa
  8. Situation Report EEPA HORN No. 33 - 22 December Europe External Programme with Africa
  9. Sembroni, A.; Molin, P.; Dramis, F. (2019). Regional geology of the Dogu'a Tembien massif. In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District. SpringerNature. ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6.
  10. Nyssen, Jan; Tielens, Sander; Gebreyohannes, Tesfamichael; Araya, Tigist; Teka, Kassa; Van De Wauw, Johan; Degeyndt, Karen; Descheemaeker, Katrien; Amare, Kassa; Haile, Mitiku; Zenebe, Amanuel; Munro, Neil; Walraevens, Kristine; Kindeya Gebrehiwot; Poesen, Jean; Frankl, Amaury; Tsegay, Alemtsehay; Deckers, Jozef (2019). "Understanding spatial patterns of soils for sustainable agriculture in northern Ethiopia's tropical mountains". PLoS ONE. 14 (10): e0224041. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0224041. PMC 6804989. PMID 31639144.
  11. Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District. SpringerNature. 2019. ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6.
  12. Miruts Hagos and colleagues (2019). Geosites, Geoheritage, Human-Environment Interactions, and Sustainable Geotourism in Dogu'a Tembien. In: Geo-Trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains, the Dogu'a Tembien District. SpringerNature. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-04955-3_1. ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6.
  13. Nyssen, Jan (2019). Description of Trekking Routes in Dogu'a Tembien. GeoGuide. Springer-Nature. pp. 557–675. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-04955-3_38. ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6.
  14. https://www.openstreetmap.org/traces/tag/nyssen-jacob-frankl
  15. What do we hear from the farmers in Dogu'a Tembien? [in Tigrinya]. Hagere Selam, Ethiopia. 2016. p. 100.
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