Selam (Dogu'a Tembien)
Selam | |
---|---|
UTC+3 (EAT ) |
Selam is a tabia or municipality in the
Geography
The tabia stretches down north of the ridge occupied by the main road towards the Tinsehe gorge. The highest peak is Imba Khoboro (2,730 m a.s.l.) and the lowest place at the foot of the waterfall in Tinsehe (2,000 m a.s.l.).
Geology
From the higher to the lower locations, the following geological formations are present:[1]
- Phonolite plugs
- Upper basalt
- Interbedded lacustrine deposits
- Lower basalt
- Amba Aradam Formation
- Antalo Limestone
- Quaternary alluvium and freshwater tufa[2]
Geomorphology and soils
The main
Hagere Selam Highlands, along the upper basalt and sandstone ridge
- Associated soil types
- deep, dark cracking clays, temporarily waterlogged during the wet season (Pellic Vertisol)
- 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)
Gently rolling Antalo Limestone plateau (in the lower parts), holding cliffs and valley bottoms on limestone
- Associated soil types
- Inclusions
Climate and hydrology
Climate and meteorology
The rainfall pattern shows a very high seasonality with 70 to 80% of the annual rain falling in July and August. Mean temperature in Addi Werho is 18.8 °C, oscillating between average daily minimum of 10.5 °C and maximum of 26.7 °C. The contrasts between day and night air temperatures are much larger than seasonal contrasts.[4]
Rivers
The Tsaliet River (a tributary to Weri’i River) is the most important rivers in the surroundings of the tabia. They flow towards Tekezze River and further on to the Nile. These rivers have incised deep gorges which characterise the landscape.[5] The drainage network of the tabia is organised as follows:[6]
- Weri’i River basin
- May Leiba, in tabia Dabba Selamamonastery
- May Meqa River, in tabia Selam
- Harehuwa River, in tabia Mahbere Sillasie
- May Leiba, in tabia
Whereas they are (nearly) dry during most of the year, during the main rainy season, these rivers carry high runoff discharges, sometimes in the form of flash floods. Especially at the begin of the rainy season they are brown-coloured, evidencing high soil erosion rates.
Springs
As there are no permanent rivers, the presence of springs is of utmost importance for the local people. The main springs in the tabia are:[7]
- May Gudgwad in Khunale
- May Miheno in Miheno
Water harvesting
In this area with rains that last only for a couple of months per year, reservoirs of different sizes allow harvesting runoff from the rainy season for further use in the dry season. Overall they suffer from siltation.[8] Yet, they strongly contribute to greening the landscape, either through irrigation or seepage water. Main reservoirs are:
- Traditional surface water harvesting ponds, particularly in places without permanent springs, called rahaya
- Horoyo, household ponds, recently constructed through campaigns[9]
Settlements
The tabia centre Addi Worho holds a few administrative offices, a health post, a primary school, and some small shops.[7] There are a few more primary schools across the tabia. The main other populated places are:[6]
- Khunale
- Addi Amyuq (on the boundary to Mahbere Sillasie)
- Miheno
- Tinsehe
Vegetation and exclosures
The tabia holds several
Agriculture and livelihood
Agriculture
The population lives essentially from crop farming, supplemented with off-season work in nearby towns. The land is dominated by
Schools
Almost all children of the tabia are schooled,[20] though in some schools there is lack of classrooms, directly related to the large intake in primary schools over the last decades.[21] Schools in the tabia include Khunale school.
History and culture
History
The history of the tabia is strongly confounded with the
Religion and churches
Most inhabitants are Orthodox Christians. The following churches are located in the tabia:
- Arba’ite Insesa
- Abune Kiros
- Kidane Mihret, at the foot of, and partly under Tinsehe's waterfall, in a forested cove[22]
Inda Siwa, the local beer houses
In the main villages, there are traditional beer houses (Inda Siwa), often in unique settings, where people socialise. Well known in the tabia are[7]
- Kindhafti Abadi at Tinsehe
- Genet Gebrehiwet at Tinsehe
Roads and communication
The main road Mekelle – Hagere Selam – Abiy Addi runs at the southern edge of the tabia. There are regular bus services to these towns. Further, a rural access road links Tinsehe and Addi Werho to the main asphalt road.
Tourism
Its mountainous nature and proximity to Mekelle make the tabia fit for tourism.[23] As compared to many other mountain areas in Ethiopia the villages are quite accessible, and during walks visitors may be invited for coffee, lunch or even for an overnight stay in a rural homestead.[24]
Touristic attractions
- Tinsehe waterfall
Geotouristic sites
The high variability of geological formations and the rugged topography invite for geological and geographic tourism or "geotourism".[25] Geosites in the tabia include:
- Ksad Addi Amyuq roadcut with exposed interbedded lacustrine deposits
- Views from Imba Zuw’ala
- Khunale exclosure
- Phonolite plug at Imba Khoboro
- Church built with phonolite stone in Khunale Arba’ite Insesa
- Meri’a Ziban hill in interbedded lacustrine deposits
Birdwatching
Trekking routes
Trekking routes have been established in this tabia.[27] The tracks are not marked on the ground but can be followed using downloaded .GPX files.[28]
- Trek 2, crosses the tabia from north (Khunale) to South (Tinsehe Waterfall)
- Trek 14, from west to east along the upper ridge at the southern side of the tabia
- Trek 23, from the main road in Miheno, downslope to Addi Idaga
See also
- Dogu'a Tembiendistrict.
References
- ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6.
- .
- PMID 31639144.
- S2CID 199105560.
- S2CID 199099067.
- ^ ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6.
- ^ a b c What do we hear from the farmers in Dogu'a Tembien? [in Tigrinya]. Hagere Selam, Ethiopia. 2016. p. 100.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - S2CID 129834993.
- ^ Developers and farmers intertwining interventions: the case of rainwater harvesting and food-for-work in Degua Temben, Tigray, Ethiopia
- .
- ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6.
- ^ Mastewal Yami, and colleagues (2007). "Impact of Area Enclosures on Density and Diversity of Large Wild Mammals: The Case of May Ba'ati, Douga Tembien Woreda, Central Tigray, Ethiopia". East African Journal of Sciences. 1: 1–14.
- S2CID 37489450.
- .
- .
- ^ Bedru Babulo, and colleagues (2006). "Economic valuation methods of forest rehabilitation in exclosures". Journal of the Drylands. 1: 165–170.
- ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6.
- S2CID 128492271.
- S2CID 95207289.
- ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6.
- ISBN 978-1-4614-2179-5, retrieved 2023-10-13
- ^ Klyuev S. A., Semenova V. N. The Role of Landscape in Semi-rock-hewn and Cave Churches of Tämben and ᵓƎndärta (Tәgray region, Ethiopia). Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Asian and African Studies, 2020, vol. 12, issue 2, pp. 208–229. https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu13.2020.204 (In Russian)
- ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6.
- S2CID 199198251.
- S2CID 199095921.
- ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6.
- S2CID 199271514.
- ^ "Public GPS traces tagged with nyssen-jacob-frankl". OpenStreetMap. Retrieved 2019-10-11.