Soqota

Last updated • 3 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Sekota
ሰቆጣ
Sokota, Sakota, &c.
Town
Sekota-Region Amhara (1).jpg
Ethiopia adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Sekota
Location within Ethiopia
Horn of Africa adm location map (1).svg
Red pog.svg
Sekota
Location within the Horn of Africa
Africa location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Sekota
Location within Africa
Coordinates: 12°37′31″N39°02′06″E / 12.62528°N 39.03500°E / 12.62528; 39.03500
Country Ethiopia
Region Amhara
Zone Wag Hemra Zone
Population
 (2007)
  Total22,346
Time zone UTC+3 (EAT)

Sekota, also spelled Sokota, [1] Sakota, [2] Soqota [3] (Amharic: ሰቆጣ; formerly ሰቈጣ) is a town and separate woreda in northern Ethiopia. The name is likely from the Agaw word sekut, "fortified village." [4] Located in the Wag Hemra Zone of the Amhara Region, Sekota has a latitude and longitude of 12°37′31″N39°02′06″E / 12.62528°N 39.03500°E / 12.62528; 39.03500 and an elevation of 2266 meters above sea level. It is surrounded by woreda of Soqota.

Contents

About 6 kilometers from Sekota is the church Wuqir Meskale Kristos, where the mummified corpses of several Wagshums lies. [5]

History

Philip Briggs speculates that this town may be identified with the mysterious Ku'bar, said by al-Ya'qubi and al-Masudi to have succeeded Axum as the capital of Ethiopia. [6]

Sekota is the historic seat of the Wagshum, the former ruler of Lasta, who claimed to trace an unbroken succession back to the last king of the Zagwe dynasty. However, verification for this tradition is slight. This town is not mentioned in the surviving records until 1746, when the soldiers of Emperor Iyasu II burned it down. [7] The traveler Augustus B. Wylde wrote in the 1890s that the palace of the Wagshums in this town had been built around 1650. It was a three-storey structure which could not be dated with any precision, but he believed the masons and craftsmen were some of those who had worked at Gondar. [8]

Nathaniel Pearce, notes that Sekota was where Ras Haile Wand Bewossen had his palace in 1813, and performed his annual review of his troops on 17 Masqaram, as was the custom. [9] Charles Beke, who passed through Sekota in April 1843, described it as "a place of considerable size but is so very straggling that it is not easy to form a definite idea on the subject. It has a large market, held on Tuesday and Wednesday weekly, which is frequented by the merchants of the south and west, this place is the grand center of the salt-trade, the Tigre merchants coming thus far only, and then returning." [10] In Wylde's time, the market at Sekota was still held each week on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. [11]

20th century

During the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, Sekota was occupied by the Italians on 28 March 1936. During their occupation, the Italians built a road to Sekota passable by motorcars, and repaired the town's mosque. [8] Beatrice Playne visited the town in late autumn of 1948, and found it "quite the most attractive Ethiopian town I have seen". She describes its "two-storied, stone houses, each with a little private garden, lying snugly amongst the surrounding wall of hills, like a Cotswold village", and its government offices were in "a low, Italian building in a square of grass." [12]

Sekota was briefly held by the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF) during the Ethiopian Civil War around 1980. In 1988, Sekota was the base of the Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement, founded by a group of former EPRP fighters, which operated in northern Wollo jointly with the TPLF. [8]

The town holds an EPDM war memorial. [13]

21st century

Tigray War

EEPA an NGO, reported that the Tigray Defence Forces controlled Sekota in Amhara on 16 August 2021. [14] Government forces then retook the town on 22 December 2021 [15]

Demographics

Based on the 2007 national census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this town has a total population of 22,346, of whom 10,760 are men and 11,586 women. The majority of the inhabitants practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 95.98% reporting that as their religion, while 3.8% were Muslim. [16] The 1994 census reported this town had a total population of 7,922 of whom 3,476 were males and 4,446 were females.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adwa</span> Town in Tigray Region, Ethiopia

Adwa is a town and separate woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It is best known as the community closest to the site of the 1896 Battle of Adwa, in which Ethiopian soldiers defeated Italian troops, thus being one of the few African nations to thwart European colonialism. Located in the Central Zone of the Tigray Region, Adwa has a longitude and latitude of 14°10′N38°54′E, and an elevation of 1907 meters. Adwa is surrounded by Adwa woreda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weldiya</span> Town and district in Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Weldiya or Woldia is a town, woreda, and capital of the North Wollo Zone in northern Ethiopia. Located north of Dessie and southeast of Lalibela in the Amhara Region, this town has an elevation of 2112 meters above sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kombolcha</span> Town in Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Kombolcha is a town and district in north-central Ethiopia. Located in the Debub Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region, it has a latitude and longitude of 11°5′N39°44′E with an elevation between 1842 and 1915 meters above sea level. Some guide books describe Kombolcha as the twin town of Dessie which lies some 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) to the northwest.

Wuchale, also spelled Uccialli, is a town in northern Ethiopia. Located about 40 km north of Dessie in the Debub Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of 11°30′N39°36′E and an elevation of 1711 m. It is the largest settlement in Ambassel woreda and is located along Ethiopian Highway 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Zone, Tigray</span> Zone in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia

The Western Zone is a zone in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. It is subdivided into three woredas (districts); from north to south they are Kafta Humera, Welkait and Tsegede. The largest town is Humera. The Western Zone is bordered on the east by the North Western Zone, the south by the Amhara Region, the west by Sudan and on the north by Eritrea. Starting from the late 17th C., internal boundaries are clearly shown, with 37 maps displaying a boundary that is located well south of the Tekeze River, or even south of the Simien mountains. Welkait is explicitly included within a larger Tigray confederation ; it is briefly mapped as part of Amhara in 1891-1894 and part of Gondar from 1944-1990. At other periods it appears independent or part of a larger Mezaga lowland region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abiy Addi</span> Place in Tigray Region, Ethiopia

Abiy Addi is a town in central Tigray, Ethiopia. Abiy Addi is at the southeastern edge of the Kola Tembien woreda, of which it is the capital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saesi Tsaedaemba</span> Woreda in Tigray, Ethiopia

Saesi Tsaedaemba is one of the Districts of Ethiopia, or woredas, in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Misraqawi Zone at the eastern edge of the Ethiopian highlands, Saesi Tsaedaemba is bordered on the south by Kilte Awulaelo, on the southwest by Hawzen, on the west by Ganta Afeshum, on the northwest by Gulomahda, on the north by Irob, on the east by the Afar Region, and on the southeast by Atsbi Wenberta. Towns in Saesi Tsaedaemba include Edaga Hamus and Freweyni also known as Sinkata) where the woreda office is located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saharti Samre</span> Woreda in Tigray, Ethiopia

Saharti Samre is one of the Districts of Ethiopia, or woredas, in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Debub Misraqawi (Southeastern) Zone, Samre is bordered on the south by the Amhara Region, on the west and north by the Mehakelegnaw (Central) Zone, on the northeast by Enderta, on the east by Hintalo Wajirat, and on the southeast by Debubawi (Southern) Zone. Towns in this woreda include Gijet and Samre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ofla</span> Woreda in Tigray, Ethiopia

Ofla is one of the Districts of Ethiopia, or woredas, in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Debubawi Zone, Ofla is bordered on the south by Alamata, on the west by the Amhara Region, on the north by Endamehoni, and on the east by Raya Azebo. Small towns in Ofla include Sesela and Zikuya. The town of Korem is surrounded by Ofla woreda.

Legambo is a woreda in Amhara Region, Ethiopia. This woreda is named for one of the "Houses" or subgroups of the Wollo Amhara, who were located there. Part of the Debub Wollo Zone, Legambo is bordered on the south by Legahida and Kelala, on the southwest by Wegde, on the west by Debre Sina, on the northwest by Sayint, on the north by Tenta, on the northeast by Dessie Zuria, and on the southeast by Were Ilu. Towns in Legambo include Aqesta and Embacheber.

SekotaZuria is one of the woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Wag Hemra Zone, Sekota is bordered on the south by Gazbibla, on the southwest by Dehana, on the west by Zikuala, on the north by Abergele, and on the east by the Tigray Region. The separate woreda of town of Soqota is surrounded by Sekota. Abergele woreda was separated from Sekota.

Dehana is one of the woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. It is named for one of the five clans of the Agaw. Part of the Wag Hemra Zone, Dehana is bordered on the south by the Semien (North) Wollo Zone, on the west by the Tekezé River which separates it from the Debub (South) Gondar Zone and the Semien (North) Gondar Zone, on the north by Zikuala, on the northeast by Soqota, and on the east by Gazbibla. The Gazbibla woreda was separated from Dehana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baso Liben</span> Woreda in Amhara Region, Misraq Gojjam

Baso Liben is one of the woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. A triangular-shaped district at the southernmost point of the Misraq Gojjam Zone, Baso Liben is bordered on the south by a bend of the Blue Nile river which separates it from the Oromia Region, on the northwest by the Chamwaga river which separates it from Gozamn, and on the northeast by Aneded. The major town in Baso Liben is Yejube. there are two other small towns; Kork and Yelamgeji with significant trading activity

Chagni is a town in North Western Ethiopia. Located in the Agew Awi Zone of the Amhara Region, this town has a longitude and latitude of 10°57′N36°30′E and an elevation of 1583 meters above sea level. It is the administrative center of Guangua woreda; in the past Chagni was the administrative center of the Metekel awraja.

Bure, also transliterated Burye is a town in western Ethiopia. Located in the Mirab Gojjam Zone of the Amhara Region, this town has a longitude and latitude of 10°42′N37°4′E with an elevation of 2091 meters above sea level.

Dengel Ber is a town in western Ethiopia. Located on the south-western shore of Lake Tana in the Semien Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of 11°57′N37°00′E. Access to this town includes track roads to both Shawra and Kunzela and weekly service by the Bahir Dar-Gorgora ferry on Lake Tana. While the name of the town is indisputably Amharic, there is some disagreement over the meaning of its name: while "Pass of the Virgin" has been the most common interpretation since at least the days James Bruce visited Ethiopia, Huntingford and Beckingham state that it means "pass of canna plants".

Were Ilu is a town in north-central Ethiopia. Located in the Debub Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of 10°36′N39°26′E. From the 1870s, Were Ilu had a Thursday market.

Samre is a town in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Debub Misraqawi (south-eastern) Zone of the Tigray Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of 13°11′N39°12′E with an elevation of 1855 meters above sea level. It is one of two towns in Saharti Samre woreda.

The Transitional Government of Tigray was a caretaker administration that was formally declared by the House of Federation of Ethiopia on 7 November 2020, in the context of a conflict between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), in power in the Tigray Regional State and the federal government of Ethiopia. In late November 2020, the administration, headed by Mulu Nega, planned public consultation and participation in choosing new leaders at the regional and zonal level and preservation of woreda and kebele administrations. The Transitional Government left Tigray in late June 2021 during Operation Alula.

This Timeline of the Tigray War is part of a chronology of the military engagements of the Tigray War, a civil war that began in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia in early November 2020.

References

  1. Cana, Frank Richardson (1911). "Abyssinia § (7) Provinces and Towns"  . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 86.
  2. National Geographic Globe (Map). 1 : 31,363,200. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society. 1965.
  3. From its French spelling.
  4. G.W.B. Huntingford, Historical Geography of Ethiopia from the first century AD to 1704 (London: British Academy, 1989), p. 176
  5. Camerapix, Spectrum Guide to Ethiopia (New York: Interlink Books, 2000), p. 117
  6. Philip Briggs, Ethiopia: the Bradt Travel Guide, third edition (London: Bradt, 2002), p. 302. The problem of Ku'bar is discussed by Taddesse Tamrat, Church and State in Ethiopia (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1972), p. 37.
  7. Richard P.K. Pankhurst, History of Ethiopian Towns (Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag, 1982), p. 182
  8. 1 2 3 "Local History in Ethiopia" Archived 2011-05-28 at the Wayback Machine The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 22 January 2009)
  9. Nathaniel Pearce, The Life and Adventures of Nathaniel Pearce, edited by J.J. Halls (London, 1831), vol. 1 pp. 140
  10. Charles T. Beke, "Abyssinia: Being a Continuation of Routes in That Country", Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, 14 (1844), p. 58
  11. Augustus B. Wylde, Modern Abyssinia (London: Methuen, 1901), p. 494
  12. Playne, Saint George for Ethiopia (Constable: London, 1954), p. 109
  13. Sekota City Administration Sekota City Profile
  14. Situation Report EEPA HORN No. 201 – 17 August 2021 Europe External Programme with Africa
  15. "Ethiopian Forces captured Sekota and marching north".
  16. Census 2007 Tables: Amhara Region, Tables 2.1, 2.4, 2.5, 3.1, 3.2 and 3.4.