Ali Sabieh ( so, Cali Sabiix, ar, علي صبيح) is the second largest city in

Djibouti Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...

. It is situated about Southwest of

Djibouti City Djibouti (also called Djibouti City and in many early English texts and on many early maps, Jibuti; so, Magaalada Jabuuti, french: link=no, Ville de Djibouti, ar, مدينة جيبوتي, aa, Gabuutî Magaala) is the eponymous capital of Dji ...

and north of the border with

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

. It sprawls on a wide basin surrounded by granitic mountains on all sides. The famous landmark of

Ali Sabieh Ali Sabieh ( so, Cali Sabiix, ar, علي صبيح) is the second largest city in Djibouti. It is situated about Southwest of Djibouti City and north of the border with Ethiopia. It sprawls on a wide basin surrounded by granitic mountains on all ...

is located near the city.

History

The Ali Sabieh settlement is several centuries old. During the Middle Ages, it was ruled by the Ifat and

Adal Adal may refer to: *A short form for Germanic names in ''aþala-'' (Old High German ''adal-''), "nobility, pedigree"; see Othalan **Adál Maldonado (1948-2020), Puerto Rican artist **Adal Ramones (born 1969), Mexican television show host **Adal He ...

sultanates. According to an old legend, the present-day territory of Ali Sabieh was covered by some

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s and

wadi Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water onl ...

s. Where the

nomadic A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the popu ...

s use to stopping here for water on the way to the town of

Zeila Zeila ( so, Saylac, ar, زيلع, Zayla), also known as Zaila or Zayla, is a historical port town in the western Awdal region of Somaliland. In the Middle Ages, the Jewish traveller Benjamin of Tudela identified Zeila (or Hawilah) with the Bibli ...

and after the signing treaties in 1894 with the then ruling Issa Somali Sultans, to established a

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over m ...

in the

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

referred to as

French Somaliland French Somaliland (french: Côte française des Somalis, lit= French Coast of the Somalis so, Xeebta Soomaaliyeed ee Faransiiska) was a French colony in the Horn of Africa. It existed between 1884 and 1967, at which time it became the French Ter ...

. Ali Sabieh became an administrative and commercial centre in the 1900s after the

construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and com ...

of the

Ethio-Djibouti Railways The Ethio-Djibouti Railway (french: Chemin de Fer Djibouto-Éthiopien, C.D.E.; ) is a metre gauge railway in the Horn of Africa that once connected Addis Ababa to the port city of Djibouti. The operating company was also known as the Ethio-Dj ...

, the first railway in

. In 1904, a report notes that "when the border post of Ali Sabieh, it has the appearance of a

fortress A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

. Attached to the circle of "Gobad-Dikkil" from its inception in 1931, Ali Sabieh became the chief town of a circle autonomously 1939. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

's declaration of war on

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

came on 10 June 1940. The Italians did undertake some offensive actions beginning on 18 June. From

Harrar Governorate Harar Governorate was one of the six governorates of Italian East Africa. It was formed in 1936 from parts of the conquered Ethiopian Empire following the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. The capital of governorate was Harar, but Dire Dawa was the m ...

, troops under General Guglielmo Nasi attacked the fort of Ali-Sabieh, there was some skirmishing over the

. Between 1 and 10 July several clashes with the Italians took place at Ali-Sabieh and along the

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

. When the government on 10 July learned that the

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...

was not yet put into effect in French Somaliland, President

Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Pétain (24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), commonly known as Philippe Pétain (, ) or Marshal Pétain (french: Maréchal Pétain), was a French general who attained the position of Marshal of France at the end of World ...

a collaborationist government at Vichy sent General Gaëtan Germain as his personal representative to correct the situation. Negotiations at

Dewele Dewele (French ''Douanlé'' or ''Daouenlé'') is a town in Ethiopia, near to the Ethiopia and Djibouti border. Located in the Shinile Zone in the Somali Region the town has a longitude and latitude of with an elevation of 898 meters above sea le ...

Italian East Africa Italian East Africa ( it, Africa Orientale Italiana, AOI) was an Italian colony in the Horn of Africa. It was formed in 1936 through the merger of Italian Somalia, Italian Eritrea, and the newly occupied Ethiopian Empire, conquered in the Seco ...

on the local implementation of the armistice were only finally completed on 8 August. When the Italian invasion of

British Somaliland British Somaliland, officially the Somaliland Protectorate ( so, Dhulka Maxmiyada Soomaalida ee Biritishka), was a British Empire, British protectorate in present-day Somaliland. During its existence, the territory was bordered by Italian Soma ...

the territory was completely surrounded on

land Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various islan ...

by Italian possessions. The Commander-in-Chief, East Africa,

William Platt General Sir William Platt (14 June 1885 – 28 September 1975) was a senior officer of the British Army during both World War I and World War II. Early years Platt was educated at Marlborough College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. ...

, codenamed the negotiations for the surrender of French Somaliland "Pentagon", because there were five sides: himself, the Vichy governor, the

Free French Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...

, the British minister at Addis Ababa and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Christian Raimond Dupont The following is a list of governors of French Somaliland and French Territory of the Afars and the Issas from 1884 to 1977. They administered the territory on behalf of the French Republic. List Complete list of governors of French Somal ...

surrendered and Colonel Raynal's troops crossed back into

on 26 December 1942, completing its liberation. The official handover took place at 10:00 p.m. on 28 December. The first governor appointed under the Free French was André Bayardelle. He was briefly attached to the circle of

between 1946 and 1949. It is managed by the commander of the circle

Dikhil Dikhil ( ar, دخيل) is a town in the western Dikhil Region of Djibouti. Lying east of Lake Abbe, It is situated about southwest of Djibouti City and north of the border with Ethiopia. It serves as the administrative centre of the Dikhil Re ...

between 1952 and 1958, before finally receive its own administration. Following the conclusion of the 1977-1978

Ogaden War The Ogaden War, or the Ethio-Somali War (, am, የኢትዮጵያ ሶማሊያ ጦርነት, ye’ītiyop’iya somalīya t’orineti), was a military conflict fought between Somalia and Ethiopia from July 1977 to March 1978 over the Ethiopi ...

, Ali Sabieh, along with

, accommodated three quarters of the 8,000 Issa Somalis who had fled Ethiopia.

Overview

Ali Sabieh is the capital of the

Ali Sabieh Region Ali Sabieh Region ( ar, إقليم على صبيح, so, Gobolka Cali Sabiix) is a region in southern Djibouti. With a mainland area of 2,400 square kilometres (900 sq mi), it lies along the national border with Somaliland and Ethiopia, bordering ...

. It lies along National Highway 5. Nearby towns and villages include

(50 km), Arta (69 km),

Ali Adde Ali Adde ( so, Cali Cadde, ar, أدى على) is a town in Djibouti. It is located some 69 kilometers south of the capital, Djibouti City, with an elevation of 530 meters above sea level. It is the site of a UNHCR base hosting 12,363 refugees ca ...

(22 km),

Assamo Assamo ( ar, أسامو), also known as Ina ‘Assamo, It is located around south of the capital, Djibouti City. The surrounding district is rich in both livestock and fledgeling agriculture. Its population, with the nomadic and semi-nomadic neig ...

(24 km),

(18 km),

Dasbiyo Dasbiyo ( so, Daasbiyo, ar, داسبييو) is a town in southern Djibouti. It is served by a station on the old Ethio-Djibouti Railways. The surrounding district is rich in both livestock and fledgeling agriculture. History This town has played ...

(15 km),

Holhol Holhol ( so, Hollholl, ar, حلحول) is a town in the Ali Sabieh Region of Djibouti. It is located south-west of the capital Djibouti City, at an altitude of 450m. Holhol enjoys a semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSh). The surrounding district is ...

(33 km) and Guelile (10 km). Public buses go from

to Ali Sabieh. It takes two hours to get to Ali Sabieh. A contracted bus ride from

Djibouti city Djibouti (also called Djibouti City and in many early English texts and on many early maps, Jibuti; so, Magaalada Jabuuti, french: link=no, Ville de Djibouti, ar, مدينة جيبوتي, aa, Gabuutî Magaala) is the eponymous capital of Dji ...

to Ali Sabieh can charge between 700

Djiboutian franc The Djiboutian franc ( ar, فرنك) is the currency of Djibouti. Its ISO 4217 currency code is ''DJF''. Historically, it was subdivided into 100 ''centimes''. History From 1884, when the French Somaliland protectorate was established, the Fr ...

. Ali Sabieh's central location has contributed to its economic revival. Goods travelling to other parts of Djibouti all depart from the city's outskirts.

Demographics

, the population of Ali Sabieh has been estimated to be 147,987. The city inhabitants belong to various mainly

Afro-Asiatic The Afroasiatic languages (or Afro-Asiatic), also known as Hamito-Semitic, or Semito-Hamitic, and sometimes also as Afrasian, Erythraean or Lisramic, are a language family of about 300 languages that are spoken predominantly in the geographic su ...

-speaking ethnic groups, with the Issa Somali predominant. Ali Sabieh is the second largest cities of

after

with about 250,547 residents.

Sports

Ali has two soccer fields and one basketball court. One of the football fields has a capacity of 1,500 spectators. It is home to the Djibouti Super Football League's Ali Sabieh FC.

Economy

Ali Sabieh economy today relies on tourism, agriculture and a number of small factories, most of which are involved in the building trade. The city was visited by more than 2,000 tourists over the years. For its famous landmark Ali Sabieh Mountain of national emblem of Djibouti symbol and for the

Arrei Mountains The Arrei Mountains also known as the "Roof of Ali Sabieh", are a mountain range in the southern Ali Sabieh Region in Djibouti. With an average elevation of above sea level, the sixth highest point in Djibouti, they are situated near the border wi ...

highest point in Ali Sabieh region.

Education

There are several state-run owned secondary and high schools in the city. Among these is the premiere

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

in the capital region. Many primary schools and nurseries are also found in the town. Arrei Mountains see from Ali Sabieh

Transport

The fact that Ali Sabieh is not near a large navigable body of water has meant that ground transportation has been the most important method of transporting people and goods in and out of the town. Ali Sabieh has benefited from its railway location between

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...

and

. There is a colonial-era station in Ali Sabieh for the

. There is also a new station on the standard-gauge

Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway Addis may refer to: Places *Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia **Addis Ababa University Addis Ababa University (AAU) ( am, አዲስ አበባ ዩኒቨርሲቲ) is a national university located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is the oldest un ...

. Paved

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

s are available in Ali Sabieh, The vast majority of the roads were paved by the French, during

colonial rule Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...

. The local government has repaired some of the roads but many others are still awaiting repair. There are also other buses and shared taxis that goes to other cities in

Geography

Ali Sabieh is located in a

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...

in the southern section of the country. The city is situated in a mountainous area, in an enclosed valley of the

highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Albania * Dukagjin Highlands Armenia * Armenian Highlands Australia *Sou ...

. It sits at an elevation of

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

. Ali Sabieh is a mountainous and hilly town. This altitude gives the settlement and the surrounding area a milder climate than the Djibouti city coastal area, where the weather is typically hot. The city's layout is partially scattered and irregular. Houses are generally single storey and mostly

cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mix ...

made. To the east of Ali Sabieh is a grassland savannah, which attracts many types of wildlife to the area, including

black-backed jackal The black-backed jackal (''Lupulella mesomelas),'' also called the silver-backed jackal, is a medium-sized canine native to eastern and southern Africa. These regions are separated by roughly 900 kilometers. One region includes the southe ...

dorcas gazelle The dorcas gazelle (''Gazella dorcas''), also known as the ariel gazelle, is a small and common gazelle. The dorcas gazelle stands about at the shoulder, with a head and body length of and a weight of . The numerous subspecies survive on vegeta ...

, ''

Felis ''Felis'' is a genus of small and medium-sized cat species native to most of Africa and south of 60° latitude in Europe and Asia to Indochina. The genus includes the domestic cat. The smallest ''Felis'' species is the black-footed cat with a he ...

'',

caracal The caracal (''Caracal caracal'') () is a medium-sized wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and arid areas of Pakistan and northwestern India. It is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long tufted e ...

, various bird species, and the

hamadryas baboon The hamadryas baboon (''Papio hamadryas'' ) is a species of baboon within the Old World monkey family. It is the northernmost of all the baboons, being native to the Horn of Africa and the southwestern region of the Arabian Peninsula. These re ...

. Due to its location at 756 metres (2,480 ft) above sea level, Ali Sabieh's climate is moderate in summer and cold in winter. The area attracts visitors looking for a moderate climate and pristine, scenic views.

Climate

Ali Sabieh is sweltering during summer and very warm during

winter Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures ...

. There are two rainy seasons. The first rainy season extends from March to April and second from July to September. From November to March, the town experiences the warm winter season. It heats up from June to October, though the nights are cooler. Elevation is the major factor in temperature levels. The highest recorded temperature was on July 13, 2008, while the lowest recorded temperature was on December 10, 1992. Ali Sabieh has a

hot arid climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

(''BWh'') by the Köppen-Geiger system.

Notable people

* Aden Robleh Awaleh: Politician and president of the National Democratic Party (PND). *

Mahmoud Harbi Mahamoud Harbi Farah ( ar, محمود الحربي, so, Maxamuud Xarbi Faarax) (1921 – 29 September 1960) was a Djiboutian politician of Somali ethnicity. A pan-Somalist, he was the Vice President of the Government Council of French Somal ...

: Politician *

Hussein Ahmed Salah Hussein Ahmed Salah ( ar, حسين أحمد صلاح, so, Xuseen Axmed Saalax) is a Djiboutian former long-distance runner, best known for winning a bronze medal in the marathon at the 1988 Summer Olympics. He also won silver medals in this eve ...

: Djiboutian long-distance runner * Aden Farah Samatar: Djiboutian musician *

Moumina Houssein Darar Moumina Houssein Darar ( so, Muumina Xuseen Darar; Arabic: مؤمنة حسين درار), is a Djiboutian Anti-Terrorism police investigator. She was recognised as a Woman of Courage by the American Secretary of State in 2019. Life Moumina Ho ...

: Djiboutian Anti-Terrorism Police Investigator. * Aicha Bogoreh: First lady of

*Abdi Ibrahim (Bow Bow): Djiboutian musician *

Nima Djama Nima Djama ( so, Nimco Jaamac; born 1948) is a composer and singer from Djibouti. In 1976, Nima Djama sang a famous patriotic tune for Djibouti independence. She is also heavily involved in Djiboutian politics. Biography Nima Djama was born in 1 ...

: Djiboutian musician * Abdo Hamargod: Djiboutian musician

Sister towns

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali Sabieh Populated places in Djibouti Ali Sabieh Region