Haddinnet, also transliterated as Hadnet, is a ''tabia'' or municipality in the
Dogu'a Tembien
Dogu'a Tembien (, "Upper Tembien", sometimes transliterated as Degua Tembien) is a woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It is named in part after the former province of Tembien. Nowadays, the mountainous district is part of the Southeastern Tigray ...
district of the
Tigray Region of
Ethiopia. The ''tabia'' centre is in Addi Idaga village, located approximately 6.5 km to the northeast of the ''woreda'' town
Hagere Selam.
Geography
The ''tabia'' is located on the southern and northern slopes of the Tsili ridge in the northern part of
Dogu'a Tembien
Dogu'a Tembien (, "Upper Tembien", sometimes transliterated as Degua Tembien) is a woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It is named in part after the former province of Tembien. Nowadays, the mountainous district is part of the Southeastern Tigray ...
. The highest peak is Dabba Selama (2630 m a.s.l.) (not to be confounded with the
homonymous monastery) and the lowest place along Agefet River (1720 m a.s.l.).
Geology
From the higher to the lower locations, the following geological formations are present:
*
Phonolite plugs
*
Upper basalt
*
Interbedded lacustrine deposits
*
Lower basalt
*
Amba Aradam Formation
The Amba Aradam Formation is a Cretaceous sandstone formation in Ethiopia. It is up to 200 metres thick, for instance in the Degua Tembien district. As fossils are absent, the age of the Amba Aradam Formation was interpreted based on the age of a ...
* Agula Shale
*
Antalo Limestone
The Antalo Limestone, also known as the Antalo Sequence, is a geological formation in Ethiopia. It is between 300 and 800 metres thick and comprises fossiliferous limestones and marls that were deposited in a reef. Marine microfossils have shown a ...
*
Adigrat Sandstone
The Adigrat Sandstone formation in north Ethiopia, in a wide array of reddish colours, comprises sandstones with coarse to fine grains, and locally conglomerates, silt- and claystones. Given the many lateritic palaeosols and locally fossil wood ...
*
Edaga Arbi Glacials
The Edaga Arbi Glacials are a Palaeozoic geological formation in Tigray (northern Ethiopia) and in Eritrea. The matrix is composed of grey, black and purple clays (locally silt), that contains rock fragments up to 6 metres across. Pollen dating y ...
*
Quaternary alluvium
Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...
and freshwater
tufa
Tufa is a variety of limestone formed when carbonate minerals precipitate out of water in unheated rivers or lakes. Geothermally heated hot springs sometimes produce similar (but less porous) carbonate deposits, which are known as travertine ...
Climate
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 Idaga is 20.4 °C, oscillating between average daily minimum of 11.5 °C and maximum of 28.9 °C. The contrasts between day and night air temperatures are much larger than seasonal contrasts.
Springs
As there is very poor baseflow in the permanent rivers, the presence of springs is of utmost importance for the local people. The main springs in the ''tabia'' are:
* Ruba Weyni, fed by seepage from
May Leiba reservoir
* May Damo in Atsa
* Abune Ayezgi in Debre Medhanit
Reservoirs
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. Yet, they strongly contribute to greening the landscape, either through irrigation or seepage water. Main reservoirs are:
*
May Leiba reservoir, in Ayninbirkekin ''tabia'', constructed in 1998
* Traditional surface water harvesting ponds, particularly in places without permanent springs, called ''rahaya''
* ''Horoyo'', household ponds, recently constructed through campaigns
Vegetation and exclosures
The ''tabia'' holds several
exclosure
An exclosure, in an area being used extensively for grazing, is a limited area from which unwanted browsing animals, such as domestic cattle or wildlife such as deer, are excluded by fencing or other means.
Environmental protection
Most commonl ...
s, areas that are set aside for regreening. Wood harvesting and livestock range are not allowed there. Besides effects on
biodiversity
Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') le ...
,
water infiltration
Infiltration is the process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil. It is commonly used in both hydrology and soil sciences. The infiltration capacity is defined as the maximum rate of infiltration. It is most often measured in meter ...
, protection from flooding,
sediment deposition,
carbon sequestration
Carbon sequestration is the process of storing carbon in a carbon pool. Carbon dioxide () is naturally captured from the atmosphere through biological, chemical, and physical processes. These changes can be accelerated through changes in lan ...
, people commonly have economic benefits from these exclosures through grass harvesting, beekeeping and other
non-timber forest product
Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are useful foods, substances, materials and/or commodities obtained from forests other than timber. Harvest ranges from wild collection to farming. They typically include game animals, fur-bearers, nuts, see ...
s. The local inhabitants also consider it as “land set aside for future generations”.
Settlements
The ''tabia'' centre Addi Idaga holds a few administrative offices, a health post, a primary school, and some small shops. Saturday is the market day.
There are a few more primary schools across the ''tabia''. The main other populated places are:
Agriculture and livelihood
The population lives essentially from crop farming, supplemented with off-season work in nearby towns. The land is dominated by
farmlands which are clearly demarcated and are cropped every year. Hence the
agricultural system is a permanent upland
farming system
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
. The farmers have adapted their
cropping system The term cropping system refers to the crops, crop sequences and management techniques used on a particular agricultural field over a period of years. It includes all spatial and temporal aspects of managing an agricultural system. Historically, cro ...
s to the spatio-temporal variability in rainfall. Large irrigated lands have been established in Addi Idaga. The youngsters of the ''tabia'' have established wide grasslands on mountain ridges; the grass is mainly sold for
thatching
Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge ('' Cladium mariscus''), rushes, heather, or palm branches, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. Since the bulk o ...
.
History and culture
History
The history of the ''tabia'' is strongly confounded with the
history of Tembien
Tembien (Tigrigna: ተምቤን) is a historic region in Tigray Region and former provinces of Ethiopia. It is a mountainous area of that country. During the reforms in 1994–95, the old provinces were replaced with regions, zones and woredas. T ...
. In the 1930s, during the Italian invasion, Ksad Azef () was an important battlefield during the
First Battle of Tembien. It is a place through which the
Tembien
Tembien (Tigrigna: ተምቤን) is a historic region in Tigray Region and former provinces of Ethiopia. It is a mountainous area of that country. During the reforms in 1994–95, the old provinces were replaced with regions of Ethiopia, regions, ...
highlands could relatively easily be accessed when coming from the Gheralta lowlands. The Italians called it Passo Abaro.
Italian ''
Blackshirt
The Voluntary Militia for National Security ( it, Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale, MVSN), commonly called the Blackshirts ( it, Camicie Nere, CCNN, singular: ) or (singular: ), was originally the paramilitary wing of the Nation ...
'' soldiers left a memorial stone on top of the nearby Mount Dabba Selama.
Religion and churches
Most inhabitants are
Orthodox Christians. The following churches are located in the ''tabia'':
''Inda Siwa'', the local beer houses
In the main villages, there are traditional beer houses (''
Inda Siwa''), often in unique settings, which are a good place for resting and chatting with the local people. The most renown in the ''tabia'' are all located in the ''tabia'' centre Addi Idaga:
* Yergalem Assefa
* Mulubrhan Hagos
* Mihret Abrha
Roads and communication
The main road
Mekelle –
Hagere Selam –
Abiy Addi
Abiy Addi (also spelled Abi Addi; Tigrigna ዓብዪ ዓዲ "Big town") 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.
Overview
The town is divided into t ...
runs 5–10 km south of the ''tabia''. People need to walk long distances to catch a bus. Further, a rural access road links most villages to the main asphalt road.
Tourism
Its mountainous nature and proximity to
Mekelle makes the ''tabia'' fit for tourism.
Touristic attractions
* Tsili ridge
* Tinsehe waterfall
* Dabba Selama mountain, with
Erica arborea
''Erica arborea'', the tree heath or tree heather, is a species of flowering plant (angiosperms) in the heather family Ericaceae, native to the Mediterranean Basin and Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa. It is also cultivated as an orn ...
forest, church, and a memorial stone of the 1930s, left by soldiers of the Italian army, a metres-wide
phonolite with inscriptions.
* Kidane Mihret rock church in Ab'aro, surrounded by
tufa
Tufa is a variety of limestone formed when carbonate minerals precipitate out of water in unheated rivers or lakes. Geothermally heated hot springs sometimes produce similar (but less porous) carbonate deposits, which are known as travertine ...
plugs, springs and a cluster of trees. The church was established in widened caves of the tufa plug.
Geotouristic sites
The high variability of geological formations and the rugged topography invites for geological and geographic tourism or "geotourism". Geosites in the ''tabia'' include:
Birdwatching
Birdwatching
Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...
(for the species, see the main
Dogu'a Tembien
Dogu'a Tembien (, "Upper Tembien", sometimes transliterated as Degua Tembien) is a woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It is named in part after the former province of Tembien. Nowadays, the mountainous district is part of the Southeastern Tigray ...
page) can be done particularly in exclosures and forests. The Wehabit Sillasie church forest bird-watching site is particularly interesting.
Trekking routes
Trekking routes have been established in this ''tabia''.
The tracks are not marked on the ground but can be followed using downloaded .GPX files.
* Trek 21, along the northern side of
Tsaliet gorge up to Addi Hamushenai, and further down to Addeha in
Kola Tembien
Kola Tembien (, "Lower Tembien") is a woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It is named in part after the former province of Tembien. Part of the Mehakelegnaw Zone, Kola Tembien is bordered on the south by Abergele, on the west by the Tekezé River w ...
* Trek 23 to the top of Dabba Selama mountain
* Trek 26, over the top of Tsili ridge
* Trek Gh2, from Addi Idaga, down to Gheralta, along the Ab'aro rock church
Accommodation and facilities
The facilities are very basic.
One may be invited to spend the night in a rural homestead or ask permission to pitch a tent. Hotels are available in
Hagere Selam and
Mekelle.
More detailed information
For more details on environment, agriculture, rural sociology, hydrology, ecology, culture, etc., see the overall page on the
Dogu'a Tembien
Dogu'a Tembien (, "Upper Tembien", sometimes transliterated as Degua Tembien) is a woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It is named in part after the former province of Tembien. Nowadays, the mountainous district is part of the Southeastern Tigray ...
district.
Gallery
File:View on Azef.jpg, View on Azef
File:Dabba Selama Mountain.jpg, Dabba Selama Mountain
File:Ksad Azef Mountain Pass.jpg, Ksad Azef Mountain Pass
File:Erica arborea on Dabba Selama Mountain.jpg, Erica arborea
''Erica arborea'', the tree heath or tree heather, is a species of flowering plant (angiosperms) in the heather family Ericaceae, native to the Mediterranean Basin and Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa. It is also cultivated as an orn ...
on Dabba Selama Mountain
References
{{ Tabias (municipalities) of Dogu’a Tembien
Dogu'a Tembien
Populated places in the Tigray Region