Seret 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
The Tigray Region, officially the Tigray National Regional State, is the northernmost regional state in Ethiopia. The Tigray Region is the homeland of the Tigrayan, Irob, and Kunama people. Its capital and largest city is Mekelle. Tigray is ...
of
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 ...
. The ''tabia'' centre is in Inda Maryam Qorar village, located approximately 11 km to the southwest of the ''woreda'' town
Hagere Selam.
Geography
The ''tabia'' occupies a (locally wide)
structural flat on the foot of the Tsatsen plateau, along the main road. It occupies a saddle position between the Upper
Tanqwa
Tanqwa is a river of northern Ethiopia. Rising in the mountains of Dogu’a Tembien (2510 metres above sea level), it flows westward to Giba River which empties finally in the Tekezé River.
Hydrography
It is a confined river, locally mea ...
and
Zeyi River
Zeyi is a river of the Nile basin. Rising in the mountains of Dogu’a Tembien in northern Ethiopia, it flows southward to empty in Giba and Tekezé River.
Characteristics
It is a confined ephemeral river, a bedrock river, with an average ...
gorges. The highest location is the Tsatsen plateau (culminating at 2810 m a.s.l.) and the lowest place near Zeyi cave (2180 m a.s.l.).
Geology
From the higher to the lower locations, the following geological formations are present:
*
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 ...
*
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 ...
Geomorphology and soils
On the basalt rocks, the red-black soil catena
is widespread: reddish soils such as
Luvisols The Canadian System of Soil Classification is more closely related to the American system than any other, but they differ in several ways. The Canadian system is designed to cover only Canadian soils. The Canadian system dispenses with the sub-orde ...
in the uplands and dark
Vertisols
A vertisol, or vertosol, is a soil type in which there is a high content of expansive clay minerals, many of them known as montmorillonite, that form deep cracks in drier seasons or years. In a phenomenon known as argillipedoturbation, alternate ...
in the plain around Inda Maryam. Here, the Vertisols are covered with stones, what evidences the
vertic movements; they are also very prone to gully erosion.
The main
geomorphic
Geomorphology (from Ancient Greek: , ', "earth"; , ', "form"; and , ', "study") is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features created by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or n ...
unit is the Hagere Selam Highlands. Corresponding soil types are:
* Associated soil types
** shallow soils with high stone contents (Skeletic
Cambisol
A Cambisol in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) is a soil in the beginning of soil formation. The horizon differentiation is weak. This is evident from weak, mostly brownish discolouration and/or structure formation in the soil pr ...
, Leptic
Cambisol
A Cambisol in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) is a soil in the beginning of soil formation. The horizon differentiation is weak. This is evident from weak, mostly brownish discolouration and/or structure formation in the soil pr ...
, Skeletic
Regosol
A Regosol in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) is very weakly developed mineral soil in unconsolidated materials. Regosols are extensive in eroding lands, in particular in arid and semi-arid areas and in mountain regions. Internat ...
)
** moderately deep dark stony
clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4).
Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
s with good natural fertility (Vertic
Cambisol
A Cambisol in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) is a soil in the beginning of soil formation. The horizon differentiation is weak. This is evident from weak, mostly brownish discolouration and/or structure formation in the soil pr ...
)
** deep, dark cracking
clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4).
Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
s, temporarily
waterlogged during the wet season (Pellic
Vertisol
A vertisol, or vertosol, is a soil type in which there is a high content of expansive clay minerals, many of them known as montmorillonite, that form deep cracks in drier seasons or years. In a phenomenon known as argillipedoturbation, alternat ...
)
* Inclusions
** Rock outcrops and very shallow soils (Lithic
Leptosol
A Leptosol in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) is a very shallow soil over hard rock or a deeper soil that is extremely gravelly and/or stony. Leptosols cover approximately 1.7 billion hectares of the Earth's surface. They are f ...
)
** Rock outcrops and very shallow soils on limestone (Calcaric
Leptosol
A Leptosol in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) is a very shallow soil over hard rock or a deeper soil that is extremely gravelly and/or stony. Leptosols cover approximately 1.7 billion hectares of the Earth's surface. They are f ...
)
** Deep dark cracking
clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4).
Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
s with very good natural fertility,
waterlogged during the wet season (Chromic
Vertisol
A vertisol, or vertosol, is a soil type in which there is a high content of expansive clay minerals, many of them known as montmorillonite, that form deep cracks in drier seasons or years. In a phenomenon known as argillipedoturbation, alternat ...
, Pellic
Vertisol
A vertisol, or vertosol, is a soil type in which there is a high content of expansive clay minerals, many of them known as montmorillonite, that form deep cracks in drier seasons or years. In a phenomenon known as argillipedoturbation, alternat ...
)
** Shallow stony dark
loam
Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–sil ...
s on calcaric material (Calcaric
Regosol
A Regosol in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) is very weakly developed mineral soil in unconsolidated materials. Regosols are extensive in eroding lands, in particular in arid and semi-arid areas and in mountain regions. Internat ...
, Calcaric
Cambisol
A Cambisol in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) is a soil in the beginning of soil formation. The horizon differentiation is weak. This is evident from weak, mostly brownish discolouration and/or structure formation in the soil pr ...
)
** Brown
loam
Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–sil ...
y soils on basalt with good natural fertility (
Luvisol
Luvisols are a group of soils, comprising one of the 32 Reference Soil Groups in the international system of soil classification, the World Reference Base for Soil Resources The World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) is an international soi ...
)
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 Inda Maryam is 17 °C, oscillating between average daily minimum of 9.4 °C and maximum of 24.3 °C. The contrasts between day and night air temperatures are much larger than seasonal contrasts.
Rivers
The
Giba River
Giba is a river of northern Ethiopia. It starts at the confluence of Genfel and Sulluh (which rises in the mountains of Mugulat) (3298 metres above sea level) and flows westward to the Tekezé River. Future Lake Giba will occupy the plain where ...
and its tributary the
Tanqwa
Tanqwa is a river of northern Ethiopia. Rising in the mountains of Dogu’a Tembien (2510 metres above sea level), it flows westward to Giba River which empties finally in the Tekezé River.
Hydrography
It is a confined river, locally mea ...
are the most important rivers in the surroundings of the ''tabia''. They flow towards
Tekezze River and further on to the
Nile
The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin language, Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered ...
. These rivers have incised deep gorges which characterise the landscape.
The
drainage network of the ''tabia'' is organised as follows:
* Giba River
**
Zeyi River
Zeyi is a river of the Nile basin. Rising in the mountains of Dogu’a Tembien in northern Ethiopia, it flows southward to empty in Giba and Tekezé River.
Characteristics
It is a confined ephemeral river, a bedrock river, with an average ...
, at the border of ''tabias''
Simret
Simret is a ''tabia'' or municipality in the Tanqua Millash woreda of the Tigray Region, Ethiopia, which comprises the longest cave of Tigray in Zeyi, as well as Ras Alula’s birthplace in Mennewe. The ''tabia'' centre is in Dengolo village. Un ...
and
Walta
Walta Media and Communication Corporate S.C. or Walta, previously called Walta Information and Public Relations Center S.C., or Walta Information Center, is an Ethiopian commercial media conglomerate owned and operated by the Ethiopian government ...
** Zeleqwa River, which becomes Ruba Dirho near Seret, and Tanqwa River, in the ''woredas''
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 ...
and
Abergele (woreda)
Tanqua Abergele ( ti, ጣንቋ ኣበርገለ, amh, አበርገሌ) is one of the Districts of Ethiopia, or ''woredas'', in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Mehakelegnaw Zone, Abergele is bordered on the south by the Wag Hemra Zone ...
***
Tsech'i River
Tsech'i is a river of the Nile basin. Rising in the mountains of Dogu’a Tembien in northern Ethiopia, it flows westward to empty finally in Giba and Tekezé River.
Characteristics
It is a confined ephemeral river, locally meandering in i ...
, in ''tabias'' Seret,
Menachek
Menachek is a ''tabia'' or municipality in the Tanqua Millash district of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. The ''tabia'' centre is in Addi Bayro village (also called "Debre Birhan"). Until January 2020 it belonged to the Dogu'a Tembien district.
...
and
Aregen
Aregen is a ''tabia'' or municipality in the Dogu'a Tembien district of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. The ''tabia'' centre is in Addi Gotet village, located approximately to the west-southwest of the ''woreda'' town Hagere Selam.
Geography
...
**** May Dechena, with its source in Inda Maryam
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 flood
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing o ...
s. Especially at the beginning of the rainy season, they are brown-coloured, evidencing high soil
erosion
Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...
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:
* Dechena in Inda Maryam Qorar
* May Weyni in the homonymous village
* May Ch’ech’ati in a gorge draining the Tsatsen plateau
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.
* Traditional surface water harvesting ponds, particularly in places without permanent springs, called ''rahaya''
* ''Horoyo'', household ponds, recently constructed through campaigns
Settlements
The ''tabia'' centre Inda Maryam Qorar 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:
* May Weyni
* Addi Mishahan
* Mezegat
* Duwele
* Mashih
* May Ch’iwara
* Haddush Addi (shared with
Mika'el Abiy
Mika’el Abiy is a ''tabia'' or municipality in the Dogu’a Tembien district of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. The ''tabia'' centre is in Megesta village, located approximately 7 km to the southeast of the ''woreda'' town Hagere Selam.
...
)
The latter two villages are the highest villages of this part of Tigray, on the Tsatsen plateau, at an elevation of approximately 2800 metres.
Agriculture and livelihood
The population lives essentially from crop farming, supplemented with off-season work in nearby towns. The land is dominated by
farmland
Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous with bot ...
s which are clearly demarcated and are cropped every year. Hence the
agricultural 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 ...
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.
The introduction of
apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...
s for cultivation in backyards by
smallholder
A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technology ...
farmers was especially successful in Mashih, some 5 km to the east of Inda Maryam.
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. ...
.
Religion and churches
Most inhabitants are
Orthodox Christians
Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion.
Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churc ...
. The following churches are located in the ''tabia'':
* Maryam Qorar
* Maryam Mashih
* Abune Selama, on a mountain peak at the boundary to
Mika'el Abiy
Mika’el Abiy is a ''tabia'' or municipality in the Dogu’a Tembien district of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. The ''tabia'' centre is in Megesta village, located approximately 7 km to the southeast of the ''woreda'' town Hagere Selam.
...
* Addi Mishahan Mika'el
''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
* Tiwres Hailesillasie at Inda Maryam Qorar
* Tsehaynesh Abate at Inda Maryam Qorar
* Kidan Gebreayezgi at Inda Maryam Qorar
Roads and communication
The main road
Mekelle
Mekelle ( ti, መቐለ, am, መቀሌ, mäqälle, mek’elē) or Mekele is a List of zones of Ethiopia, special zone and capital city, capital of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Mekelle was formerly the capital of Enderta province, Enderta Awrajj ...
–
Hagere Selam –
Abiy Addi
Abiy Addi (also spelled Abi Addi; Tigrigna ዓብዪ ዓዲ "Big town") is a town in central Tigray Region, Tigray, Ethiopia. Abiy Addi is at the southeastern edge of the Kola Tembien woreda, of which it is the capital.
Overview
The town is di ...
crosses the ''tabia''. There are regular bus services to these towns. Further, a rural access road links Mashih, Mezegat and Duwele to the main asphalt road.
Schools
Almost all children of the ''tabia'' are schooled,
though in some schools there is lack of classrooms, directly related to the large intake in primary schools over the last decades. Schools in the ''tabia'' include
Mashih school.
Tourism
Its mountainous nature and proximity to
Mekelle
Mekelle ( ti, መቐለ, am, መቀሌ, mäqälle, mek’elē) or Mekele is a List of zones of Ethiopia, special zone and capital city, capital of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Mekelle was formerly the capital of Enderta province, Enderta Awrajj ...
make the ''tabia'' fit for tourism. As compared to many other mountain areas in
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 ...
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. In Inda Maryam Qorar there are very basic hotels, mainly used by pilgrims on their way to
Dabba Hadera
Dabba may refer to:
* Dabba or tiffin carrier, a lunch box used in South Asia
* ''The Lunchbox'', working title ''Dabba'', a 2013 Indian film
* Dabba (company), a South African telco company
* ∂, a mathematical symbol
* Beast of the Earth, or ...
monastery.
Touristic attractions
* Tsatsen plateau with views
Geotouristic sites
The high variability of geological formations and the rugged topography invite for geological and geographic tourism or "geotourism". Geosites in the ''tabia'' include:
* Inda Maryam extensive Vertisol area
* Views to adjacent gorges
* Apple cultivation in Mashih
* Exclosures managed by “Trees for Farmers” in the northeast of the tabia
Trekking routes
Trekking routes have been established, with starting point in Inda Maryam Qorar'.
The tracks are not marked on the ground but can be followed using downloaded .GPX files.
* Trek 7, to
Debre Sema'it
Debar ( mk, Дебaр ; Albanian: ''Dibër''/''Dibra'' or ''Dibra e Madhe;'' ) is a city in the western part of North Macedonia, near the border with Albania, off the road from Struga to Gostivar. It is the seat of Debar Municipality. Debar ha ...
rock church, and on to
Abiy Addi
Abiy Addi (also spelled Abi Addi; Tigrigna ዓብዪ ዓዲ "Big town") is a town in central Tigray Region, Tigray, Ethiopia. Abiy Addi is at the southeastern edge of the Kola Tembien woreda, of which it is the capital.
Overview
The town is di ...
* Trek 8, from Tsatsen, through Inda Maryam to
Zeyi cave and on the
Giba River
Giba is a river of northern Ethiopia. It starts at the confluence of Genfel and Sulluh (which rises in the mountains of Mugulat) (3298 metres above sea level) and flows westward to the Tekezé River. Future Lake Giba will occupy the plain where ...
gorge
* Trek 8V, to
Dabba Hadera
Dabba may refer to:
* Dabba or tiffin carrier, a lunch box used in South Asia
* ''The Lunchbox'', working title ''Dabba'', a 2013 Indian film
* Dabba (company), a South African telco company
* ∂, a mathematical symbol
* Beast of the Earth, or ...
monastery
* Trek 19, to
Debre Sema'it
Debar ( mk, Дебaр ; Albanian: ''Dibër''/''Dibra'' or ''Dibra e Madhe;'' ) is a city in the western part of North Macedonia, near the border with Albania, off the road from Struga to Gostivar. It is the seat of Debar Municipality. Debar ha ...
rock church, and on to Agbe
See also
*
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.
References
{{ Tabias (municipalities) of Dogu’a Tembien
Populated places in the Tigray Region
Dogu'a Tembien