Qwiha (also Kuha or Kwiha) is a town located in
Tigray,
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 name comes from the local word for
willow
Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...
s, which are abundant in the area.
[Nathaniel Pearce, (J.J. Halls, editor), ''The Life and Adventures of Nathaniel Pearce'' (London, 1831), vol. 1 pp. 121-4] Located in the
Debub Misraqawi (south-eastern) Zone 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 ...
, it lies 9 kilometers east of
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 ...
straddling
Ethiopian Highway 2
The A2 Highway is a trunk road in Ethiopia. It connects the capital Addis Ababa with Mekelle, as well as with Wukro, Adigrat, Axum, Shire and Humera. Ethiopian the A2 has a length of .
Route
Towns and cities along the A2 include, from north ...
which leads to
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 ...
. It has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 2247 meters above sea level.
History
Antiquity
The hill of Qwiha Cherkos located on the eastern fringe of the modern city was settled during the
Aksumite Period and hosted monumental buildings, possibly including a church. Monumental stone pillars typical of the Aksumite architecture can be seen near the new church at the summit of the hill.
Medieval Period
A Muslim community is attested in Qwiha between the 10th and 13th century through Arabic funerary stelae discovered in the field known as Bilet, east of the tell of Qwiha Cerkos.
19th century
On the northern edge of town are ruins, including a set of monolithic pillars. The ruins were first described by
Nathaniel Pearce
Nathaniel Pearce (14 February 1779 – 12 August 1820) was an explorer who spent many years in Abyssinia (present-day Ethiopia) and wrote a journal of his experiences.
Early life
Pearce was born in East Acton near London, and was educated at pri ...
in the early 19th century, which included the presence of inscriptions. he also mentions the presence of a sacred spring whose waters "afflicted with disease resort from far and near to bathe."
There is also a tradition that the ruins were part of a church dedicated to the Ethiopian saint Chirqos and destroyed by
Imam
Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...
Ahmad Gragn
Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi ( so, Axmed Ibraahim al-Qaasi or Axmed Gurey, Harari: አሕመድ ኢብራሂም አል-ጋዚ, ar, أحمد بن إبراهيم الغازي ; 1506 – 21 February 1543) was an imam and general of the Adal Sultana ...
. Although no other remains of this structure has been recorded, a more recent church stands nearby and "grave digging has exposed rough walls and possibly
Aksumite
The Kingdom of Aksum ( gez, መንግሥተ አክሱም, ), also known as the Kingdom of Axum or the Aksumite Empire, was a kingdom centered in Northeast Africa and South Arabia from Classical antiquity to the Middle Ages. Based primarily in wha ...
pottery."
20th century
The ''Guida dell'Africa orientale Italiana'' describes Qwiha in 1938, during the
Italian occupation, as having a small Italian settlement below the center of town, and little north of the pass a small church of ''San Francesco da Páola'' built by an Italian military unit.
["Local History in Ethiopia"](_blank)
The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 10 January 2008)
In 1938, there were shops, five restaurants and Hotel-Restaurant “Romagnolo” in Kwiha. There was also a car service station and an airport.
The town was occupied by the
Woyane during their rebellion against the Ethiopian government in late 1943.
Qwiha had telephone service at least as early as 1956, when it is reported that the only hotel in town had the only telephone.
Transportation
Qwiha is the administrative center of the
Enderta woreda
Districts of Ethiopia, also called woredas ( am, ወረዳ; ''woreda''), are the third level of the administrative divisions of Ethiopia – after ''zones'' and the '' regional states''.
These districts are further subdivided into a number of ...
.
The airport of Mekelle,
Alula Aba Nega Airport
Alula Aba Nega Airport , also known as Mekelle Airport, is an airport serving Mekelle, the capital city of the Tigray Region in northern Ethiopia. The airport is located southeast of the city.
History
This airport was built in the late 1990s ...
is located within the administrative boundaries of Qwiha. In Qwiha, the (main) paved road from Addis Ababa takes a sharp turn left to
Mek'ele. The recently asphalted old road to
Asmara
Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The ...
, which used to bear the "National road n°1" label, keeps heading north to the village of
Maymagden
Maimekden (or May Mekden) is a village in Tigray Region, located 27 kilometers south of Wukro. It is located on the crossing of Ethiopian Highway 2 and the Mai Mekden river.
Administrative division
In Imperial times, Maimekden used to be the a ...
and
Wukro
Wukro (Tigrigna: ውቕሮ) (also known as Wukro Kilte Awulaelo; Tigrigna: ውቕሮ ክልተ ኣውላዕሎ) (also transliterated Wuqro; is a town and separate woreda in Tigray, Ethiopia. Wukro is located along Genfel River, in the Misraqaw ...
.
A local road starts in Qwiha linking the eastern
''tabias'' of Arato and
Dergajen
Dergajen (or ''Derge Agen'') was a woreda in Enderta Province, in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Its administrative center was Kwiha; now is a tabia (municipality) located 19 kilometers east of Kwiha, Ethiopia. The administrative center of the tabia is ...
to the woreda center. Seven kilometers south of Qwiha a regional road heading to
Shiket
Abala () is a town in north-eastern Ethiopia. The administrative center of Kilbet Rasu, Afar Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 1465 meters .
Abala is an important trading center in the area for goats, with it ...
and the
Afar Region diverts from the national highway.
Demographics
In 1938, the town counted approximately 900 inhabitants (including 60 Italians).
Based on figures from the
Central Statistical Agency
The Central Statistical Agency (CSA; Amharic: ማዕከላዊ ስታቲስቲክስ ኤጀንሲ) is an agency of the government of Ethiopia designated to provide all surveys and censuses for that country used to monitor economic and social growth ...
in 2005, Qwiha has an estimated total population of 12,543, of whom 5,644 were males and 6,899 were females.
CSA 2005 National Statistics
Table B.4 The 1994 census reported it had a total population of 9,867 of whom 4,336 were males and 5,531 were females. It is one of two towns in Enderta woreda
Districts of Ethiopia, also called woredas ( am, ወረዳ; ''woreda''), are the third level of the administrative divisions of Ethiopia – after ''zones'' and the '' regional states''.
These districts are further subdivided into a number of ...
.
Notes
{{reflist
Populated places in the Tigray Region