Mizan (Dogu'a Tembien) on:
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As there are no permanent rivers, springs are of the utmost importance for the local people. The main springs in the ''tabia'' are:
* Debresema'it in the village of the same name
* Debregenet in Kekema
* May Mikale in Tsilere
The ''tabia'' centre of Kerene has a few administrative offices, a health post, a primary school and some small shops. There are a few more primary schools across the ''tabia''. The other main populated places are:
The population lives essentially from crop farming, supplemented with off-season work in nearby towns. The plateau is dominated by
Mizan is a ''tabia'' or municipality in the Tanqua Millash district of the
File:Lower basalt - hexagonal outcrop at Gumuara.jpg, Hexagonal outcrop of Ashangi basalts.
File:Lower basalt - La'ilay Gumuara.jpg, Ashangi basalts in Gumuara.
File:Edaga Arbi glacials.jpg, Edaga Arbi glacials at the foot of the escarpment.
File:Santarfa.jpg, Village of Santarfa on a structural flat
and Tigray Region
The Tigray Region (or simply Tigray; officially the Tigray National Regional State) is the northernmost Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in Ethiopia. The Tigray Region is the homeland of the Tigrayan, Irob people, Irob and Kunama people. I ...
of Ethiopia
Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
. This ''tabia'' includes the rock church of Debre Sema'it, as well as Arefa, reputedly birthplace of the Queen of Sheba
The Queen of Sheba, also known as Bilqis in Arabic and as Makeda in Geʽez, is a figure first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. In the original story, she brings a caravan of valuable gifts for Solomon, the fourth King of Israel and Judah. This a ...
. The ''tabia'' centre is in Kerene village. Until 2020, Mizan belonged to the Dogu'a Tembien
Dogu'a Tembien (, "Upper Tembien", sometimes transliterated as Degua Tembien or Dägʿa Tämben) 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 ...
district.
Geography
The ''tabia'' occupies the Tsilare ridge, that overlooks the wide Tekezze lowlands. On the horizon, across Tekezze River, theSimien Mountains
The Simien Mountains (Amharic: ስሜን ተራራ or Səmen; also spelled Semain, Simeon and Semien), in northern Ethiopia, north east of Gondar in Amhara region, are part of the Ethiopian Highlands. They are a World Heritage Site (since 1978) ...
can be seen. The highest area is the plateau in Kerene at 2590 m a.s.l. and the lowest place is the foot of the escarpment at Debre Semay'it (1725 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 as ...
* 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 ...
* 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 woo ...
* 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 yi ...
Geological gallery
Geomorphology and soils
The maingeomorphic
Geomorphology () is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topography, topographic and bathymetry, bathymetric features generated by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or near Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. Ge ...
units, with corresponding soil types are:
* Basalt plateau
** Associated soil types
*** deep, very dark clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...
s with strong structure and very good natural fertility, temporarily waterlogged during the wet season (Vertisol
A vertisol is a Soil Order in the USDA soil taxonomy and a Reference Soil Group in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB). It is also defined in many other soil classification systems. In the Australian Soil Classification it is c ...
)
*** shallow, very stony, 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–si ...
y soils (Leptic and 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 pro ...
and Regosol
A Regosol in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) is very weakly developed mineral soil in Soil consolidation, unconsolidated materials. Regosols are extensive in erosion, eroding lands, in particular in arid and semi-arid areas and i ...
)
*** moderately deep, 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–si ...
y soils with a 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 ...
)
** Inclusions
*** complex of rock outcrops, very stony and very shallow soils ((Lithic) Leptosol
A Leptosol in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) is a very shallow soil over continuous rock or a deeper soil that is extremely rich in coarse fragments (gravelly and/or stony). Leptosols cover approximately 1.7 billion hectares o ...
)
*** moderately deep, stony, dark cracking clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...
s (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 pro ...
)
* 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 woo ...
cliff and footslope
** Associated soil types
*** complex of rock outcrops, very stony and very shallow soils ((Lithic) Leptosol
A Leptosol in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) is a very shallow soil over continuous rock or a deeper soil that is extremely rich in coarse fragments (gravelly and/or stony). Leptosols cover approximately 1.7 billion hectares o ...
)
*** shallow, stony sandy Regosol
A Regosol in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) is very weakly developed mineral soil in Soil consolidation, unconsolidated materials. Regosols are extensive in erosion, eroding lands, in particular in arid and semi-arid areas and i ...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 pro ...
)
** Inclusions
*** shallow, dry soils with very high amounts of stones (Leptic and 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 pro ...
and Regosol
A Regosol in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) is very weakly developed mineral soil in Soil consolidation, unconsolidated materials. Regosols are extensive in erosion, eroding lands, in particular in arid and semi-arid areas and i ...
)
*** deep, dark cracking clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...
s with good fertility, but problems of waterlogging (agriculture) ">waterlogging (Chromic and Pellic Vertisol
A vertisol is a Soil Order in the USDA soil taxonomy and a Reference Soil Group in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB). It is also defined in many other soil classification systems. In the Australian Soil Classification it is c ...
)
*** soils with stagnating water due to an abrupt textural change such as sand over clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...
(Haplic Planosol)
Climate
The rainfall pattern shows a very high seasonality with 70 to 80% of the annual rain falling in July and August. The mean temperature in Kerene is 17.8 °C, oscillating between an average daily minimum of 9.9 °C and a maximum of 25.3 °C. The contrasts between day and night air temperatures are much larger than seasonal contrasts.Springs
As there are no permanent rivers, springs are of the utmost importance for the local people. The main springs in the ''tabia'' are:
* Debresema'it in the village of the same name
* Debregenet in Kekema
* May Mikale in Tsilere
Reservoirs
In this area with rains that last only for a couple of months per year, reservoirs of different sizes allow harvesting run-off from the rainy season for further use in the dry season. There are both traditional surface water harvesting ponds, particularly in places without permanent springs, called ''rahaya'' and more recently constructed ''Horoyo''. These are household ponds the construction of which has been promoted by development campaigns.Settlements
The ''tabia'' centre of Kerene has a few administrative offices, a health post, a primary school and some small shops. There are a few more primary schools across the ''tabia''. The other main populated places are:
Agriculture and livelihood
The population lives essentially from crop farming, supplemented with off-season work in nearby towns. The plateau 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 on Vertisol
A vertisol is a Soil Order in the USDA soil taxonomy and a Reference Soil Group in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB). It is also defined in many other soil classification systems. In the Australian Soil Classification it is c ...
s which are clearly demarcated and are cropped every year. Hence the agricultural system is a permanent upland farming system
Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food ...
. 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.
History and culture
History
The history of the ''tabia'' is strongly connected with thehistory of Tembien
Tembien (Tigrinya language, 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 ...
.
Religion and churches
Most inhabitants are Orthodox Christians. The following churches are located in the ''tabia'': * Medhane Alem * Debre Sema'it Yohannes (rock church) * Tsilare Mika'el * Qeqema Maryam * Yeresere Abune AyezgiLegends and myths
Arefa, at the western side of the tabia and end of the Tsilere ridge, is reputedly the birthplace of theQueen of Sheba
The Queen of Sheba, also known as Bilqis in Arabic and as Makeda in Geʽez, is a figure first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. In the original story, she brings a caravan of valuable gifts for Solomon, the fourth King of Israel and Judah. This a ...
. The inhabitants have many legends about her, that all play in and around the rugged mountains of Dog'ua Tembien (Arefa, Megesta, Gelebeda).
''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 * Letemariam Gebrekidan at Yeresere * Letebrhan Gebreyohannes at KereneRoads and communication
The main road fromMekelle
Mekelle (), or Mek'ele, 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 Awrajja, awraja in Tigray Province, Tigray. It is locate ...
via Hagere Selam to Abiy Addi
Abiy Addi (also spelled Abi Addi; Tigrigna ዓብዪ ዓዲ "Big town") is a town in central Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Abiy Addi is at the southeastern edge of the Kola Tembien woreda, of which it is the capital.
Overview
The town is divided i ...
runs through the eastern part of the ''tabia''. There are regular bus services to these towns. Furthermore, a rural access road links Kerene 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 Yeresere school.Tourism
Its mountainous nature and proximity toMekelle
Mekelle (), or Mek'ele, 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 Awrajja, awraja in Tigray Province, Tigray. It is locate ...
makes the ''tabia'' fit for tourism.
Touristic attractions
* The Yohannes rock church at Debre Sema'it () is located in the top of arock pinnacle
A pinnacle, tower, spire, needle or natural tower (, ''Felsturm'' or ''Felszinne'') in geology is an individual column of rock, isolated from other rocks or groups of rocks, in the shape of a vertical shaft or spire. is a natural geomorphological ...
. This church has been hewn in 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 woo ...
.
* All along the top of the Tsilere ridge, when the sky is clear, there are good views towards the Simien Mountains
The Simien Mountains (Amharic: ስሜን ተራራ or Səmen; also spelled Semain, Simeon and Semien), in northern Ethiopia, north east of Gondar in Amhara region, are part of the Ethiopian Highlands. They are a World Heritage Site (since 1978) ...
, a hundred kilometres away, across Tekezze River.
* The Hagere Selam – Abiy Addi
Abiy Addi (also spelled Abi Addi; Tigrigna ዓብዪ ዓዲ "Big town") is a town in central Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Abiy Addi is at the southeastern edge of the Kola Tembien woreda, of which it is the capital.
Overview
The town is divided i ...
road passes along the foot of the Tsilere ridge, with good views to the escarpment, the Debre Sema'it rock church, and apses
In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In Byzanti ...
in the 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 woo ...
.
* The high variability of geological formations and the rugged topography invite for geological and geographic tourism or "geotourism".
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 7, is fromAbiy Addi
Abiy Addi (also spelled Abi Addi; Tigrigna ዓብዪ ዓዲ "Big town") is a town in central Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Abiy Addi is at the southeastern edge of the Kola Tembien woreda, of which it is the capital.
Overview
The town is divided i ...
across Arefa to the Debre Sema'it rock church, and further along the Tsilare ridge to Inda Maryam Qorar
Seret is a ''tabia'' or municipality in the Dogu'a Tembien district of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. The ''tabia'' centre is in Inda Maryam Qorar village, located approximately 11 km to the southwest of the ''woreda'' town Hagere Selam.
...
* Trek 19, from Agbe to Debre Sema'it, and then it continues along the same line as Trek 7
Both treks involve a vertical interval of more than one kilometer and require good physical conditions.
Accommodation and facilities
Though facilities are basic, the inhabitants are hospitable.See also
*Dogu'a Tembien
Dogu'a Tembien (, "Upper Tembien", sometimes transliterated as Degua Tembien or Dägʿa Tämben) 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 ...
district.
References
{{ Tabias (municipalities) of Dogu’a Tembien Populated places in the Tigray Region Dogu'a Tembien