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Ali Sabieh Cali Sabiix علي صبيح | |
|---|---|
City | |
 | |
| Nickname: Assajog | |
  Ali Sabieh Location within Djibouti Show map of Djibouti Ali Sabieh Location within the Horn of Africa Show map of Horn of Africa Ali Sabieh Location within Africa Show map of Africa | |
| Coordinates:11°09′N42°43′E / 11.150°N 42.717°E /11.150; 42.717 | |
| Country |  Djibouti |
| Region | Ali Sabieh |
| Area | |
• Total | 16 km2 (6 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 756 m (2,480 ft) |
| Population (2024 census)[1] | |
• Total | 44,782 |
| • Density | 2,800/km2 (7,200/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
| Climate | BSh |
Ali Sabieh (Somali:Cali Sabiix,Arabic:علي صبيح) is the second largest city inDjibouti. It is situated about 98 kilometres (61 miles) Southwest ofDjibouti City and 10 km (6 mi) north of the border withEthiopia. It sprawls on a wide basin surrounded by graniticmountains on all sides. Ali Sabieh's mildclimate makes it a popular tourist destination forDjiboutians. The famous landmark ofAli Sabieh mountain is located near the city.
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Ali Sabieh was a small village when the French created theirFrench Somaliland. According to an old legend, the present-day territory of Ali Sabieh was covered by some trees, wadis, and a well.Nomads used to stop at the well for water on their way to the towns ofZeila orHarar, after signing the treaties in 1894 with the then rulingUgaas ofIssa Somali, to establish a protectorate in the region referred to asFrench Somaliland. Ali Sabieh became an administrative and commercial centre in the 19th century after the construction of theEthio-Djibouti Railways, the first railway inFrench Somaliland. The railway reached this location on 14 July 1900. During this time, Ali Sabieh became the town that profited most from it and became a "boom city," attracting most of the trade. In 1904, a report notes that "when the border post of Ali Sabieh, it has the appearance of afortress. Attached to the circle of "Gobad-Dikkil" from its inception in 1931, Ali Sabieh became the chief town of a circle autonomously 1939.
DuringWorld War II,Italy's declaration of war onFrance andGreat Britain came on 10 June 1940. The Italians did undertake some offensive actions beginning on 18 June. FromHarrar Governorate, troops under General Guglielmo Nasi attacked the fort of Ali-Sabieh, there was some skirmishing over theEthio-Djibouti Railways. Between 1 and 10 July several clashes with the Italians took place at Ali-Sabieh and along therailroad. On 10 July when the government learned that thearmistice was not yet put into effect in French Somaliland, PresidentPhilippe Pétain a collaborationistgovernment at Vichy sent General Gaëtan Germain as his personal representative to correct the situation. Negotiations atDewele,Italian East Africa on the local implementation of the armistice were only finally completed on 8 August. When the Italian invasion ofBritish Somaliland the territory was completely surrounded onland by Italian possessions.
TheCommander-in-Chief, East Africa,William Platt, codenamed the negotiations for the surrender of French Somaliland "Pentagon", because there were five sides: himself, the Vichy governor, theFree French, the British minister at Addis Ababa and theUnited States.Christian Raimond Dupont surrendered and Colonel Raynal's troops crossed back intoFrench Somaliland 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. It was briefly attached to theCircle of Djibouti from 1946 to 1949, then again to that circle ofGobad-Dikkil, 1952 to 1958, and to regain its own administration from 1958 but in 1967 it was transformed into districts.
Following the conclusion of the 1977–1978Ogaden War, Ali Sabieh, along withDikhil, accommodated three quarters of the 8,000Issa Somalis who had fled Ethiopia.
Ali Sabieh is the capital of theAli Sabieh Region. It lies alongNational Highway 5.
Nearby towns and villages includeDikhil (50 km),Arta (69 km),Ali Adde (22 km),Assamo (24 km),Dewele (18 km),Dasbiyo (15 km),Holhol (33 km) andGuelile (10 km). Public buses go fromDjibouti City to Ali Sabieh. It takes two hours to get to Ali Sabieh. A contracted bus ride fromDjibouti city to Ali Sabieh can charge between 700Djiboutian franc. 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.
As of the 2024 population census conducted by the Djiboutian national statistics authorities, Ali Sabieh has a total population of 44,782.[1]It is the second-most populous city inDjibouti.[2] The city inhabitants belong to various mainlyAfro-Asiatic-speaking ethnic groups, with theIssaSomali predominant. The majority of Djibouti and Ali Sabieh's population isMuslim.
Football andbasketball are the most popular sports in Ali Sabieh. 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.
Ali Sabieh economy today relies on tourism, agriculture and a number of small factories, most of which are involved in the building trade. Mobile telephone communications are provided mainly byDjibouti Telecom which have launched 3G and 4G services to their customers.
Various primary schools and nurseries are located in Ali Sabieh. There are several state-run and privately owned secondary and high schools in the town. The medium of instruction in both public and private schools is typicallyFrench,Arabic and with emphasis onEnglish as a second language.
Ali Sabieh is the medical hub of the Region of Ali Sabieh. Hospital Dr. Absieh is a key healthcare institution situated in Ali Sabieh. Its fundamental role in delivering essential medical services to the community, making it an indispensable asset for both residents and travelers alike. Public hospitals inDjibouti were first built in the late 1901s and continued to grow with public health initiatives.
The town has many old quarters, with houses that are typically built with brown and black rocks, and mosques that are usually white washed and some has lost ground to more modern developments. For its famous landmarkAli Sabieh Mountain of national emblem of Djibouti symbol and for theArrei Mountains highest point inAli Sabieh region. The town hosts events to attract visitors to the town and its surroundings, including sporting events, shows, and singers.
Ali Sabieh originally had arailway connection withDjibouti City andAddis Ababa,Ethiopia with a picturesque French-style railway station, but this route has been abandoned located in the city centre. The newAddis Ababa-Djibouti Railway started operation in September 2016, running parallel to the route of the original railway line. The most frequently used public vehicles in the town areauto rickshaws (tuk-tuk). They travel on a number of routes serving nearly all of the town districts. Intercity bus services are also available, which connect Ali Sabieh to other major cities and towns across Djibouti, includingDjibouti City,Dikhil andArta.
Pavedroads are available in Ali Sabieh, The vast majority of the roads were paved by the French, duringcolonial rule. The local government has repaired some of the roads but many others are still awaiting repair.
Ali Sabieh is located in avalley in the southern section of the country. The city is situated in a mountainous area, in an enclosed valley of thehighlands. It sits at an elevation of 756 metres (2,480 feet)above sea level. 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 story and mostlycement made. To the east of Ali Sabieh is a grassland savannah, which attracts many types of wildlife to the area, includingblack-backed jackal,dorcas gazelle,Felis,caracal, various bird species, and thehamadryas baboon. The area attracts visitors looking for a moderate climate and pristine, scenic views.
Ali Sabieh is characterized by ahot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classificationBSh), with long, hot dry summers and mild winters. Ali Sabieh climate is largely defined by itsgeographic location.
The summer season in Ali Sabieh is moderately long, characterized by hot and dry and refreshing breezes with little rain, butrelative humidity is generally low, making the heat tolerable. Average high temperatures are between 32 °C (90 °F) and 37 °C (99 °F) duringsummer months, and it can sometimes rise up to 40 °C (104 °F) duringheat waves, and it can occasionally drop to below 19 °C (66 °F) at night. Winter usually sets in around the end of November, extending through early to mid-March. During thewinter months, average low temperatures are between 15 °C (59 °F) and 16 °C (61 °F), and it can occasionally drop to below 12 °C (54 °F). There are tworainy seasons, the first rainy season extends from March to April and second from July to September. The average annualrainfall in Ali Sabieh is around 205 mm (8 in).
Elevation is the major factor in temperature levels. The highest recorded temperature was 40 °C or 104 °F on July 13, 2008, while the lowest recorded temperature was 12.5 °C or 54.5 °F on December 10, 1992.
| Climate data for Ali Sabieh | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 23 (73) | 24 (75) | 25 (77) | 27 (81) | 31 (88) | 37 (99) | 36 (97) | 36 (97) | 34 (93) | 28 (82) | 25 (77) | 24 (75) | 29 (85) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 16 (61) | 17 (63) | 18 (64) | 20 (68) | 23 (73) | 26 (79) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 24 (75) | 20 (68) | 18 (64) | 16 (61) | 21 (69) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 17 (0.7) | 14 (0.6) | 16 (0.6) | 25 (1.0) | 5 (0.2) | 2 (0.1) | 19 (0.7) | 43 (1.7) | 34 (1.3) | 10 (0.4) | 13 (0.5) | 7 (0.3) | 205 (8.1) |
| Source 1:Climate-Data.org, altitude: 756 metres or 2,480 feet[3] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:Levoyageur[4] | |||||||||||||
| Country | Town |
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 Turkey |  Bayburt |
 Chile |  Vicuña |
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| National | |
