Aliyu Amba | |
|---|---|
  Aliyu Amba Location in Ethiopia | |
| Coordinates:09°32′N39°48′E / 9.533°N 39.800°E /9.533; 39.800 | |
| Country | Ethiopia |
| Region | Amhara Region |
| Zone | Semien Shewa Zone |
| Elevation | 1,805 m (5,922 ft) |
| Population (2005 est.) | |
• Total | 2,873 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
Aliyu Amba (Amharic: ዐልዩ ዐምባ) is a town in centralEthiopia. Located in theSemien Shewa Zone of theAmhara Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of09°32′N39°48′E / 9.533°N 39.800°E /9.533; 39.800 with an elevation of 1805 meters above sea level. It was historically part of theIfat region.[1] The town is located near the ancient state ofKwelgora.[2]
Charles Johnston, who passed through this settlement 31 May 1841, described it as "perched upon a flat-topped isolated rock that, nearly at right angles with the road, juts across the upper end of a pretty little valley".[3]
There is a weekly market in Aliyu Amba, which is held on Sunday. Educational facilities in the early 1990s included one primary and one junior secondary school.[4]
Aliyu Amba owed its importance to its location on thecaravan route that stretched fromSaqqa in theGibe region at its western point toHarar in the east andTadjoura on theRed Sea. It was the most important market of central Ethiopia in the early and middle 19th century, and its merchants were almost entirely Muslim.[5] The rulers ofShewa inAbyssinia and theEmirate of Harar co-operated in keeping this west-east route open. As a result the two potentates were in regular contact, and the head of theHarari community in Aliyu Amba was appointed by the Emir of Harar.[6] This town was also an important center of theamoleh trade in the 1830s, and Mordechai Abir notes that a 10 per cent duty on all sales rendered to the Shewan government 3,000Maria Theresa Thalers in cash and the equivalent of 2,000 in kind.[7] In the 1840s a delegate fromHarar, referred to as"Abdal Wanag" (lion ofAdal) was governor of the town.[8][9]
At the height of its importance in the late 1870s, Aliyu Amba was estimated byAntonio Cecchi to have a population of about 4,000. However, when EmperorMenelik II moved his court from neighboringAnkober toEntoto (and laterAddis Ababa), the town lost importance. It was not until 1990 that a road 16 kilometers in length was built to connect Aliyu Amba withAnkober byLutheran organizations and theMekane Yesus Church with the help of local workers. The Mekane Yesus have also started a program dedicated to reversing theland degradation of the farmland around the town.[5]
Based on figures from theCentral Statistical Agency in 2005, Aliyu Amba has an estimated total population of 2,873 of whom 1,431 are men and 1,442 are women.[10] The inhabitants include members of theArgobba people. The 1994 census reported this town had a total population of 1,582 of whom 719 were men and 863 were women. It is one of four towns inAnkoberworeda.