TheTigray Region[A] (or simplyTigray; officially theTigray National Regional State)[B] is the northernmostregional state inEthiopia. The Tigray Region is the homeland of theTigrayan,Irob andKunama people. Its capital and largest city isMekelle. Tigray is the fifth-largest by area, the fourth-most populous, and the fifth-most densely populated of the 11 regional states. Tigray is bordered byEritrea to the north, theAmhara Region to the south and the west, andAfar Region to the east .[5]
Tigray's official language isTigrinya, similar to that of southern Eritrea. The Tigray region had an estimated pre-war population of 7,070,260.[6] The majority of the population (c. 80%) are farmers, contributing 46% to the regional gross domestic product (2009). The highlands have the highest population density, especially ineastern andcentral Tigray. The much less densely populated lowlands comprise 48% of Tigray's area. Although the percentage of Muslims in Tigray as of 2007 was approximately 4%, it has been historically Islam's doorway to the region and to Africa at large.[7] Approximately 95.6% ofTigrayans areOrthodox Christian.
Tigray is often regarded as the cradle of Ethiopian civilization.[15] Its landscape has many historic monuments. Three major monotheistic religions,Judaism,Christianity andIslam arrived inAxum through theRed Sea.
Given the presence of a large temple complex and fertile surroundings, the capital of the 3,000-year-old kingdom ofDʿmt may have been near present-dayYeha.[16] Dʿmt developed irrigation schemes, used theplough, grewmillet, and madeiron tools and weapons. Some modern historians, includingStuart Munro-Hay,Rodolfo Fattovich, Ayele Bekerie,Cain Felder, andEphraim Isaac consider this civilization to be indigenous, althoughSabaean-influenced due to the latter's dominance of theRed Sea. Others, including Joseph Michels, Henri de Contenson, Tekletsadik Mekuria, and Stanley Burstein, have viewed Dʿmt as the result of a mixture of Sabaean and indigenous peoples.[17][18] The most recent research, however, shows thatGe'ez, the ancient Semitic language spoken in Tigray, Eritrea and northern Ethiopia in ancient times, is not likely to have been derived fromSabaean.[19] There is evidence of a Semitic-speaking presence in Tigray, Eritrea and northern Ethiopia at least as early as 2000 BC.[18][20] It is now believed that Sabaean influence was minor, limited to a few localities and disappearing after a few decades or a century, It may have represented a trading or military colony, in some sort of symbiosis or military alliance with the civilization of Dʿmt or some other proto-Aksumite state.[17][21]
After the fall of Dʿmt in the 5th century BC, the plateau came to be dominated by smaller, unknown successor kingdoms. This lasted until the rise of one of these polities during the first century BC, theAksumite Kingdom, which succeeded in reunifying the area[22] and is, in effect, the ancestor of medieval and modern states in Eritrea and Ethiopia using the name "Ethiopia" as early as the 4th century.[17][23][page needed]
The Kingdom of Aksum was a trading empire rooted in northern Ethiopia.[24] It existed from approximately 100–940 AD, growing from the proto-AksumiteIron Age period c. 4th century BC to achieve prominence by the 1st century AD.
According to theBook of Axum, Axum's first capital, Mazaber, was built by Itiyopis, son of Cush.[25] The capital was later moved toAksum in northern Ethiopia.
The Empire of Aksum, at its height, at times extended across most of present-dayEritrea, Ethiopia,Djibouti, Sudan, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. The capital city of the empire wasAxum, now in northern Ethiopia. Today a smaller community, the city of Axum was once a bustling metropolis and a cultural and economic hub. Two hills and two streams lie on the east and west expanses of the city; perhaps providing the initial impetus for settling this area. Along the hills and plain outside the city, the Aksumites had cemeteries with elaborate grave stones, which are calledstelae, orobelisks. Other important cities includedYeha,Hawulti-Melazo,Matara,Adulis, andQohaito, the last three of which are now in Eritrea. By the reign ofEndybis in the late 3rd century, Aksum had begun minting its own currency and was named byMani as one of the four great powers of his time, along withChina and theSassanid andRoman empires. It converted toChristianity in 325 or 328 underKing Ezana and was the first state to use the image ofthe cross on its coins.[26][27]
Handtke's map is 39 cm wide and 66 cm tall, and is printed on paper that has been bonded to fabric. The scale is approximately 1:5,600,000; relief is shown by short lines representing slope aspect and a general sense of steepness (hachures).The work was created in one of the few stronger cartographic publishing houses in 19th century Germany, managed by Carl Flemming (1806–1878). Flemming was aided by cartographer Friedrich Handtke (1815–1879), who worked on nearly every map assignment for the firm.[28]
In the 11th century the Tigrinya-speaking lands (Tigray-Mareb Melash) were divided into two provinces, separated by the Mereb River, by the newly enthroned Agaw emperors. The governor of the northern province received the title Bahre Negash (Ruler of the sea), whereas the governor of the southern province was given the title of Tigray Mekonen (Lord of Tigray). The Portuguese Jesuit Emanuele Baradas's work titled "Do reino de Tigr", written in 1633–34, states that the "Reino de Tigr" (Kingdom of Tigray) extended fromHamasien toTemben, from the borders ofDankel to theAdwa mountain. He also stated that Tigray-Mereb Melash was divided into 24 smaller political units (principalities), twelve of which were located south of the Mereb and governed by the Tigray Mekonen, based inEnderta. The other twelve were located north of the Mereb, under the authority of theBahre Negash, based in the district ofSerae.[29]
TheBook of Aksum, written and compiled mainly in the period from the sixteenth to seventeenth centuries, shows a traditional schematic map of Tigray with the city ofAksum at its center, surrounded by the 13 principal provinces: "Tembien, Shire, Serae, Hamasien,Bur, Sam'a,Agame, Amba Senayt,Garalta,Enderta, Sahart and Abergele."[30][failed verification]
During the Middle Ages, the position of Tigray Mekonnen ("Governor of Tigray") was established to rule over the area. Other districts includedAkele Guzay (now part ofEritrea), and the kingdom of theBahr negus, who ruled much of what is now Eritrea andShire district and town in Western Tigray. At the time when Tigray Mekonnen existed simultaneously with that of Bahr negus, their frontier seems to have been theMareb River, which is currently constitutes the border between the Ethiopian province of Tigray and Eritrea.
After the loss of power of the Bahr negus in the aftermath ofBahr negus Yeshaq's rebellions,the title of Tigray mekonnen gained power in relation to the Bahr negus and at times included ruling over parts of what is now Eritrea, especially in the 19th century.[failed verification][31] By the unsettledZemene Mesafint period ("Era of the Princes"), both designations had declined to little more than empty titles, and the lord who succeeded them used (and received from the Emperor) the title of eitherRas orDejazmach, beginning with RasMikael Sehul. Rulers of Tigray such as RasWolde Selassie alternated with others, chiefly those ofBegemder orYejju, as warlords to maintain the Ethiopian monarchy during the Zemene Mesafint.
In the mid-19th century, the lords of Tembien and Enderta managed to establish an overlordship of Tigray. One of its members, Dejazmach Kahsay Mercha, ascended the imperial throne in 1872 under the nameYohannes IV. Following his 1889 death in theBattle of Metemma, the Ethiopian throne came under the control of the king ofShewa, and the center of power shifted south and away from Tigray.[citation needed]
In 1943, a rebellionbroke out all over southern and eastern Tigray under the slogan, "there is no government; let's organize and govern ourselves". Throughout Enderta Awraja, includingMekelle, Didibadergiajen,Hintalo, Saharti,Samre and Wajirat, Raya Awraja, Kilte-Awlaelo Awraja and Tembien Awraja, local assemblies, called gerreb, were formed. The gerreb sent representatives to a central congress, called the shengo, which elected leaders and established a military command system. Although the firstWoyane rebellion of 1943 had shortcomings as a prototype revolution, historians agree that it involved a fairly high level of spontaneity and peasant initiative. It demonstrated considerable popular participation and reflected widely shared grievances. The uprising was specifically directed against the central "Shoan Amhara" regime ofHaile Selassie I to rile support, despite Tigrayan imperial elite being collaborators and beneficiaries of the regime.
Memorial in Mekelle to more than 60,000 TPLF fighters who died and over 100,000 fighters who were injured in the overthrow of the MarxistDerg regime in 1991.
Following the outbreak of theEthiopian Revolution in February 1974, the first signal of any mass uprising was the actions of the soldiers of the 4th Brigade of the 4th Army Division in Nagelle in southern Ethiopia. The Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police, and Territorial Army, or theDerg (Ge'ez "Committee"), was officially announced 28 June 1974 by a group of military officers. The committee elected MajorMengistu Haile Mariam as its chairman and MajorAtnafu Abate as its vice-chairman. In July 1974, the Derg obtained key concessions from the emperor, Haile Selassie, which included the power to arrest not only military officers but government officials at every level. Soon both former Prime MinistersTsehafi Taezaz Aklilu Habte-Wold andEndalkachew Makonnen, along with most of their cabinets, most regional governors, many senior military officers and officials of the Imperial court were imprisoned. In August 1974, after a proposed constitution creating a constitutional monarchy was presented to the emperor, the Derg began a program of dismantling the imperial government in order to forestall further developments in that direction. The Dergdeposed and imprisoned the emperor on 12 September 1974.
Nest box forColumba guinea (considered a symbol of peace) in the wall of a homestead inZerfenti, a village in Tigray where hundreds were killed by Derg bombings.
In addition, the Derg in 1975 nationalized most industries and private and somewhat secure urban real-estate holdings. But mismanagement, corruption, and general hostility to the Derg's violent rule, coupled with the draining effects of constant warfare with the separatist guerrilla movements in Tigray, led to a drastic fall in general productivity of food and cash crops. In October 1978, the Derg announced the National Revolutionary Development Campaign to mobilize human and material resources to transform the economy, which led to a Ten-Year Plan (1984/85–1993/94) to expand agricultural and industrial output, forecasting a 6.5% growth in GDP and a 3.6% rise in per capita income. Instead per capita income declined 0.8% over this period. Famine scholarAlex de Waal observes that while thefamine that struck the country in the mid-1980s is usually ascribed to drought, "closer investigation shows that widespread drought occurred only some months after the famine was already under way". Hundreds of thousands fled economic misery, conscription, and political repression, and went to live in neighboring countries and all over theWestern world, creating an Ethiopiandiaspora.
John Young, who visited the area several times in the early 1990s, attributes this delay in part to "central budget restraint, structural readjustment, and lack of awareness by government bureaucrats inAddis Ababa of conditions in the province", but notes "an equally significant obstacle was posed by an entrenched, and largely Oromo and Southern-dominated, central bureaucracy which used its power to block government-authorized funds from reaching Tigray".[32] At the same time, a growing urban middle class of traders, businessmen and government officials emerged that was suspicious of and distant from the victorious EPRDF.[citation needed]From 1991 to 2001, the president of Tigray wasGebru Asrat.In 1998,war erupted between Eritrea and Ethiopia over a portion of territory that had been administered as part of Tigray, which included the town ofBadme. A 2002United Nations decision awarded much of this land to Eritrea, but Ethiopia did not accept the ruling until 2018, when abilateral agreement ended theborder conflict. The text of this agreement has not been publicly availed.
Between April 2001 and December 2010,Tsegay Berhe of theTigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) served as President of the Tigray Region. A veteran of the TPLF and former vice-president (1991–2001), Berhe also held the position of vice-chairman of the party during this tenure.[33][34][35] In 2010, Berhe was succeeded byAbay Weldu, who served as regional president from 2010 until January 2018 and concurrently led the TPLF from September 2012 to November 2017.[35][36] Weldu came to power amid a rapidly centralized political structure under theEthiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), a coalition led by TPLF.[37][38][39]
During their administrations, Tigray’s regional government benefitted from significant fiscal autonomy. State‑linked conglomerates like EFFORT and METEC funnelled resources into regional coffers, making Tigray one of the most financially empowered regions in Ethiopia.[40] This economic clout helped the regional TPLF maintain political dominance, though critics argue that such financial strength also entrenchedpatronage networks and limitedpolitical pluralism. Nationally, EPRDF—which included the TPLF as dominant member since its founding in 1989—held control over Ethiopia’sethnic‑federal system.[41][42] The 2005 national parliamentary elections marked a turning point; serious opposition gains were met with strong government crackdowns, and protests later erupted in 2016–2017 demanding reforms and challenging the longstanding one‑party dominance.[40][43][44]
Between 2018 and 2020, as part of a reform aimed to deepen and strengthen decentralisation, woredas were reorganised, and new boundaries established. As smaller towns had been growing, they had started providing a larger range of services, such as markets and even banks, that encouraged locals to travel there rather than to their formal woreda centre. However, these locals still had to travel to their local woreda centre for most local government services – often in a different direction. In 2018 and 2019, after multiple village discussions that were often vigorous in the more remote areas, 21 independent urban administrations were added and other boundaries re-drawn, resulting in an increase from 35 to 88 woredas in January 2020.[citation needed]
Following the2020 Tigray regional election, on 4 November, after the attacks by TDF on Northern Command units in Tigray and missiles sent to Eritrea, the Ethiopian and Eritrean militaries launched counterattacks. Ethiopian forces advanced through southern Tigray, while Eritrean troops occupied northern border towns.[45]
After theTigray War (2020–2022), which resulted in an estimated 600,000 deaths, the Tigray region faced ongoing instability. A peace agreement in November 2022 led to the formation of an interim administration, but the region struggled with implementing key provisions, such as the return of displaced people. In 2025, tensions resurfaced when Tigray’s interim president,Getachew Reda, fled toAddis Ababa after a faction led by formerTPLF leaderDebretsion Gebremichael seized control. The power struggle sparked fears of renewed conflict. In response,Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed invitedTigrayans to suggest a new leader via email and extended the interim administration’s mandate. This development followed internal struggles, including a coup attempt and clashes, as well as growing concerns over tensions with neighboringEritrea, which added to the regional instability.[47][48]
Tigray is situated between 12° – 15°N and 36° 30' – 40° 30'E.
A 2006 national statistics report stated the land area as 50,079 km2 (19,336 sq mi).[2] The 2011 National Statistics gave an area of 41,410 km2 (15,990 sq mi), but the sum of the figures it gave for the Tigray zones was substantially different,[49] rendering the 2011 report internally inconsistent. The figure of 53,036 km2 (20,477 sq mi) is supported by theGoogle Maps area calculator demonstrated inthis article.
TheAntalo Limestone cliff at Mishlam in the southeastern part of Dogu'a Tembien
At the end of theMesozoic tectonic phase, a new (Cretaceous) planation took place. After that, the deposition of continental sediments (Amba Aradam Formation) indicates the presence of less shallow seas, probably caused by a regional uplift. At the beginning of theCaenozoic, there was a relative tectonic quiescence, during which the Amba Aradam Sandstones were partially eroded, which led to the formation of a new planation surface.[56]
A new magma intrusion occurred in theEarly Miocene, which gave rise tophonolite plugs, mainly in the Adwa area and also in Dogu'a Tembien.[57] The present geomorphology is marked by deep valleys, eroded as a result of the regional uplift. Throughout theQuaternary, deposition ofalluvium and freshwatertufa occurred in the valley bottoms.[59]
As Tigray holds a wide variety ofrock types, there is expectedly a varied use of rock.
Naturalstone masonry. Preferentially, the easier shapedlimestone andsandstone are used to build homesteads and churches, but particularly in the upland areas,basalt is also used. Traditionally, fermented mud will be used as mortar
Church bells, generally three elongated plates inphonolite orclinkstone, with different tonalities
Milling stone: for this purpose plucked-bedrock pits, smallrock-cut basins that naturally occur in rivers withkolks, are excavated from the river bed and further shaped.Milling is done at home using an elongated small boulder[63][64]
Door and windowlintels, prepared from rock types that frequently have an elongated shape (sandstone,phonolite,limestone), or that are easily shaped (tufa)
Troughs for livestockwatering and feeding, generally hewn fromtufa
Footpathpaving, generally done ascommunity work. Some very ancient pavedfootpaths occur on major communication lines dating back to the period before the introduction of the automobile
foot travellers stop, pray and put an additional stone
Stones collected from farmlands in order to free space for the crop, and heaped in typicalrounded metres-high heaps, calledzala
Overall, the region issemi-arid. Thewet season lasts only for a couple of months. The farmers are adapted to this, but the problem arises when rains are less than normal. Another major challenge is providing water to urban areas. Smaller towns, but particularly Mekelle, face endemicwater shortages.Reservoirs have been built, but their management is sub-optimal.
The most common pestrodents with widespread distribution in agricultural fields and storage areas are three Ethiopian endemic species: the Dembea grass rat (Arvicanthis dembeensis, sometimes considered a subspecies ofArvicanthis niloticus), Ethiopian white-footed rat (Stenocephalemys albipes), andAwash multimammate mouse (Mastomys awashensis).[67]
Birdwatching can be done particularly in exclosures and forests. Eighteen bird-watching sites have been inventoried inEnderta andDegua Tembien[69] and mapped.[72]
Like other Regions in Ethiopia, Tigray is subdivided into administrative zones, and further intoworedas or districts. Up to January 2020, these were theworedas of Tigray:
In 2018 and 2019, after multiple village discussions that were often vigorous in the more remote areas, 21 independent urban administrations were added and other boundaries re-drawn, resulting in an increase from 35 to 94woredas in January 2020:
Of the 10 largest cities in Tigray,Maychew has the highest elevation at 2479 meter above sea level. Plenty of smaller towns, likeAtsbi andEdaga Hamus are located at even higher elevations. Of the large cities,Humera is located at the lowest altitude (585 m).
The executive branch is headed by the Chief Administrator of theInterim Regional Administration of Tigray. The current president isGetachew Reda Kahsay, a TPLF member, appointed in 2023. A Vice President of Tigray succeeds the president in the event of any removal from office, and performs any duties assigned by the president.[74] The other elected constitutional offices in the executive branch are the Regional Health Bureau (Ato Hagos Godefy),[75] Educational Bureau (Ato Gebre'egziabher),[76] Auditor General (Ato Alemseged Kebedew), and 12 other officials.[77]
There are three levels of the Tigray statejudiciary. The lowest level is the court of common pleas: each woreda maintains its own constitutionally mandated court of common pleas, which maintain jurisdiction over all justiciable matters.[78] The intermediate-level court system is the district court system. Four courts of appeals exist, each retaining jurisdiction over appeals from common pleas, municipal, and county courts in an administrative zone. A case heard in this system is decided by a three-judge panel, and each judge is elected.
The highest-ranking court, the Tigray Supreme Court, is Tigray's "court of last resort".[79] A seven-justice panel composes the court, which, by its own discretion, hears appeals from the courts of appeals, and retains original jurisdiction over limited matters. The chief judge is called the President of Tigray Supreme Court (W/ro Hirity Miheretab).
Based on the 2007 census conducted by theCentral Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), the Tigray Region has a population of 4,316,988, of whom 2,126,465 are men and 2,190,523 women; urban inhabitants number 844,040 or 19.6% of the population. With an estimated area of 84,722 km2, the region had an estimated density of 51 people per km2. In the entire region 992,635 households were counted, for an average of 4.4 people per household, with urban households having on average 3.4 and rural households 4.6.[80]
In the previous census, conducted in 1994, the region's population was 3,136,267, of whom 1,542,165 were men and 1,594,102 women; urban inhabitants numbered 621,210, or 14% of the population.
According to the CSA, as of 2004[update], 54.0% of the total population had access tosafe drinking water, of whom 42.7% were rural inhabitants and 97.3% were urban.[81] Values for other reported common indicators of thestandard of living for Tigray as of 2005[update] include: 31.6% of the inhabitants fall into the lowest wealth quintile; adult literacy for men is 67.5% and for women 33.7%; and theinfant mortality rate is 67 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, less than the national average of 77; at least half of these deaths occurred in the infants' first month of life.[82]
The predominant religion in Tigray is Orthodox Christianity at 95.6%.[7]
Abune Mathias – "His Holiness Abune Mathias I, Sixth Patriarch and Catholicos of Ethiopia, Archbishop of Axum, and Ichege of the See of Saint Taklehaimanot."
Kiros Alemayehu – Songwriter and singer, popularized Tigrigna songs. Popularized Tigrigna songs through his albums to the non Tigrinya speaking Ethiopians
Le'ul Ras Mengesha Seyoum – Son of Le'ul Ras Mengesha Yohannes & Former Governor of Tigray (1960 – 12 October 1974).
Saint Yared – Axumite composer and priest (25 April 505 – 20 May 571 AD), inventor of the three basic modes of Ethiopian/Eritrean church music, namelyGe'ez, Ezl, and Araray
Tilahun Gizaw – Student leader of the Ethiopian Student Movement
Zera Yacob – Philosopher from the 17th Century, best known for his treatise,Hatata ("The Inquiry").
Zeresenay Alemseged – Anthropologist, known for discovering "Selam", the fossilized remains of a 3.3-million-year-old Australopithecus afarensis child.
An important aspect of the agricultural work in Tigray after the end of the 1991 civil war was to minimize the problems of drought. In the past, Tigray was covered with forests and had a micro-climate that favoured the rains. Subsequently, the forests were cut down, usually to impoverish the population during the wars. Consequently, Tigray achieved a fair amount of rainfall during the rainy season, from August to September, but quickly lost these waters downstream. In the process the fertile soil of the fields eroded. After a few weeks of rain, the country again dried up.[citation needed]
The government undertook two projects in Tigray. The first was the construction of terraces which, with the agreement and help of local communities, go up to the tops of the mountains at 2,500 metres. The goal was to prevent the rainfall flowing away immediately so that it could be conserved for the agricultural season. On the highest terraces were planted trees, mainlyeucalyptus, the dominant tree in Ethiopia and native toAustralia. These plants created a new microclimate.[85] The terracing method was very simple but required good organization. Long stretches of the fields were terraced by the villagers using stone walls from stones that erosion had exposed. The rains eroding the still non-terraced ground formed mudslides that were held by the topmost walls, which permitted construction of a new terrace field and another wall with uncovered stones, creating new ground terraced farmland every year.
Another endeavour involved the construction of smallreservoirs for local irrigation. As rains 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. The dams needed to create these basins are typically an embankment of a few hundreds of meters, closing off one part of a valley, with a maximum height of 20 metres. Each took months of work, in which people carried earth on their back, and with assistance of donkeys. Generally 2,000–3,000 people – men, women and children – carried the earth in simple baskets.[citation needed]
Overall, these reservoirs suffer from rapidsiltation.[86][87] Part of the water that could be used for irrigation is lost throughseepage; the positive side-effect is that this contributes togroundwater recharge.[88]
Mountains of Lemalimo nearInda Selassie in western Tigray
Tigray holds numerousexclosures, areas that are set aside for regreening.[89] Logging and livestock grazing are not allowed there. Besides effects onbiodiversity,[69][90][91]water infiltration, protection from flooding,sediment deposition,[92]carbon sequestration,[93] people commonly have economic benefits from these exclosures through grass harvesting, beekeeping and othernon-timber forest products.[94] The local inhabitants also consider it as "land set aside for future generations".[95] InDogu'a Tembien, several exclosures are managed by theEthioTrees project. They have as an additional benefit that the villagers receivecarbon credits for thesequestered CO2,[96] as part of acarbon offset programme.[97] The revenues are then reinvested in the villages, according to the priorities of the communities;[98] it may be for an additional class in the village school, a water pond, conservation in the exclosures, or a store forincense.[99]
The CSA estimated in 2005 that farmers in Tigray had a total of 2,713,750 cattle (representing 7.0% of Ethiopia's total cattle), 72,640 sheep (0.4%), 208,970 goats (1.6%), 1,200 horses (less than 0.1%), 9,190 mules (6.2%), 386,600 asses (15.4%), 32,650 camels (7.2%), 3,180,240 poultry of all species (10.3%), and 20,480 beehives (0.5%).[100] Cattle are an essential component in the dominant grain-plough agricultural system. In the rainy season, a large part of the cattle herds are intranshumance.[101][102]
Mainly used fordraught, there are several cattle landraces in Tigray:[103][104]
Debre Damo monastery. Monk standing in front of the rock-hewnAbuna Yemata Guh's entrance, situated at a height of 2,580 metres (8,460 ft)[106] that has to be climbed on foot to reach.Rock hewn Church interior atAbuna Yemata Guh
A distinctive feature of Tigray are its rock-hewn churches. Similar in design to those ofLalibela in theAmhara Region, these churches are found in four or five clusters –Gheralta, Teka-Tesfay,Atsbi andTembien – with Wukro sometimes included. Some of the churches are considered earlier than those of Lalibela, perhaps dating from the eighth century. Mostlymonolithic, with designs partly inspired byclassical architecture, they are often located at the top ofcliffs or steep hills, for security. For example, Tigray's ancientDebre Damo monastery is accessible only by climbing a rope 25 metres up a sheer cliff.
Looting has become a major issue in the Tigray Region, as archaeological sites have become sources for construction materials and ancient artifacts used for everyday purposes by local populations.[107]
The area is famous for a single rock sculptured 23 meter long obelisk inAxum as well as for other fallen obelisks. The Axum treasure site of ancient Tigrayan history is a major landmark.Yeha is another important local landmark that is little-known outside the region.
A major north–south road corridor goes through Tigray. This is facilitated by Highway 2 which goes from Adigrat to Addis Ababa and Highway 3 which goes from Shire to Addis Ababa.
Mekelle 70 Enderta F.C. (Tigrinya: ጋንታ መቐለ 70 እንደርታ) is an Ethiopian football club based in the capital, Mekelle. They are a member of the Ethiopian Football Federation and currently play in the top division of Ethiopian football, the Ethiopian Premier League. They are known by the nickname theLion's Den (ምዓም ኣንበሳ /ምዓም አናብስት/ኣናብስቶቹ). The club won its first Ethiopian Premier League title in the 2018–2019 Ethiopian Premier League Season.
Shire Indasillasie F.C. (Tigrinya: ጋንታ ስሑል ሽረ, also known asSihul Shire FC) is an Ethiopian football club based inShire. They are a member of the Ethiopian Football Federation and play in the Ethiopian Premier League, the first division of football in Ethiopia.
Welwalo Adigrat University F.C (Tigrinya: ወልዋሎ ዓዲግራት ዩኒቨርስቲ ፍ.ሲ) is an Ethiopianfootball club based inAdigrat. They play in theEthiopian Premier League, the top division of Ethiopian football
Mekele City, Suhul Shire, and Adigrat University football clubs were Tigray-based clubs among the 14 clubs to participate in the Ethiopian Premier League in 2020/2021. However, due to the war, they were replaced by other clubs from the League one rank below the Ethiopian Premier League.[108]
Tigrayans are known for their good performance in road cycling. For many years cyclists from this region have been dominant in the Ethiopian national cycling championships.Tsgabu Grmay is one of the best Ethiopian cyclists and the first Ethiopian to participate in theTour de France.
At the regional level, the Tigray Education Bureau governs primary and secondary educational institutions. At the municipal level, there are approximately 300 school districts region-wide.
Tigray is home to Ethiopia's most extensive church libraries that are found in the eastern and central zones of the region. There are several ongoing digitization projects to preserve previous historical texts.
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