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Simret is a municipality in the Tanqua Millash district of the
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 ...
,
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 ...
, which comprises the longest cave of
Tigray 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 ...
in Zeyi, The Zeyi Cave Geosite in Northern Ethiopia
/ref> as well as Ras Alula’s birthplace in Mennewe. The municipality centre is in Dengolo village. Until January 2020, Simret belonged to the Dogu'a Tembien district.


Geography

The ''tabia'' occupies a massive ridge at the southwest of Dogu’a Tembien, between the Zeyi gorge and the large amphitheatre-like valley of Mennewe, through which the main road winds from the lowlands to the Tembien highlands. The southern boundary is the Giba river. The highest peak is at the northern end of the ''tabia'' (2710 m a.s.l.) and the lowest place at the confluence of Zikuli and Giba rivers (1395 m a.s.l.). The difference in elevation is more than 1300 metres.


Geology

From the higher to the lower locations, the following geological formations are present: * Upper basalt * Interbedded lacustrine deposits * Lower basalt * Amba Aradam Formation * Mekelle
Dolerite Diabase (), also called dolerite () or microgabbro, is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. Diabase dikes and sills are typically shallow intrusive bodies and often exhibit fine-grain ...
* Antalo Limestone * Adigrat Sandstone * Edaga Arbi Glacials *
Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), as well as the current and most recent of the twelve periods of the ...
alluvium Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...
The Zikuli, Geba and Zeyi gorges allow views on the full stratigrapical succession.


Geomorphology and soils

The main
geomorphic 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: * Hagere Selam Highlands, along the central basalt and sandstone ridge ** Associated soil types *** shallow soils with high stone contents (Skeletic Cambisol, Leptic Cambisol, Skeletic Regosol) *** moderately deep dark stony
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 natural fertility (Vertic Cambisol) *** 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, temporarily waterlogged during the wet season (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 ...
) ** Inclusions *** Rock outcrops and very shallow soils (Lithic Leptosol) *** Rock outcrops and very shallow soils on limestone (Calcaric Leptosol) *** 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 very good natural fertility, waterlogged during the wet season (Chromic
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 ...
, 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 ...
) *** Shallow stony dark
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 ...
s on calcaric material (Calcaric Regosol, Calcaric Cambisol) *** 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 on basalt with good natural fertility ( Luvisol) * Adigrat Sandstone cliff and footslope ** Associated soil types *** complex of rock outcrops, very stony and very shallow soils ((Lithic) Leptosol) *** shallow, stony sandy
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 ...
soils (Eutric Regosol and Cambisol) ** Inclusions *** shallow, dry soils with very high amounts of stones (Leptic and Skeletic Cambisol and Regosol) *** 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 (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 Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...
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 and hydrology


Climate and meteorology

The rainfall pattern shows a very high seasonality with 70 to 80% of the annual rain falling in July and August. Mean temperature in Dengolo is 18 °C, oscillating between average daily minimum of 10 °C and maximum of 25.7 °C. In the lowland Kemishana village, at 1430 metres, the mean temperature amounts to 26.7 °C. The contrasts between day and night air temperatures are much larger than seasonal contrasts.


Rivers

The
Giba River The Giba is a river of northern Ethiopia. It starts at the confluence of Genfel and Sulluh (which rises in the mountains of Mugulat) (3,298 metres above sea level) and flows westward to the Tekezé River. Future Lake Giba will occupy the plain w ...
is the most important river in the surroundings of the ''tabia''. It flows towards Tekezze River and further on to the
Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...
. This river and its tributaries have incised deep gorges which characterise the landscape. The drainage network of the ''tabia'' is organised as follows: * Giba River, with two tributaries (from upstream to downstream): ** Zeyi River, at the border of ''tabias'' Simret and Walta ** Gereb Awehi (Mennewe) River, in ''tabia'' Simret and Abergele (woreda) Whereas they are (nearly) dry during most of the year, during the main rainy season, these rivers carry high runoff discharges, sometimes in the form of
flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice and snow. Flash f ...
s. Especially at the begin of the rainy season they are brown-coloured, evidencing high soil
erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...
rates.


Springs

As there are no permanent rivers, the presence of springs is of utmost importance for the local people. The main springs in the ''tabia'' are: * May Fatewa in Addi Gumare * May Neteba in Dagabr * Damtekle in Blbla * Gunfal in Drgza * Mennewe in Mennewe * May Liham in Hitsa


Water harvesting

In this area with rains that 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. Overall they suffer from siltation. Yet, they strongly contribute to greening the landscape, either through irrigation or seepage water. Main reservoirs are: * Traditional surface water harvesting ponds, particularly in places without permanent springs, called ''rahaya'' * ''Horoyo'', household ponds, recently constructed through campaigns


Settlements

The ''tabia'' centre Dengolo holds 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 main other populated places are:


Agriculture and livelihood

The population lives essentially from crop farming, supplemented with off-season work in nearby towns. The land 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 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. Especially the youngsters will go to the deep gorges of Giba and Zeyi rivers, near Kemishana, to harvest
incense Incense is an aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremonial reasons. It ...
from Boswellia papyrifera trees.


History and culture


History

The history of the ''tabia'' is strongly confounded with the
history 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 ...
. Particularly, Ras Alula was born in Mennewe, the son of Engda Eqube, a farmer of modest origins. In Alula's childhood, a group of people carrying baskets of bread to a wedding ceremony were stopped by a group of children led by the future ''Ras'', who demanded to know where they were going. "To the Castle of Ras Alula Wedi Qubi," they mockingly replied. Thereafter, his friends and the people of Mannewe nicknamed him Ras Alula. Later, he was to become one of the most famous African generals.


Religion and churches

Most inhabitants are Orthodox Christians. The following churches are located in the ''tabia'': * Abune Aregawi in Zeyi, a monastery that holds the entrance to the Zeyi cave * Abba Gabir in Dagabr * St. Yohannes in Godba * St. Gebriel in Dengolo * Abba Zelibanos and St. Mariam Monastery in Mennewe * Abba Selema in Drgza * Sillasie in Elalla and Blbla


Roads and communication

The main road from
Mekelle 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 ...
through Hagere Selam winds down towards Abiy Addi across the Mennewe valley in the northeast of the ''tabia''. There are regular bus services to these towns. Further, a rural access road links Addi Shinqur and Dengolo to the main asphalt road.


Tourism

Its mountainous nature and proximity to
Mekelle 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 ...
make the ''tabia'' fit for tourism. As compared to many other mountain areas in
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 ...
the villages are quite accessible, and during walks visitors may be invited for coffee, lunch or even for an overnight stay in a rural homestead.


Touristic attractions

* Mennewe monastery and birthplace of Ras Alula * Zeyi cave in Antalo Limestone, the longest cave in Tigray and ninth longest in Ethiopia. The monumental Zeyi Abune Aregawi church holds the entrance to the cave. The 364-metres long oval gallery displays
stalactites A stalactite (, ; , ) is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble and that can be deposited as a colloid, or is in suspension, or is ca ...
, stalagmites, decametre-high columns, bell-holes following joints, and
speleothems A speleothem (; ) is a geological formation made by mineral deposits that accumulate over time in natural caves. Speleothems most commonly form in calcareous caves due to carbonate dissolution reactions. They can take a variety of forms, depend ...
on walls and floor.


Trekking routes

A trekking route has been established in this ''tabia''. The tracks are not marked on the ground but can be followed using downloaded GPX files. Starting from Inda Maryam Qorar, trek 8 leads directly down to Zeyi church and cave and further across the Zeyi and Giba gorges; the trek route meets Zikuli river and follows it upstream back to the main road, down from Mennewe.


See also

* Dogu'a Tembien district.


References

{{ Tabias (municipalities) of Dogu’a Tembien Dogu'a Tembien Populated places in the Tigray Region