Mekelle

Mekelle is a city and woreda in northern Ethiopia. Located in Enderta which is in the Debubawi Zone, Mekele is the capital of the Tigray Region and home to the headquarters of the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is located some 650 kilometers north of the capital, Addis Ababa, at 13°29′N 39°28′E.

A typical street in the center of Mekele.

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, Mekele has an estimated total population of 169,207, of whom 85,876 were males and 83,331 were females. The woreda has an estimated area of 24.44 square kilometers, which gives Mekele a density of 6,923.40 people per square kilometer. According to the 1994 census, 96,938 people lived in Mekele, making it the largest city in northern Ethiopia.

History

According to local historians Mekelle was founded in the 13th century. However, its heyday came soon during the later nineteenth century, after Yohannes IV was crowned as king of the kings of Ethiopia. Emperor Yohannes chose Mek'ele as the capital city of his government and built his graceful palace, in 1870s. The palace is still intact and now serves as a museum, where the Emperor’s throne, royal bed, ceremonial dress, rifles and many other valuable historical collections can be seen. Other notable landmarks include the churches Mek'ele Bete Mengist, Mek'ele Iyesus Bete Kristiyan, Mek'ele Maryam Bete Kristiyan, Mek'ele Selassie Bete Kristiyan, and Mek'ele Tekle Haymanot Bete Kristiyan.

Since then, Mek'ele has grown to be one of Ethiopia's principal economic and educational centers. A new international standard airport, Alula Aba Nega Airport (ICAO code HAMK, IATA MQX), has been opened very recently, as well as northern Ethiopia's principal cement production facility. In May 2000, Mekelle University was created by the merger of Mekelle Business College and Mekelle University College.

During the 1984 - 1985 famine in Ethiopia, Mek'ele was notorious for the "hunger camps" around the city.

On 5 June, 1998 the Eritrean Air Force bombed Ayder School in Mek'elē during the Eritrean-Ethiopian War. A monument commemorates this event.

Monument commemorating the war against the Derg.

UN Intervention

The United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) headquarters was established in Mekele in 2000 following the end of the Eritrean-Ethiopian War. Currently, tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea are still high; therefore the UNMEE is still alert and active in Mekele, as well as out of Mekele.

External links

• Ethiopian Treasures - The castle of Emperor Yohannes IV
• Cities of Ethiopia: Mekelle by John Taylor (Addis Tribune, 12 October 2001)