Hagere Selam (Degua Tembien)


Hagere Selam is a town in northern Ethiopia. Located on the Mekelle-Abiy Addi regional road, it is located at an elevation of 2650 metres above sea level. The town is the administrative center of the Dogu'a Tembien woreda. The weekly market is on Saturdays.
Hagere Selam is located on the saddle point between two of the higher points in Tigray. The regional road from Mekelle to Abiy Addi travels through Hagere Selam, before going down to the Abergele lowlands. The area is categorized as highland or dega. The local economy is dependent on trading, agriculture, with barley being the main crop grown in the area, and on milk production and apiculture.

Demographics

Based on figures from the census in 2007, Hagere Selam had a total population of 8130, of whom 3702 were men and 4428 were women. The 1994 census reported a total population of 3932. The functional agglomeration of Hagere Selam is larger than its administrative boundaries, as urban houses are also built on adjacent land of nearby villages Dingilet, Harena and Melfa.

Water

Given its upper position in the landscape, the town suffers from endemic water shortages. A small reservoir was built at the southern side of the town for sake of irrigation in Addi Selam, but it has been silted up because of erosion during road works.

''Siwa'' and ''myes''

Hagere Selam is known for its mead and local siwa. Whereas most villages have a limited number of establishments where these drinks can be consumed, they are numerous in Hagere Selam, particularly at the eastern side of the town.

Religion and churches

Almost inhabitants are Orthodox Christians. There are two churches in Hagere Selam: Medhane Alem and Tsion.

Schools

Almost all children of the town are schooled, though in some schools there is lack of classrooms, directly related to the large intake in primary schools over the last decades. Schools in Hagere Selam include Addi Selam TVET and Hagere Selam High School.

History

The history of Hagere Selam is strongly confounded with the history of Tembien. For a long time, Melfa, west of Hagere Selam, was the capital of Tembien; later on, the administration was established in Abiy Addi as it was easier of access.
In 1951, Gebru Gebrehiwot, the new governor, decided to create a new capital of Tembien. First the location of Melfa was chosen. As the inhabitants of Melfa rejected the idea, Hagere Selam was created as a new town. It used already to be an open air market place – the place was a strategically located mountain saddle,also called "May Aleqti". The new town grew then from the pre-existing settlements May Aleqti and Addi Hailom. In practice, the capital remained in Abiy Addi. It was only after the district of Dogu’a Tembien was created that Hagere Selam started to grow. Basic modern infrastructure came only in the early years 2000. Starting 2016, a new settlement was established in a nearby location called Addi Selam.

Geology

Geological formations

From the higher to the lower locations, the following geological formations are present:
The Hagere Selam Highlands form a unique geomorphic unit, on the Tertiary volcanic rocks. Corresponding soil types are:
Its mountainous nature and proximity to Mekelle makes the tabia fit for tourism.

Touristic attractions

The high variability of geological formations and the rugged topography invites for geological and geographic tourism or “geotourism”. Most geosites are located in surrounding tabias, but at the outskirts of Hagere Selam one finds:

Trekking routes

Trekking routes have been established around Hagere Selam, often with a starting point at the outskirts of the town. The tracks are not marked on the ground but can be followed using downloaded.GPX files. Route 1 rounds the town and can serve as an introductory trek before venturing to further places.

More detailed information

For more details on environment, agriculture, rural sociology, hydrology, ecology, culture, etc., see the overall page on the Dogu’a Tembien district.