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77-436: Adigrat is one of the most important cities of Tigray, which evolved from earlier political centers and camps of regional governors. Antalo, Aläqot and Adigrat were a few of them. The decline of Antalo was followed by the rise of Adigrat as another prominent, yet short-lived, capital of Tigray. It used to serve as the capital of Agame . Tradition attributes the origin of the name Adigrat, which means "the country of farmland", to

154-477: A cold semi-arid climate ( Köppen climate classification BSk ). The overall climate throughout the year is mild and dry. The annual rainfall ranges between 400 and 600 mm, with most of the rain falling in the rainy season (June up to September). Addis Pharmaceuticals Factory has been operational since 1997. The city has a branch offices of Commercial Bank of Ethiopia , Dashen, Awash, Wegagen, and Ambessa. Adigrat's Chamber of Commerce actively organizes many of

231-640: A federal democracy to represent the many ethnic groups living in the country. There is not much in-depth information available about the revolution, but the book Peasant Revolution in Ethiopia by John Young provides detailed information about the revolution, why it started, how the Derg affected the nation, and the role of the peasant population in Tigray and Eritrea. The Ethiopian Civil War left at least 1.4 million people dead, with 1 million related to famine and

308-583: A push on the capital Addis Ababa was successful. There was some fear that Mengistu would attempt to fight to the bitter end for the capital, but after diplomatic intervention by the United States , he fled to asylum in Zimbabwe , where he still resides. The regime only survived another week after his ousting before the EPRDF poured into the capital and captured Addis Ababa. The EPRDF immediately disbanded

385-417: A range of mountains (the peak of which is Alaqwa), Adigrat held a strategic position at the junction of the crossroads between Adwa in the west, Asmara and Massawa in the north and Mekelle in the south. Towards the east, it is delimited by the spectacular edge of the north-eastern Ethiopian escarpment dropping into the lowlands. Adigrat was interconnected with the prominent trade routes linking Tigray and

462-509: A source for their hopes of a military coup. Adigrat's dependence on merchandising and trade meant that the Derg's imposition of commercial and transport restrictions was strongly felt and resented. Under the Derg business licenses became progressively more difficult to get, and traders' trucks were requisitioned for the transport of war-related materials to army bases in Eritrea. Permits of travel were required; convoys were introduced by 1976; and

539-679: A specific ethnic background, began armed resistance to the Soviet -backed Derg, in addition to the Eritrean separatists already fighting in the Eritrean War of Independence . The Derg used military campaigns and the Qey Shibir (Ethiopian Red Terror) to repress the rebels. By the mid-1980s, various issues such as the 1983–1985 famine , economic decline, and other after-effects of Derg policies ravaged Ethiopia, increasing popular support for

616-480: A total area of about 4,889 square kilometres (1,888 sq mi) with an estimated population of 344,800. Agame is one of the oldest regions of Ethiopia, being part of the Kingdom of D'mt in northern Ethiopia and Eritrea that would develop into the Kingdom of Aksum . It was a main center of Aksumite culture (second only to Central Tigray, where the capital was located), with a distinct sub-culture that separated

693-405: A total population of 57,588, of whom 26,010 were male and 31,578 female. The majority of the inhabitants said they practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity , with 94.01% reporting that as their religion, while 3.02% of the population were Catholics , and 2.68% were Muslim . The 1994 census reported it had a total population of 37,417 of whom 17,352 were men and 20,065 were women. Surrounded by

770-673: Is Agazi Comprehensive High School which was established in the 1950s. As of 2013 there were 13 public schools and 7 private schools. Adigrat is home to the Adigrat University which serves over 14,000 students. The technical school in Adigrat include TVET and Polytechnic College. There are two private colleges, namely, Ethio-lmage and New Millennium College. The city has a public library. [REDACTED] Media related to Adigrat at Wikimedia Commons Agame Agame ( Tigrinya : ዓጋመ , lit.   'fruitful')

847-634: Is a province in northern Ethiopia . It includes the northeastern corner of the Ethiopian Empire , borders in Eritrea , Tembien , Kalatta Awlalo and Enderta in the south, and both the Eritrean and Ethiopian Afar lowlands in the east. This relative location of Agame is at the strategic crossroads between the Red Sea and the northern Tigrayan plateau on the other. In pre-1991, Agame had

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924-552: Is eaten using a fork-shaped twig, which is unique in Ethiopian cuisine. The beles, a cactus pear , grown in Adigrat is considered to be of high-quality. The city is renowned for its white honey and tej , an Ethiopian honey-wine. Football, Basketball, and Cycling are sports that are popular by the local people. Every Sunday morning there are local Cycling tournaments in different categories. Addis Pharmaceuticals cycling club also participates in national tournaments. The city

1001-540: Is represented in the Ethiopian categories Premier league by Welwalo Adigrat University FC . Adigrat is located along Ethiopian Highway 2 , which connects the city with Addis Abeba and Mekelle . In Adigrat, Ethiopian Highway 2 , turns off the main highway to the west in the direction of Adwa . To the north of Adigrat, Ethiopian Highway 20 connects the city to Kokobay and to Asmara in Eritrea . The education system in Adigrat engages thousands of students in public and private schools. The first high school in Adigrat

1078-568: Is situated at a height of 2,580 metres (8,460 ft) and has to be climbed on foot to reach. It is notable for its dome and wall paintings dating back to the 5th century and its architecture. Adigrat, the capital of the Agamé district, has a rich aristocratic and political history. In town are the remnants of two castles from the Zemene Mesafint ("Era of the Princes"), one owned by Dej Desta,

1155-618: Is the name of a flat-topped mountain, or amba, and a 6th-century monastery in northern Ethiopia. The mountain is a steeply rising plateau of trapezoidal shape, about 1000 by 400 m in dimension. It is northwest of Adigrat, in the Mehakelegnaw Zone of the Tigray Region, close to the border with Eritrea. Gunda Gunde is an Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo monastery located to the south of Adigrat in the Misraqawi (Eastern) Zone of

1232-608: The Derg , a non-ideological committee of low-ranking officers and enlisted men in the Ethiopian Army who became the ruling military junta . On 21 March 1975, the Derg abolished the monarchy and adopted Marxism–Leninism as their official ideology, establishing themselves as a provisional government for the process of building a socialist state in Ethiopia. The Crown Prince went into exile in London , where several other members of

1309-434: The Eritrean War of Independence since 1961, and now faced other rebel groups ranging from the conservative and pro-monarchy Ethiopian Democratic Union (EDU), to the rival Marxist–Leninist Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party (EPRP), and the ethnic Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). In 1976, the Derg instigated the Qey Shibir (Ethiopian Red Terror), a campaign of violent political repression primarily targeting

1386-451: The House of Solomon lived, while other members who were in Ethiopia at the time of the revolution were imprisoned. Haile Selassie, his daughter by his first marriage Princess Ijigayehu , his sister Princess Tenagnework , and many of his nephews, nieces, close relatives, and in-laws were among those detained. On 27 August 1975, Haile Selassie died under mysterious circumstances in detention at

1463-599: The Italian conquest in 1936, that the Italian Viceroy Pietro Badoglio proposed in a telegram to Benito Mussolini that some of the old Ethiopian ruling class be co-opted into Italian East Africa : "In the region between Shoa and Eritrea, there were local noble families which it was not convenient to slight because they had exercised command for generations and have authority and prestige which can be valuable for us." Ethiopian records traces

1540-578: The National Palace in Addis Ababa . That year, most industries and private urban real estate holdings were nationalized by the Derg regime. The assets of the former royal family were all seized and were nationalized in a program designed to implement the state ideology of socialism. Under the Derg, the new Ethiopian military was dominated by the Amhara ethnic group. Similar to the period of

1617-535: The Somali National Army and WSLF. In early 1978 the Ethiopian forces, spearheaded by Cuban troops in an operation planned by Soviet generals, managed to push back the SNA/WSLF forces. By 1980, the original 120 ruling members of the Derg had been whittled down to only 38. All members but three were ethnic Amhara and were predominantly from settler colonialist neftenya origins. Many member of

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1694-515: The ruling class . Although many elites recognized the need for serious reform, Emperor Selassie refused to tolerate any form of protest, especially organized efforts. Even influential Ethiopian families feared the regime's extensive network of spies and the emperor’s potential reaction to dissent, creating an atmosphere of fear among the ruling class . By the 1960s, the Ethiopian Empire had become politically unstable. The administration

1771-588: The 19th century, Agame has been an enduring base for Lazarist Catholic evangelization in northern Ethiopia. The legacies of this process are the Catholic Cathedral and the Seminary of Adigrat and the considerable Catholic congregation of Irob-land in the lowlands. The local noble family had ruled over Agame from the "Era of the Princes" until the Derg deposed Emperor Haile Selassie in 1974. This family retained sufficient power and respect following

1848-529: The Addis Pharmaceutical Factory. On 19 December 2020, Catholic Bishop Tesfaselassie Medhin of Adigrat has been reported safe in his residence. The Apostolic Nuntius to Ethiopia, Archbishop Antoine Camilleri , expressed “solidarity with Bishop Medhin who was missing in the assembly because of the situation in his diocese where the war is hard hit.” There are different sights near Adigrat that can be visited by tourists like:- Debre Damo

1925-489: The Derg but are yet unaccounted for. Eritrea had been annexed by the Ethiopian Empire in the early 1960s. In 1961, the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) began armed resistance to Ethiopian rule. When the Derg came to power, Eritreans were widely subjected to increasing repression and economic disruption as the government sought to crush the elusive insurgency in vain. Reports from Asmara in 1974,

2002-608: The Derg's rule sprang up with ferocity, particularly in the northern regions of Tigray and Eritrea which sought independence and in some regions in the Ogaden. Hundreds of thousands were killed as a result of the Qey Shibir, forced deportations . The Derg continued its attempts to end rebellions with military force by initiating several campaigns against both internal rebels and the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF),

2079-611: The EPRP and MEISON were devastated, with their leadership either dead or fleeing to the countryside to continue their activities in stronghold areas, but despite this, the Derg did not successfully consolidate their power as much as hoped. Ironically, the majority of the Qey Shibir's estimated 30,000 to 750,000 victims are believed to be innocents, with the violence and collateral damage shocking many Ethiopians into supporting rebel groups. There are currently many civilians who are still missing who are thought to have been systematically killed by

2156-543: The EPRP and later the All-Ethiopia Socialist Movement (MEISON), in an attempt to consolidate their power. The Qey Shibir was escalated on 3 February 1977 following the appointment of Mengistu Haile Mariam as Chairman of the Derg, who took a hardline stance against opponents. The urban guerrilla warfare saw brutal tactics used on all sides, including summary executions , assassinations , torture and imprisonment without trial. By August 1977,

2233-551: The Ethiopian Empire under Menelik II and Haile Selassie , over 80% of generals and over 65% of colonels in the armed forces were Amhara's. While the Amhara constituted the majority of the officer corps , the army was still ethnically heterogeneous. The Derg did not fully establish their control over the country, and the subsequent power vacuum led to open challenges from numerous civilian opposition groups . The Ethiopian government had been fighting Eritrean separatists in

2310-420: The Ethiopian government administrators to flee to neighboring Eritrea. By 1958 the city was one of 27 places in Ethiopia ranked as a First Class Township. During the 1970s, Agazi Comprehensive High School, and together with the town's Catholic junior high school, became centers of anti-government dissent. The presence outside of town of a large military base, served as a focus for protesting students, and also as

2387-458: The Ogaden, supported by 10,000 Cuban army troops who garrisoned the regions towns. In Tigray there were an estimated 40,000 and in the southern Oromo provinces 20,000 were deployed. The Derg in its attempt to introduce full-fledged socialist ideals, fulfilled its main slogan of " Land to the Tiller ", by redistributing land in Ethiopia that once belonged to landlords to the peasants tilling

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2464-463: The Red Sea, on the one hand, and such old market-towns as Adwa, Hawzen , Antalo and Mekelle, on the other. The Huga river runs through Adigrat. The city is spread widely on both banks of the river. Adigrat is located at altitude ranges from 2000 to 3000 m above sea level. The city has several prominent hills; one of the most prominent is Debre Damo which has a monastery at its peak. Adigrat has

2541-513: The Sabagadis family still governed Agame until the revolution. Topographically, the Agame area exhibits diverse physical features: mountain massifs , plains, plateaux, deep gorges and river valleys. Archaeological evidence indicates that Agame was one of the earliest places in Ethiopia to adopt ploughshare agriculture, but centuries of over-cultivation and maximum utilization of resource turned

2618-488: The Workers' Party of Ethiopia and shortly afterward arrested almost all of the most prominent Derg officials that were still in the country. In December 2006, 72 officials of the Derg were found guilty of genocide . Thirty-four people were in court, 14 others died during the lengthy process and 25, including Mengistu, were tried in absentia . These events marked the end of socialist rule in Ethiopia. Ethiopia then embraced

2695-492: The area into agriculturally marginal land. The principal inhabitants of Agame are Tigrayans with Afar & Saho minorities. The Afar-speaking population predominated in the lowlands. The north-eastern and south-eastern sector of the escarpment is principally inhabited by the Saho-speaking Irob and Afar-speakers respectively. Adigrat prevailed as the capital of Agame throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Since

2772-426: The army held the true power behind the throne, and it was widely expected that the military would take control upon the emperor's death. The military mutinies that triggered the 1974 Ethiopian Revolution began with demands for better working conditions and wages for troops stationed in remote regions like Ogaden, Negele, and western Eritrea. On 12 September 1974, Haile Selassie and his government were overthrown by

2849-492: The army was frequently used to suppress student protests, peasant uprisings, and regional revolts in Ogaden , Bale , and Eritrea . At the start of the 1970s numerous parallel and interlocking trends across the empire were converging against the old feudal order, though had yet to coalesce into a well organized oppositional force. Working class Ethiopians had become increasingly dissatisfied with low wages and inflation, while

2926-629: The beginning of the Second Italian-Abyssinian War 7 October 1935. The Italians were met there on the 11th by Ras Haile Selassie Gugsa , who had been courted by the Italians to ignite a widespread defection of the Tigrayan aristocracy; instead, he had been soundly defeated a few days before by Dejazmach Haile Kebbede of Wag , and presented himself to the invaders with only 1200 followers. Anthony Mockler notes that despite

3003-787: The business in the town. A modern water supply system was built at a cost of 126.4 million birr and was inaugurated on 27 June 2017. Since 1961 it has been the center of the Adigrat Eparchy of the Vicariate Apostolic of Abyssinia. In Adigrat Meskel is special. It is celebrated with carnival and lighting of damera. It has been known also the Gunda-Gundi monastery , from the 14th century up to its present existence for its source of peculiar type of religious manuscripts, innovation of medicine and medications/treatment of different sicknesses or curing of different diseases,

3080-414: The capital of the region, told of civilian massacres by army troops and rape at gunpoint. During January 1975 Eritrean resistance fighters began attacking the Ethiopian army in and around Asmara. The following year saw the Derg regime mobilize its first in a series of 'peasant marches'. The government made a call for 100,000 peasants to crush the Eritrean nationalists, though only 30,000 were organized for

3157-727: The complete secession of the Ogaden. On 13 July 1977, the Ogaden War was triggered when the Somali Democratic Republic invaded the Ogaden region in order to assist the WSLF. By November and the onset of the rainy season, the WSLF was poised to capture the city of Harar . A massive military air and sea lift from the Soviet Union transferred around two billion dollars worth of military equipment while 1,700 Soviet advisors and 17,000 Cuban troops were deployed against

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3234-545: The country. The Ethiopian Civil War ended on 28 May 1991 when the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), a coalition of left-wing ethnic rebel groups, entered the capital Addis Ababa . The PDRE was dissolved and replaced with the Tigray People's Liberation Front -led Transitional Government of Ethiopia . The Ethiopian Civil War left at least 1.4 million people dead, with 1 million of

3311-411: The deaths being related to famine and the remainder from combat and other violence. In the 1950s, discontent grew within the Ethiopian Empire toward Emperor Haile Selassie’s imperial regime. Many members of the aristocracy became frustrated with the empire's stagnation and limitations. The government's repression and prohibition of autonomous organizations stifled any reformist movements within

3388-566: The eastern cultural province of ancient Aksum: to this period dates back the foundation of the monastery of Debre Damo , which played a major role in Ethiopia's ecclesiastic history throughout the Middle Ages up to the modern times. The chiefs of Agame would assume the title of Shum Agame ( Ge'ez : ሹም ዓጋመ) in medieval times and throughout history. Even though in the 16th century the Shum Agame submitted to Ahmad Ibrahim al-Gazi's army,

3465-439: The educated middle class of society were angered by poor governance and stunted advancement. In Eritrea province , armed resistance against imperial rule was rapidly escalating, but the independence movements were divided into the rivaling Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) and Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front (EPLF). In the Ogaden and Bale region, attacks by Somali insurgents were beginning to escalate. Elsewhere within

3542-504: The empire, spontaneous peasant uprising began proliferating and students were organized into underground organizations in urban areas across Ethiopia. The Ethiopian imperial army itself began protesting grievances to the government as the morale of its forces began to break down in Eritrea and the Ogaden. By the early 1970s, with multiplying regional revolts and an economic downturn, many army units became rebellious as their living conditions worsened. By 1973, many observers recognized that

3619-475: The fact the young Ras shook Ethiopian morale, "this was the first and last open defection to the Italians of an important noble and his men." In 1938, there were shops and hotel-restaurants (“Bologna”, “Piemontese”, “Centrale”). There was also a post, telephone and telegraph office, a health post and a Catholic Apostolic Prefecture. Adigrat was captured by rebels in the Woyane rebellion 25 September 1943, forcing

3696-412: The failed 1960 coup attempt, no further coups had been attempted, largely due to deep divisions within the armed forces. As the imperial regime declined, the army became increasingly politicized due to Emperor Selassie's reliance on oppressive governance. Recruitment from educated Ethiopians throughout the 1960s and early 1970s heightened the political awareness of the armed forces. This awareness grew as

3773-465: The fall of 1980, towns and villages in Tigray were bombarded with napalm and cluster bombs by the regime. Massive military infantry sweeps across the countryside resulted in high civilian fatalities. The Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) dominated most the region, with the Ethiopian army restricted to major towns and highways. In 1981 there were an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 Ethiopian army troops in Eritrea . 70,000 troops were also stationed in

3850-588: The first assault into Eritrea. The early 1970's saw the Somali liberation movement for the Ogaden region continue to gain momentum off the foundations of the Nasrallah insurgency which had fought a major revolt from 1963 to 1965 against Emperor Haile Selassie's empire. The many veteran insurgents and young intelligentsia from the Ogaden region within Siad Barre's government lobbied for Somalia to support

3927-422: The first half of the 17th century. Adigrat emerged as the political capital of Tigray when dejazmach Sabagadis Woldu of Agame assumed the governorship of the region in the period 1822-30. Sabagadis set up some palaces, churches, and markets. This increasingly attracted both natives and foreigners to establish permanent residences and a few shops in the town. Adigrat was an important market center for salt, which

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4004-495: The greater part of the first quarter of the 19th century. One of the prominent warlords of northern Ethiopia, Dejazmatch Sabagadis Woldu , who ruled Tigray in the period 1822–31, had his power base in Agame. His demise at the Battle of Debre Abbay marked a decline in the political importance of Agame in the Tigrayan political arena. In the period 1896–1936, Agame was led by the descendants of Sabagadis. Dejazmatch Kassa Sebhat

4081-421: The land. Although this was made to seem like a fair and just redistribution, the mismanagement, corruption, and general hostility to the Derg's violent and harsh rule coupled with the draining effects of constant warfare, separatist guerrilla movements in Eritrea and Tigray , resulted in a drastic decline in general productivity of food and cash crops . Although Ethiopia is often prone to chronic droughts , no one

4158-528: The most important ones being Operation Shiraro, Operation Lash, Operation Red Star, and Operation Adwa, which led to its decisive defeat in the Battle of Shire on 15–19 February 1989 which ultimately led to Eritrean independence. This marked a receding end in power to the Derg. On 28 May 1991, Mengistu's government was overthrown by its own officials and a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), after their bid for

4235-514: The northern Tigray Region in Ethiopia. It is known for its prolific scriptorium, as well as its library of Ge'ez manuscripts. This collection of over 220 volumes, all but one dating from before the 16th century, is one of the largest collections of its kind in Ethiopia. Abuna Yemata Guh is a monolithic church located in the Hawzen woreda of the Tigray Region south west of Adigrat. It

4312-484: The origins of this family to the marriage of King Margedir of Rome and Eleni, sister of King Solomon . The current lineage of the rulers of Agame is as follows: Ethiopian Civil War EPLF / TPLF rebel victory EPRDF [REDACTED] EPRP [REDACTED] MEISON (from 1977) [REDACTED] EDU [REDACTED] OLF [REDACTED] WSLF [REDACTED] ALF [REDACTED] ONLF Eritrean separatists: The Ethiopian Civil War

4389-564: The other by the Ras Sebhat Aregawi . Other sites of interest: As of 2013, 112 church institutions were registered in the woreda. Churches and monasteries in the woreda that contain historical manuscripts and artefacts include: In 1938, the town counted 4296 inhabitants (including 137 Italians). Based on the 2007 national census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this town had

4466-515: The physical inaccessibility of lowland Agame suited the purpose of providing safe hideouts to various political, religious and social dissidents. It remained the centre of prominent monasteries such as Gunda Gunde Maryam, which was established by the Stephanites ( Abba Estifanos of Gwendagwende ) during the 15th century. Agame was mentioned in the 16th century charter written during the reign of Emperor Lebna Dengel . During medieval times, Agame

4543-596: The rebels. The Derg dissolved itself in 1987, establishing the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (PDRE) under the Workers' Party of Ethiopia (WPE) in an attempt to maintain its rule. The Soviet Union began ending its support for the PDRE in the late-1980s and the government was overwhelmed by the increasingly victorious rebel groups. In May 1991, the PDRE was defeated in Eritrea and President Mengistu Haile Mariam fled

4620-623: The remainder from violence and conflicts, which was one third of the population. It also had impacts on land and agriculture: the reversal of the former feudal system and implementation of nationalized reforms led peasants to lose 75% of their production to landlords. Total forest cover in Wollo Province was approximately 2.2% of the total area in 1980, and in Tigray 0.5%, roughly 50% decline since 1960. Soil erosion could halt grain production by 120,000 tons per year in Wollo Province. During

4697-534: The resumption of the armed struggle during the 1970s. By June 1977, the Western Somali Liberation Front (WSLF) had been successful in forcing the Ethiopian army out of much of the Ogaden and into the major urban strongholds of Jigjiga , Dire Dawa and Harar . President of Somalia Siad Barre decided to intensify the war by involving the Somali army as he believed it would allow the WSLF to press home their growing victories and enable

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4774-711: The road links to Asmara were virtually broken, largely by the ELF, by the late 1970s. During the first years of the Ethiopian Civil War , the fledgling Tigrayan People's Liberation Front drew support from these groups. Derg forces took Adigrat during Operation Adwa in the summer of 1988. The same day that the Third Revolutionary Army was crushed at Battle of Shire , 19 February 1989, government troops and officials evacuated Adigrat. According to Africa Watch they caused widespread destruction in

4851-485: The ruling elite were deeply opposed to the idea of loosening control on the rebellious southern regions conquered under Menelik II . At the start of the decade the Ethiopian army had swelled to a force of 250,000 strong. During the early 1980s the Ethiopian government rendered the Somali inhabited Ogaden region a vast military zone, engaging in indiscriminate aerial bombardments and forced resettlement programs. During

4928-491: The settlement after the Italian defeat at the Battle of Adowa , but Emperor Menelik II insisted on its surrender at the beginning of the peace talks that concluded the war; Baldissera was ordered to evacuate Adigrat, which he did 18 May 1896. Augustus B. Wylde a few years later described Adigrat as having a Saturday market of medium size. Lazarists introduced perhaps the first modern school of northern Ethiopia in Adigrat at

5005-459: The starting of small technologies like the fabrication or producing of oils, and other cosmetics for human uses using technologies, and it is a testimonial for other religious and other modernization activities and practices. Tihlo is a dish unique to Adigrat and the wider Eastern Tigray . It is prepared by kneading barley flour into softballs and preparing a meat stew with berbere, an Ethiopian spice, onions, tomato paste, water, and salt. The dish

5082-403: The then popular Tigrayan chief Akhadom . Adigrat seems to have been under cultivation for a long time. It has a settlement history dating back at least to the 14th century. Adigrat appears on indigenous maps of the northern Horn of Africa in the 15th Century under the name Agame . Adigrat became the center of the Tigrayan chief, dejazmach Kafle Wahid, the viceroy of atse Fasilides during

5159-542: The town before they left. In May 1988, Adigrat was bombed from the air by the Ethiopian Air Force . A pharmaceutical factory which became operational in 1997, was set up in the town. During the 2020-2021 Tigray War , attacks were carried out on Adigrat by the joint Ethiopian and Eritrean armies, including aerial bombardments. On 19 December 2020, an EEPA report stated that 16 civilians were killed while trying to stop Eritrean and ENDF soldiers from robbing

5236-421: The turn of the 20th century. However, like most Ethiopian towns, Adigrat increased its commercial and administrative importance during the period of the Italian occupation. The Italians introduced the first elements of modern infrastructure, including stronger fortresses, restaurants, residential houses, a health center, schools, roads, piped water, an electric generator, etc. The Italians again occupied Adigrat at

5313-518: The two regions from that of Central Tigray ( Axum , Adwa , & Yeha ), Central Eritrea ( Seraye , Hamasien , Akele Guzai and Adulis ), and frontier areas in northern Eritrea. Agame is one of the very few place-names identified in the Adulis inscription as early as the 3rd century. It is mentioned there as an apparently viable local political entity and it seems that it continued as such from then onwards. The area also appears to have been part of

5390-446: The use of the military saved Haile Selassie's regime, it made the armed forces a crucial pillar of his rule. The emperor's increasing dependence on their loyalty left the regime's stability precarious, as any signs of discontent within the military could threaten his survival. Throughout the following decade, Selassie sought to placate the military, further heightening their awareness of their growing power and political significance. Since

5467-482: The whole is in ruins", and observed that a nearby village, Kersaber, was "much larger than Adigrat." In the late 1860s the town had a rural appearance and much of it is still under cultivation today. During the First Italian-Abyssinian War , the Italians occupied Adigrat on 25 March 1895 and used it as a base to support their advance south to Mek'ele . General Antonio Baldissera refortified

5544-600: Was a civil war in Ethiopia and present-day Eritrea , fought between the Ethiopian military junta known as the Derg and Ethiopian-Eritrean anti-government rebels from 12 September 1974 to 28 May 1991. The Derg overthrew the Ethiopian Empire and Emperor Haile Selassie in a coup d'état on 12 September 1974, establishing Ethiopia as a Marxist–Leninist state under a military junta and provisional government . Various opposition groups of ideological affiliations ranging from Communist to anti-Communist, often drawn from

5621-465: Was becoming unpopular across all levels of society due to stagnating quality of life, slow economic development, and widespread human rights abuses. During this period, a radicalized student movement emerged , calling for land reform and democratization . In December 1960, the Imperial Guard attempted a military coup , which was violently suppressed by the imperial army and air force. While

5698-561: Was mined in the Afar districts of Areho and Berale in eastern Tigray. However, it declined after the death of its patron, Sabagadis, in 1830. It was repeatedly attacked, sacked, and plundered by the lowlanders and political rivals of Sabagadis. Samuel Gobat had joined countless Ethiopians in fleeing there for safety in the days immediately after Sabagadis' death. When the missionary Johann Ludwig Krapf passed through Adigrat in April 1842, "almost

5775-583: Was part of a larger province of Bur in Ethiopia, which also included some northeastern Afar lowlands, and the Buri Peninsula ; Agame and Akkele Guzay were part of "Upper" (La'ilay) Bur, while the lowlands were further distinguished as "Lower" (Tahtay). Agame appears on indigenous maps of the northern Horn of Africa in the 15th century. Agame had a major role to play in the political ascendancy of Tigray in Christian Ethiopia during

5852-482: Was prepared for the scale of drought and the 1983–1985 famine that struck the country in the mid-1980s, in which 400,000–590,000 people are estimated to have died. Hundreds of thousands fled economic misery, conscription and political repression, and went to live in neighboring countries and all over the Western world , creating an Ethiopian diaspora community for the first time in its history. Insurrections against

5929-422: Was the chief of the area during the Italian war 1935–36. He mobilized the people of Agame and engaged the Italians at the battle of Fagena, in the Afar escarpment east of Addigrat. But he was defeated and ultimately surrendered. During 1941–74 Agame existed as an awraja (in the province of Tigray), having five districts (woreda) under it: Gulo Makeda, Ganta Afshum, Subja Sase, Dallol and Kalatte Balaza. Descendants of

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