Adigrat
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Adigrat is a town in the Tigray Region (or kilil) of Ethiopia. Located at longitude and latitude below a high ridge to the west, Adigrat is between Mek'ele and Senafe in Eritrea and is considered to be a strategically important gateway to Eritrea and the Red Sea.
Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this town has an estimated total population of 65,237, of whom 32,586 were males and were 32,651 females;[1]another published estimate offers a population of 84,769 people for Addrigrat.[2]
Adigrat, the capital of the Agame district, has an interesting aristocratic history. In town are the remnants of two castles from the Zemene Mesafint ("Era of Princes"), one (pictured) owned by Dej Desta, the other by the Ras Sebhat.
Other sites of interest:
- 19th century Adigrat Chirkos - was strategically built on a hill near Dej Desta's castle, so that Desta could see the church from his bedroom balcony.
- Holy Saviour Catholic Cathedral was completed in 1916. It has an Italian design, but incorporates work by Ethiopian artist Afewerk Tekle. [3]
- Italian War cemetery commemorates some 765 Italian soldiers who died between 1935 and 1938. [4]
- Adigrat also hosts a lively market, and a newly constructed community park.
[edit] Notes
- ^ CSA 2005 National Statistics, Table B.3
- ^ Butler, Rhett A. (2004). 2005 population estimates for cities in Ethiopia. Mongabay.com. Retrieved on February 28, 2006.
- ^ Frances Linzee Gordon, Jean Bernard Carillet Ethiopia and Eritrea (Lonely Planet, 2003) pp. 168f.
- ^ Carillet, Ethiopia, pp.168f.
