Dengel Ber
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| Dengel Ber | |
  Dengel Ber
|
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | Ethiopia |
| Region | Amhara Region |
| Zone | Semien Gondar Zone |
| Elevation | 1,790 m (5,873 ft) |
| Population (2005) | |
| - Total | 2,439 (est) |
| Time zone | EAT (UTC+3) |
Dengel Ber is a town in western Ethiopia. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Tana in the Semien Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of . Access to this town includes track roads to both Shawra and Kunzilla and weekly service by the Bahir Dar-Gorgora ferry on Lake Tana.[1] While the name of the town is indisputably Amharic, there is some disagreement over the meaning of its name: "Pass of the Virgin" is the most common interpretation, but Huntingford and Beckingham state that it means "pass of canna plants".[2]
Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this town has an estimated total population of 2,439 of whom 1,252 were males and 1,187 were females.[3] The 1994 census reported this town had a total population of 1,403 of whom 659 were males and 744 were females. It is one of four towns in Alefa woreda.
[edit] History
Located on shore on the western shore of Lake Tana opposite Dek Island, Dengel Bar is dominated by a tall rock which leaves only a narrow passage, controlling access between Gojjam and Gondar on the west side of the lake.[2] For example, Ras Mikael Sehul accompanied by Emperor Tekle Haymanot camped here on their march south against Fasil of Damot, whom they defeated in the Battle of Faggeta on 9 December 1769.[4] When he faced an attack from Ras Ali II at the beginning of 1852, Dejazmach Kasa (the future Emperor Tewodros II) moved from Agawmeder to a fortified position near Dengel Ber. Ali's officers found the position too strong to attack, so they bypassed it and proceeded north to Dembiya.[5]
Despite this history, by the time Powell-Cotton visited the town in May 1900, he reported finding only ruined stone houses. According to the materials on the Nordic African Institute, Dengel Bar was the administrative center of Alefa woreda, prior to Shawra; it also provides details of a primary school in this town during the year 1968.[6]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Philip Briggs, Ethiopia: The Bradt Travel Guide, 3rd edition (Chalfont St Peters: Bradt, 2002), p. 195
- ^ a b C.F. Beckingham and G.W.B. Huntingford, Some Records of Ethiopia, 1593-1646 (London: Hakluyt Society, 1954), p. 233
- ^ CSA 2005 National Statistics, Table B.4
- ^ Weld Blundell, H. (1922). The Royal chronicle of Abyssinia, 1769-1840. Cambridge: University Press.
- ^ Rubenson, Sven (1966). King of Kings: Tewodros of Ethiopia. Addis Ababa: Haile Selassie I University.
- ^ "Local History in Ethiopia" (pdf) The Nordic Africa Institute website (accessed 21 December 2007)
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