| Chinhahsan | |
|---|---|
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Chinhahsan
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Ethiopia |
| Region | Somali |
| Zone | Jijiga |
| Elevation | 1,816 m (5,958 ft) |
| Population (2005) | |
| • Total | 11,558 |
| Time zone | EAT (UTC+3) |
Chinhahsan (also transliterated Chinaksen; Somali: Jinacsani) is a city in eastern Ethiopia. Located in the Jijiga Zone of the Somali Region, this city has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 1816 meters above sea level.
Chinhahsan is a settlement with stone walls built at the foot of an oval hill; on the hill are ruins of fortifications possibly of Abyssinian origins. This is one of several places where local tradition claims that Imam Ahmed Gragn was born of a Christian priest and a Moslem woman. About half a kilometer away are the remains of an ancient ketema or fortified enclosure named Derbiga, which different legends state was built either by a giant named Arla or by the Ethiopian Emperor Zara Yaqob.[1] Huntingford speculates that Chinhahsan is where Dakkar, one of the capitals of the Adal Sultanate.[2]
The writer Nega Mezlekia, an Amhara from Jijiga who had joined the Western Somali Liberation Movement, relates how he participated in an attack on a Derg military training camp in Chinhahsan. No prisoners were taken in the attack; those who surrendered were shot dead.[1] Early in the Ogaden War, Chinhahsan was captured by Somali units as they advanced on Dire Dawa; it was recaptured by Ethiopian units between 5 and 9 February 1978.[3]
In late January 2009, the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation completed an 27-km electric power line 27 kilometers in length from Jijiga to Chinhahsan, while constructing six power distributors in the town. This provided 24-hour electric service to Chinhahsan for the first time.[4]
Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, Chinhahsan has an estimated total population of 11,558 of whom 5,981 are men and 5,577 are women.[5] According to the 1994 national census this city had a population of 56,821 people. This town is one of the two largest settlements in Jijiga woreda.
The 1997 census reported this town had a total population of 7,753 of whom 3,951 were men and 3,802 women. The three largest ethnic groups reported in this town were the Oromo (64.72%), Somali (20.59%), and the Amhara (10.8%); all other ethnic groups made up the remaining 3.89% of the residents.[6]