Gulomahda

Gulomakeda
ጉሎማከዳ
Flag of Gulomakeda
Location of Gulomakeda
CountryEthiopia
RegionTigray
ZoneMisraqawi (Eastern)
Area
 • Total1,596.12 km2 (616.27 sq mi)
Population
 (2007)
 • Total84,236

Gulomakeda (Tigrinya: ጉሎማከዳ) (also spelled Gulomahda or Gulo Mäḵäda[1]) is one of the Districts of Ethiopia, or woredas, in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Its name partly comes from the legendary Queen Makeda, also known as the Queen of Sheba. Part of the Misraqawi Zone, Gulomakeda is bordered on the south by Ganta Afeshum, on the west by the Mehakelegnaw (Central) Zone, on the north by Eritrea, on the east by Irob, and on the southeast by Saesi Tsaedaemba. Towns in Gulomakeda include Fatsi, Sebeya and Zalambessa. Gulomakeda has many historical places like Debredamo. Wereda Gulomakeda has 2 preparatory schools Yemane senior secondary school and Zalambessa senior secondary school. Notable local landmarks in this woreda include ruins that have been dated to the Axumite Kingdom, as well as to the period prior to its rise (700 BC–AD 700). Archeological surveys conducted by Dr. Catherine D'Andrea of Simon Fraser University show that far from being a rural hinterland, Gulomakeda had large towns with elite groups who had access to exotic trade goods during that time. She also identified cultural links to ancient Eritrean settlements, which included Matara and the ancient Ona culture.[2]

  1. ^ Nosnitsin, Denis (2013). Churches and Monasteries of Tǝgray. Supplement to Aethiopica. Vol. 1. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 978-3-447-06969-4.
  2. ^ A. Catherine D'Andrea, Andrea Manzo, Michael J. Harrower, and Alicia L. Hawkins, "The Pre-Aksumite and Aksumite Settlement of NE Tigrai, Ethiopia", Journal of Field Archaeology 33 (2008) 151-176.