Mekane Berhan | |
|---|---|
  Mekane Berhan Location in Ethiopia | |
| Coordinates: 12°59′N 38°07′E / 12.983°N 38.117°E | |
| Country | Ethiopia |
| Region | Amhara Region |
| Zone | Semien Gondar Zone |
| Elevation | 2,900 m (9,500 ft) |
| Population (2005) | |
| • Total | 2,717 (est) |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
Mekane Berhan (Ge'ez: መካነ ብርሃን mekāne birhān, "Place of light") is a town in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Semien Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, Mekane Berhan has a latitude and longitude of 12°59′N 38°07′E / 12.983°N 38.117°E with an elevation of approximately 2900 meters above sea level. It is the administrative center of Jan Amora woreda.
An all-weather road connects Mekane Berhan to Debarq, which makes the town far more accessible than the rest of the woreda. The road's construction began in the late 1990s, and by 1999 85 kilometers had been completed; the remaining 20 kilometers were expected to be constructed the following year.[1]
Mekane Berhan is best known as the location of the Derasge Mariam church where Tewodros II was crowned emperor 11 February 1855. According to local tradition, following his victory over Wube Haile Maryam he discovered that Wube had prepared the church for his coronation as Emperor and invited numerous dignitaries from all over Ethiopia, and since he planned on becoming Emperor, Tewodros decided not to let such elaborate preparations to waste and had himself crowned Emperor instead.[2] Dervla Murphy described her January 1967 visit to this town in her travel memoir In Ethiopia with a Mule.
- ^ "Underdeveloped, Drought Prone, Food Insecure: reflections on living conditions in parts of the Simien Mountains" UNDP-EUE Report October 1999 (accessed 26 January 2009)
- ^ John Graham, "The National Parks of Ethiopia: Simien Mountains - Part III" Archived June 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine (Addis Tribune, published July 2001)