Weldiya

Weldiya (also spelled Woldia or Woldiya, "Wold/Weld" meaning "Son" in Ge'ez) is a hillside market town, capital of the Semien Wollo Zone, and woreda in northern Ethiopia. Located north of Dessie and southeast of Lalibela in the Amhara Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of 11°50′N 39°36′E / 11.833°N 39.600°E / 11.833; 39.600 and an elevation of 2112 meters above sea level.

A notable landmark is the church Weldiya Gebri'el. Travertine for use in building has been worked on a minor scale nearby.

History

When the missionary Johann Ludwig Krapf passed through Weldiya in April 1842, it was the headquarters of Dejazmach Faris Aligas and his brother Birru. They were absent at the time of Krapf's visit, raiding the territories of Imam Liban of the Were Himano.

As early as 1890, Weldiya was the administrative center of Yejju Province. Its Tuesday market was well known for its mules. Weldiya was attacked in 1948 by the Yejju Oromo as part of the "Woyane Rebellion." Revolting after their appeals over their loss of land, they seized the prison in Weldiya and freed the prisoners. Despite this success, the revolt was eventually put down. On 16-17 November 1988 Weldiya was subjected to an aerial attack by the Derg, but no deaths were reported.

Weldiya (Afder)

Weldiya is a market town in eastern Ethiopia The administrative center of the Afder Zone of the Somali Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of 4°20′N 42°4′E / 4.333°N 42.067°E / 4.333; 42.067.

Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, Weldiya has an estimated total population of 8822, of whom 4947 are men and 3875 are women. The 1997 census reported this town had a total population of 5,909 of whom 3,268 were men and 2,641 women. The largest ethnic group reported in this town was the Somali (99.2%). It is the largest town in Dolobay woreda.

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