Wukro

Wukro (Ge'ez: ውቕሮ) (also known as Wukro Kilte Awulaelo; Ge'ez: ውቕሮ ክልተ ኣውላዕሎ) (also transliterated Wuqro; formerly known as Dongolo (Ge'ez: ዶንጎሎ) is a town and separate woreda in northern Ethiopia. It's located in the Misraqawi (Eastern) zone of the Tigray region on the Asmara-Addis Ababa highway (Ethiopian Highway 1). Wukro is surrounded by Kilte Awulaelo woreda.

Overview

Wukro town,center of the 'Kilte awlaelo' district is a beautiful town just 45 km north of Mekelle,capital of Tigray in Ethiopia.Wukro is one of the famous towns in Tigray.

The rock-hewn churches around Wukro are the town's most distinctive landmarks; in the early 20th century the town's name was changed from "Dongolo" (Ge'ez: ዶንጎሎ) to the Tigrigna word for a structure carved from the living rock, Wukro.

Local industry includes Sheba Tannery, which is capable of processing 6,000 hides a day. Opened in 2004, the tannery is one of the 13 companies owned and managed by the Endowment Fund for the Rehabilitation of Tigray (EFFORT).

Kilte Awulaelo

Kilte Awulaelo (Ge'ez: ክልተ ኣውላዕሎ) is one of the woredas in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Misraqawi Zone, Kilte Awulaelo is bordered on the south by the Debub Misraqawi (Southeastern) Zone, on the west by the Mehakelegnaw (Central) Zone, on the northeast by Hawzen, on the north by Saesi Tsaedaemba, and on the east by Atsbi Wenberta. Towns in the Kilte Awulaelo woreda include Agula, Tsigereda and Maymagden. Town of Wukro is surrounded by Kilte Awulaelo.

Overview

Archeological surveys at the village of Aynalem has recovered Sabaean inscriptions, an obelisk carved from stone, rocks shaped to resemble Egyptian pyramids, and ancient metal utensils in an area which has been left uncultivated due to religious beliefs. Gezaei Haile, a scientist and geology instructor at Mekelle University, in an interview with Jimma Times dated these artifacts to "a time of 200 years before birth of Christ, as none of the antiquities have sign of cross on them." There are several local monolithic churches in this woreda. These include Wukro Chirkos (at the edge of Wukro town), Abreha we Atsbeha, and Minda'e Mikael. The village of Negash, widely believed to be the first Muslim settlement in Africa, is also an important local landmark.