Debre Berhan
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Debre Berhan is a town in the Amhara region of Ethiopia, about 120 kilometers north east of Addis Ababa, on the paved highway to Dessie. It was an early capital of Ethiopia and afterwards, with Ankober and Angolalla, was one of the capitals of the kingdom of Shewa. As of 1994, Debre Berhan has a population of 38,717 people.
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History
Debre Birhan was founded in the reign of Emperor Zara Yaqob, in response to a miraculous light that was seen in the sky at the time. Believing this was a sign from God approving the death by stoning of a group of heretics 38 days before, the emperor ordered a church built on the site, and later consturcted an extensive palace nearby, and a second church, dedicated to Saint Cyriacus. Zara Yaqob spent 12 of the last 14 years of his life.
Historian Richard Pankhurst offers the date of 1456 for the date of the founding of this church, providing a plausible argument that the light in the sky was Halley's Comet, which could have been in Shewa that year, although the traditional dates (10th day of the month of Maggabit, i.e. 6 or 7 March) do not coincide with the days that the comet was most visible (13 through 17 June).1
While his Baeda Maryam did spend the first part of his reign in Debre Berhan, the new emperor eventually returned to the established itinerant practice of living in a permanent encampment that was constantly on the move through the realm. The departure of the court led to a decline in the population and importance of this town. Pankhurst explains that the needs of the imperial court and army -- who numbered in the thousands -- for firewood and food was so burdensome that, "it could not remain in any one locality for more than four months, nor return to the same place in less than 10 years due to the resultant shortage of food",2 which doomed the existence of any captial city in this period.
While little more than a large village, Debre Berhan is mentioned a few times in the 16th century, the first time as a mustering center by Emperor Lebna Dengel against the invading armies of Ahmad Gragn. In the years after he defeated Lebna Dengel at the Battle of Amba Sel, Ahmad gathered his troops there twice, at the second time making his famous claim to his followers that "Abyssinia is conquered!" then led them into the highland provinces of Tigray, Begemder, and Gojjam.3
The village returned to importance in the reign of Asfa Wasan (1775-1808), Meridazmach of Shewa, who built a palace in Debre Berhan, and divided his time amongst this town, Ankober and Angolalla.4 The succeeding Meridazmaches prized Debre Berhan as a hunting lodge for its surrounding plains, and used it as a riding place.5 His son Sahle Selassie rebuilt Debre Berhan after it had been raveged in Oromo raiding, and built a church dedicated to the Trinity in this capital.6
Local economy
Debre Berhan is a famed center of rug making.
Landmarks
Despite its historical importance, none of the buildings Zara Yaqob built exist today, and no obvious 19th century construction is visible. The present church, although located on the site of the 15th century church, was built in 1906 at the orders of Emperor Menelik II.
Notes
- Richard R.K. Pankhurst, History of Ethiopian Towns: From the Middle Ages to the Early Nineteenth Century (Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag, 1982), p. 37
- Pankhurst, Ethiopian Towns, p. 41
- Pankhurst, Ethiopian Towns, p. 40
- Pankhurst, Ethiopian Towns, pp. 188f
- Pankhurst, Ethiopian Towns, p. 280
- Pankhurst, Ethiopian Towns, p. 190
