Editing Tigray Region (section)

== History ==

=== 3rd millennium to 1st century BC ===
Tigray is often regarded as the cradle of Ethiopian civilization.<ref>{{cite web |last1=National Geographic |title=In search of the real Queen of Sheba, Legends and rumors trail the elusive Queen of Sheba through the rock-hewn wonders and rugged hills of Ethiopia. |website=[[National Geographic Society]] |date=3 December 2018 |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/mysterious-queen-sheba-legend-church-archaeology |access-date=4 August 2021 |archive-date=4 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210804123314/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/mysterious-queen-sheba-legend-church-archaeology }}</ref> Its landscape has many historic monuments. Three major monotheistic religions, [[Judaism]], [[Christianity]] and [[Islam]] arrived in Ethiopia through the [[Red Sea]] and then Tigray.

Given the presence of a large temple complex and fertile surroundings, the capital of the 3,000-year-old kingdom of [[Dʿmt]] may have been near present-day [[Yeha]].<ref name="Thurstan612">{{citation|last=Shaw|first=Thurstan|title=The Archaeology of Africa: Food, Metals and Towns|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TmUwjhQX-rcC&pg=PA612|year=1995|page=612|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-11585-8|access-date=10 July 2017|archive-date=27 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327025526/https://books.google.com/books?id=TmUwjhQX-rcC&pg=PA612|url-status=live}}</ref> Dʿmt developed irrigation schemes, used the [[plough]], grew [[millet]], and made [[Iron Age|iron tools and weapons]]. Some modern historians, including Stuart Munro-Hay, Rodolfo Fattovich, Ayele Bekerie, [[Cain Felder]], and [[Ephraim Isaac]] consider this civilization to be indigenous, although [[Sabaeans|Sabaean]]-influenced due to the latter's dominance of the [[Red Sea]]. Others, including Joseph Michels, Henri de Contenson, Tekletsadik Mekuria, and Stanley Burstein, have viewed Dʿmt as the result of a mixture of Sabaean and indigenous peoples.<ref name="Munro-Hay57"/><ref name="Tihama">Nadia Durrani, ''The Tihamah Coastal Plain of South-West Arabia in its Regional context c. 6000 BC–AD 600 (Society for Arabian Studies Monographs No. 4)'', Oxford: Archaeopress, 2005, p. 121 {{ISBN|978-1-84171-894-1}}</ref> The most recent research, however, shows that [[Ge'ez language|Ge'ez]], the ancient Semitic language spoken in Tigray, Eritrea and northern Ethiopia in ancient times, is not likely to have been derived from [[Sabaean language|Sabaean]].<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of Semitic languages identifies an Early Bronze Age origin of Semitic in the Near East|first1=Andrew|last1=Kitchen|first2=Christopher|last2=Ehret|first3=Shiferaw|last3=Assefa|first4=Connie J.|last4=Mulligan|date=August 7, 2009|journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences|volume=276|issue=1668|pages=2703–2710|doi=10.1098/rspb.2009.0408|pmid=19403539|pmc=2839953}}</ref> There is evidence of a Semitic-speaking presence in Tigray, Eritrea and northern Ethiopia at least as early as 2000 BC.<ref name="Tihama"/><ref>Herausgegeben von Uhlig, Siegbert; ''Encyclopaedia Aethiopica'', "Ge'ez", Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2005, p. 732</ref> It is now believed that Sabaean influence was minor, limited to a few localities and disappearing after a few decades or a century, It may have represented a trading or military colony, in some sort of symbiosis or military alliance with the civilization of Dʿmt or some other proto-[[Kingdom of Aksum|Aksumite]] state.<ref name="Munro-Hay57"/><ref>{{Cite journal|title=The First Millennium BC in the Highlands of Northern Ethiopia and South-Central Eritrea: A Reassessment of Cultural and Political Development|author=Phillipson, David W.|year=2009|journal=The African Archaeological Review|volume=26|issue=4|pages=257–274|doi=10.1007/s10437-009-9064-2|jstor=40389405|s2cid=154117777}}</ref>

After the fall of Dʿmt in the 5th century BC, the plateau came to be dominated by smaller, unknown successor kingdoms. This lasted until the rise of one of these polities during the first century BC, the [[Kingdom of Aksum|Aksumite Kingdom]], which succeeded in reunifying the area<ref>Pankhurst, Richard K.P.; ''Addis Tribune'',
"[https://web.archive.org/web/20060109162335/http://www.addistribune.com/Archives/2003/01/17-01-03/Let.htm Let's Look Across the Red Sea I]", 17 January 2003 (archive.org mirror copy)</ref> and is, in effect, the ancestor of medieval and modern states in Eritrea and Ethiopia using the name "Ethiopia" as early as the 4th century.<ref name="Munro-Hay57">{{cite book|url=http://www.dskmariam.org/artsandlitreature/litreature/pdf/aksum.pdf|title=Aksum: An African Civilization of Late Antiquity|publisher=University Press|year=1991 |location=Edinburgh|page=57|first=Stuart|last=Munro-Hay|access-date=February 1, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130405215144/http://www.dskmariam.org/artsandlitreature/litreature/pdf/aksum.pdf|archive-date=April 5, 2013}}</ref><ref name="Paul B. Henze 2005">Henze, Paul B. (2005) ''Layers of Time: A History of Ethiopia'', {{ISBN|1-85065-522-7}}</ref>{{page needed|date=December 2024}}

=== 1st to 10th century AD ===
[[File:Stelenpark in Axum 2010.JPG|thumb|Axum Stele in the city [[Axum]].]]
[[File:Ousas.jpg|thumb|Aksumite gold coins.]]

The Kingdom of Aksum was a trading empire rooted in northern Ethiopia.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xeJMAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA48|title=The Oxford Companion to Archaeology|date=2012 |publisher=Oxford University Press|page=48|author=Phillipson, David|isbn=978-0-19-973578-5|editor=Neil Asher Silberman}}</ref> It existed from approximately 100–940 AD, growing from the proto-Aksumite [[Iron Age]] period c. 4th century BC to achieve prominence by the 1st century AD.

According to the ''[[Book of Axum]]'', Axum's first capital, Mazaber, was built by Itiyopis, son of Cush.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QWBPAQAAIAAJ|title=Africa Geoscience Review|year=2003|publisher=Rock View International|page=366|access-date=10 July 2017|archive-date=27 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327025552/https://books.google.com/books?id=QWBPAQAAIAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> The capital was later moved to [[Axum|Aksum]] in northern Ethiopia.

The Empire of Aksum, at its height, at times extended across most of present-day [[Eritrea]], Ethiopia, [[Djibouti]], Sudan, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. The capital city of the empire was [[Axum]], now in northern Ethiopia. Today a smaller community, the city of Axum was once a bustling metropolis and a cultural and economic hub. Two hills and two streams lie on the east and west expanses of the city; perhaps providing the initial impetus for settling this area. Along the hills and plain outside the city, the Aksumites had cemeteries with elaborate grave stones, which are called [[stelae]], or [[obelisk]]s. Other important cities included [[Yeha]], [[Hawulti-Melazo]], [[Matara, Eritrea|Matara]], [[Adulis]], and [[Qohaito]], the last three of which are now in Eritrea. By the reign of [[Endubis]] in the late 3rd century, Aksum had begun minting its own currency and was named by [[Mani (prophet)|Mani]] as one of the four great powers of his time, along with [[History of China|China]] and the [[Sassanid Empire|Sassanid]] and [[Roman Empire|Roman]] empires. It converted to [[Christianity]] in 325 or 328 under [[Ezana of Axum|King Ezana]] and was the first state to use the image of [[crucifix|the cross]] on its coins.<ref>{{cite web |title=Aksum |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/15 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en |access-date=26 December 2019 |archive-date=28 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220828225403/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/15 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Mountain Constantines: The Christianization of Aksum and Iberia1 |url=http://users.clas.ufl.edu/sterk/junsem/haas.pdf |website=users.clas.ufl.edu |access-date=10 July 2017 |archive-date=29 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329065343/http://users.clas.ufl.edu/sterk/junsem/haas.pdf }}</ref>
[[File:19th cent Tigray map.png|thumb|Handtke's map is 39 cm wide and 66 cm tall, and is printed on paper that has been bonded to fabric. The scale is approximately 1:5,600,000; relief is shown by short lines representing slope aspect and a general sense of steepness (hachures).The work was created in one of the few stronger cartographic publishing houses in 19thcentury Germany, managed by Carl Flemming (1806–1878). Flemming was aided by cartographer Friedrich Handtke (1815–1879), who worked on nearly every map assignment for the firm.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Composite: NO Afrika. |url=https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~33543~1171029:Composite--NO-Afrika- |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=www.davidrumsey.com |language=en |archive-date=12 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221212061136/https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~33543~1171029:Composite--NO-Afrika- |url-status=live }}</ref>]]

=== 11th to 19th century AD ===
[[File:ET Mekele asv2018-01 img26 Atse Yohannes Museum.jpg|thumb|[[Mekelle]] palace of Emperor [[Yohannes IV]] (emperor of the whole [[Ethiopian Empire]]).]]

In the 11th century the Tigrinya-speaking lands (Tigray-[[Medri Bahri|Mareb Melash]]) were divided into two provinces, separated by the Mereb River, by the newly enthroned Agaw emperors. The governor of the northern province received the title Bahre Negash (Ruler of the sea), whereas the governor of the southern province was given the title of Tigray Mekonen (Lord of Tigray). The Portuguese Jesuit Emanuele Baradas's work titled "Do reino de Tigr", written in 1633–34, states that the "Reino de Tigr" (Kingdom of Tigray) extended from [[Hamasien]] to [[History of Tembien|Temben]], from the borders of [[Danakil Depression|Dankel]] to the [[Adwa]] mountain. He also stated that Tigray-Mereb Melash was divided into 24 smaller political units (principalities), twelve of which were located south of the Mereb and governed by the Tigray Mekonen, based in [[Enderta Province|Enderta]]. The other twelve were located north of the Mereb, under the authority of the [[Medri Bahri|Bahre Negash]], based in the district of [[Serae]].<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Divided Histories, Opportunistic Alliances: Background Notes on the Ethiopian-Eritrean War|author=Trivelli, Richard M.|year=1998|journal=Africa Spectrum|volume=33|issue=3|pages=257–289 [259]|jstor=40174776}}</ref>

The ''[[Book of Aksum]]'', written and compiled mainly in the period from the sixteenth to seventeenth centuries, shows a traditional schematic map of Tigray with the city of [[Aksum]] at its center, surrounded by the 13 principal provinces: "Tembien, Shire, Serae, Hamasien, [[Buri province|Bur]], Sam'a, [[Agame]], Amba Senayt, [[Gar'alta|Garalta]], [[Enderta Province|Enderta]], Sahart and Abergele."<ref>[[Richard Pankhurst (academic)|Richard Pankhurst]], ''History of Ethiopian Towns'' (Wiesbaden; Franz Steiner Verlag, 1982), vol. 1, p. 201</ref>{{Failed verification|date=February 2022}}

During the Middle Ages, the position of Tigray Mekonnen ("Governor of Tigray") was established to rule over the area. Other districts included [[Akkele Guzay|Akele Guzay]] (now part of [[Eritrea]]), and the kingdom of the [[Bahr negus]], who ruled much of what is now Eritrea and [[Shire, Ethiopia|Shire]] district and town in Western Tigray. At the time when Tigray Mekonnen existed simultaneously with that of Bahr negus, their frontier seems to have been the [[Mareb River]], which is currently constitutes the border between the Ethiopian province of Tigray and Eritrea.

After the loss of power of the Bahr negus in the aftermath of [[Bahr negus Yeshaq]]'s rebellions, {{failed verification span|text=the title of Tigray mekonnen gained power in relation to the Bahr negus and at times included ruling over parts of what is now Eritrea, especially in the 19th century.|date=January 2022}}<ref>{{Cite book|first=Richard|last=Pankhurst|author-link=Richard Pankhurst (historian)|title=An Introduction to the Economic History of Ethiopia|publisher=London: Lalibela House|date=1962|page=328|ol=OL5876132M}}</ref> By the unsettled [[Zemene Mesafint]] period ("Era of the Princes"), both designations had declined to little more than empty titles, and the lord who succeeded them used (and received from the Emperor) the title of either [[Ras (title)|Ras]] or [[Dejazmach]], beginning with Ras [[Mikael Sehul]]. Rulers of Tigray such as Ras [[Wolde Selassie]] alternated with others, chiefly those of [[Begemder]] or [[Yejju]], as warlords to maintain the Ethiopian monarchy during the Zemene Mesafint.

In the mid-19th century, the lords of Tembien and Enderta managed to establish an overlordship of Tigray. One of its members, Dejazmach Kahsay Mercha, ascended the imperial throne in 1872 under the name [[Yohannes IV]]. Following his 1889 death in the [[Battle of Metemma]], the Ethiopian throne came under the control of the king of [[Shewa]], and the center of power shifted south and away from Tigray.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

=== 20th century ===
In 1943, a rebellion [[Woyane rebellion|broke out]] all over southern and eastern Tigray under the slogan, "there is no government; let's organize and govern ourselves". Throughout Enderta Awraja, including [[Mekelle]], Didibadergiajen, [[Hintalo]], Saharti, [[Samre, Ethiopia|Samre]] and Wajirat, Raya Awraja, Kilte-Awlaelo Awraja and Tembien Awraja, local assemblies, called gerreb, were formed. The gerreb sent representatives to a central congress, called the shengo, which elected leaders and established a military command system. Although the first [[Woyane rebellion]] of 1943 had shortcomings as a prototype revolution, historians agree that it involved a fairly high level of spontaneity and peasant initiative. It demonstrated considerable popular participation and reflected widely shared grievances. The uprising was specifically directed against the central "Shoan Amhara" regime of [[Haile Selassie|Haile Selassie I]] to rile support, despite Tigrayan imperial elite being collaborators and beneficiaries of the regime.

==== Ethiopian Civil War ====
[[File:ET Mekele asv2018-01 img15 Martyrs Memorial.jpg|thumb|Memorial in Mekelle to more than 60,000 TPLF fighters who died and over 100,000 fighters who were injured in the overthrow of the Marxist [[Derg]] regime in 1991.]]

Following the outbreak of the [[Ethiopian Revolution]] in February 1974, the first signal of any mass uprising was the actions of the soldiers of the 4th Brigade of the 4th Army Division in Nagelle in southern Ethiopia. The Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police, and Territorial Army, or the [[Derg]] ([[Ge'ez language|Ge'ez]] "Committee"), was officially announced 28 June 1974 by a group of military officers. The committee elected Major [[Mengistu Haile Mariam]] as its chairman and Major [[Atnafu Abate]] as its vice-chairman. In July 1974, the Derg obtained key concessions from the emperor, Haile Selassie, which included the power to arrest not only military officers but government officials at every level. Soon both former Prime Ministers [[Tsehafi Taezaz Aklilu Habte-Wold]] and [[Endelkachew Makonnen|Endalkachew Makonnen]], along with most of their cabinets, most regional governors, many senior military officers and officials of the Imperial court were imprisoned. In August 1974, after a proposed constitution creating a constitutional monarchy was presented to the emperor, the Derg began a program of dismantling the imperial government in order to forestall further developments in that direction. The Derg [[1974 Ethiopian coup d'état|deposed and imprisoned the emperor on 12 September 1974]].

[[File:Nest box for Columba guinea in Zerfenti.jpg|thumb|Nest box for ''[[Speckled pigeon|Columba guinea]]'' (considered a symbol of peace) in the wall of a homestead in [[Zerfenti]], a village in Tigray where hundreds were killed by Derg bombings.]]
In addition, the Derg in 1975 nationalized most industries and private and somewhat secure urban real-estate holdings. But mismanagement, corruption, and general hostility to the Derg's violent rule, coupled with the draining effects of constant warfare with the separatist guerrilla movements in Tigray, led to a drastic fall in general productivity of food and cash crops. In October 1978, the Derg announced the National Revolutionary Development Campaign to mobilize human and material resources to transform the economy, which led to a Ten-Year Plan (1984/85–1993/94) to expand agricultural and industrial output, forecasting a 6.5% growth in GDP and a 3.6% rise in per capita income. Instead per capita income declined 0.8% over this period. Famine scholar [[Alex de Waal]] observes that while the [[1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia|famine]] that struck the country in the mid-1980s is usually ascribed to drought, "closer investigation shows that widespread drought occurred only some months after the famine was already under way". Hundreds of thousands fled economic misery, conscription, and political repression, and went to live in neighboring countries and all over the [[Western world]], creating an Ethiopian [[diaspora]].

Toward the end of January 1991, a coalition of rebel forces, the [[Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front]] (EPRDF) captured [[Gondar]], the ancient capital city, [[Bahar Dar]], and [[Dessie]].{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

==== Postwar ====
John Young, who visited the area several times in the early 1990s, attributes this delay in part to "central budget restraint, structural readjustment, and lack of awareness by government bureaucrats in [[Addis Ababa]] of conditions in the province", but notes "an equally significant obstacle was posed by an entrenched, and largely Oromo and Southern-dominated, central bureaucracy which used its power to block government-authorized funds from reaching Tigray".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Young|first1=John|title=Peasant Revolution in Ethiopia: The Tigray People's Liberation Front, 1975–1991|date=2006|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-02606-2|page=197|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S9LX8UpI97MC&pg=PA197|access-date=13 November 2020|archive-date=27 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327025546/https://books.google.com/books?id=S9LX8UpI97MC&pg=PA197|url-status=live}}</ref> At the same time, a growing urban middle class of traders, businessmen and government officials emerged that was suspicious of and distant from the victorious EPRDF.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}
From 1991 to 2001, the president of Tigray was [[Gebru Asrat]].
In 1998, [[Eritrean-Ethiopian War|war erupted between Eritrea and Ethiopia]] over a portion of territory that had been administered as part of Tigray, which included the town of [[Badme]]. A 2002 [[United Nations]] decision awarded much of this land to Eritrea, but Ethiopia did not accept the ruling until 2018, when a [[2018 Eritrea–Ethiopia summit|bilateral agreement]] ended the [[Eritrean–Ethiopian border conflict|border conflict]]. The text of this agreement has not been publicly availed.

=== 21st century ===
{{Expand section|date=December 2022}}
From 2001 to 2010 the president was [[Tsegay Berhe]].

==== 2020 administrative reorganisation ====
Between 2018 and 2020, as part of a reform aimed to deepen and strengthen decentralisation, woredas were reorganised, and new boundaries established. As smaller towns had been growing, they had started providing a larger range of services, such as markets and even banks, that encouraged locals to travel there rather than to their formal woreda centre. However, these locals still had to travel to their local woreda centre for most local government services – often in a different direction. In 2018 and 2019, after multiple village discussions that were often vigorous in the more remote areas, 21 independent urban administrations were added and other boundaries re-drawn, resulting in an increase from 35 to 88 woredas in January 2020.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}

==== Tigray War ====
{{main|Tigray War}}

Following the [[2020 Tigray regional election]], on 4 November, after the attacks by TDF on Northern Command units in Tigray and missiles sent to Eritrea, the Ethiopian and Eritrean militaries launched counterattacks. Ethiopian forces advanced through southern Tigray, while Eritrean troops occupied northern border towns.<ref>{{cite news|date=2020-11-04|title=Tigray crisis: Ethiopia orders military response after army base seized|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54805088|access-date=2020-11-05|archive-date=19 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119083309/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54805088|url-status=live}}</ref>

Warfare, the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia]], and a [[2019–20 locust infestation|locust outbreak]] contributed to an [[famine in the Tigray War|emergency food situation in the region]] by January [[2021 in Ethiopia|2021]]. Approximately two million people faced food shortages, with a critical situation in [[Shire Inda Selassie]], hosting 100,000 refugees. The [[Famine Early Warning Systems Network]] indicated that parts of central and eastern Tigray were likely in emergency phase 4, a step below famine.<ref>{{cite news |title='Extreme urgent need': Starvation haunts Ethiopia's Tigray |url=https://apnews.com/article/ethiopia-united-nations-kenya-ef0b6b2db2994d4c3042cf19f3d92a2a |access-date=January 17, 2021 |work=AP NEWS |date=17 January 2021 |archive-date=17 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117090044/https://apnews.com/article/ethiopia-united-nations-kenya-ef0b6b2db2994d4c3042cf19f3d92a2a |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== After the Tigray War ====
After the [[Tigray war|Tigray War (2020–2022)]], which resulted in an estimated 600,000 deaths, the Tigray region faced ongoing instability. A peace agreement in November 2022 led to the formation of an interim administration, but the region struggled with implementing key provisions, such as the return of displaced people. In 2025, tensions resurfaced when Tigray’s interim president, [[Getachew Reda]], fled to [[Addis Ababa]] after a faction led by former [[Tigray People's Liberation Front|TPLF]] leader [[Debretsion Gebremichael]] seized control. The power struggle sparked fears of renewed conflict. In response, [[Abiy Ahmed|Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed]] invited [[Tigrayans]] to suggest a new leader via email and extended the interim administration’s mandate. This development followed internal struggles, including a coup attempt and clashes, as well as growing concerns over tensions with neighboring [[Eritrea]], which added to the regional instability.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Harter |first=Fred |date=2025-03-21 |title=Power struggle leads to coup in Tigray as war looms between Ethiopia and Eritrea |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/mar/21/tigray-mekelle-coup-war-ethiopia-eritrea-assab-port-abiy-ahmed |access-date=2025-03-31 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-26 |title=Getachew Reda: Ethiopia's Abiy Ahmed to replace Tigray president amid fears of war |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgkml1d206po |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref>