Azezo
Azezo | |
---|---|
Town | |
Coordinates:12°33′31″N37°25′51″E/ 12.5586°N 37.4308°E | |
Country | ![]() |
Region | Amhara |
Province | Begemder |
Established | 16th Century |
Elevation | 1,400 m (4,600 ft) |
Population (2007) | |
• Total | 33,719[1] |
Time zone | UTC+3:00(UTC+03:00) |
Azezo(Amharic:አዘዞ) is a town in northernEthiopiasouth of the city ofGondar.
History
[edit]The town of Azezo was established around the same time Gondar was settled in the 16th century (between 1632 and 1687).
Azezo was occupied by the Italians during the follow-up toWorld War II,establishing a military camp nearby the village between 1936 and 1941. After the defeat of the Italians by a joint British and Ethiopian force (theGideon Force), the camp remained operational.[2]
In the early 1990s, following the overthrow of theDerg,the camp was partially demobilized and Azezo's main source of income was diminished,[3]with the ecological care of nearby rivers being halted as a result.
Azezo today is a suburban market town that is mostly associated with its closest city, Gondar. Notable sites are the large soccer field situated in the center of the town as well as a few churches, such as Saint Teklehymanot.
The residents of Azezo are predominantly non-Jewish, but historically the town has had a Jewish population. In the late 1800s, working with the Swedish Mission of theEthiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus(EECMY), the Ethiopian intellectual and former Mayor of GondarGebru Destaestablished a school in Azezo that worked to convert the Gondar Jewish community to Christianity.[4]
References
[edit]- ^Aligaz, Amha (December 2011)."Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) for Azezo Market Center Development".City Services Office of Gondar.
- ^Milkias, Paulos (2006). "History".Ethiopia.G.K. Hall & Company. p. 56.ISBN0816190666.
- ^Milkias, Paulos (2006). "History".Ethiopia.G.K. Hall & Company. p. 58.ISBN0816190666.
- ^"Desta, Kentiba Gebru".Dictionary of African Christian Biography.Retrieved2022-11-21.