Misplaced Pages

#969030

39-872: Mille-Serdo Wildlife Reserve covers an area of 6503 km. It is located in the Afar Depression , a desert region lying between the Red Sea and the Ethiopian Highlands . It is part of the Ethiopian xeric grasslands and shrublands ecoregion. The reserve includes the lower reach of the Awash River , which originates in the Ethiopian Highlands and flows through the African Rift Valley to empty into saline lakes, including Lake Abbe , which lie immediately southeast of

78-596: A female hominin which he named " Ardi ", it took nearly 15 years to safely excavate, preserve, and describe the specimen and to prepare publication of the event. The Afar Depression is the product of a tectonic triple-rifts junction (the Afar triple junction), where the spreading ridges forming the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden emerge on land and meet the East African Rift . The conjunction of these three plates of Earth's crust

117-530: A life has become a habit of their nature." In one notable incident, Werner Munzinger , along with his wife, child and a force consisting of 350 soldiers, 2 guns, and 45 camels, arrived in Tadjoura , with their errands being to open up the roads between Ankober and Tadjoura, to enter into communication with King Menelik of Shewa by traversing through the Danakil Desert . On the 14th of November upon reaching Aussa,

156-515: Is composed of lava , mostly basalt . One of Earth's five lava lakes , Erta Ale is found here, as well as Dabbahu Volcano. It has been proposed that the Afar Depression is underlain by a mantle plume , a great upwelling of mantle that melts to yield basalt as it approaches the surface. 11°30′N 41°00′E  /  11.5°N 41.0°E  / 11.5; 41.0 Afar people The Afar ( Afar : Qafár ), also known as

195-478: Is mostly confined to drought-resistant plants such as small trees (e.g. species of the dragon tree ), shrubs, and grasses. Wildlife includes many herbivores such as Grévy's zebra , Soemmerring's gazelle , beisa and, notably, the last viable population of African wild ass ( Equus africanus somalicus ). Birds include the ostrich , the endemic Archer's lark , the secretary bird , Arabian and Kori bustards , Abyssinian roller , and crested francolin . In

234-481: Is near Lake Abbe . The Afar Depression is one of two places on Earth where a mid-ocean ridge can be studied on land, the other being Iceland . Within the triangle, the Earth's crust is slowly rifting apart at a rate of 1–2 cm (0.4–0.8 in) per year along each of the three rift zones forming the "legs" of the triple junction. The immediate consequences are recurring sequences of earthquakes with deep fissures in

273-855: The Afar Ummatah Demokrasiyyoh Focca (AUDF); and the Afar Revolutionary Forces (ARF). A political party, it aims to protect Afar interests. As of 2012, the ARDUF is part of the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF) coalition opposition party. The Afar principally reside in the Danakil Desert in the Afar Region of Ethiopia , as well as in Eritrea and Djibouti . They number 2,276,867 people in Ethiopia (or 2.73% of

312-569: The Afar triple junction , which is part of the Great Rift Valley in East Africa . The region has disclosed fossil specimens of the very earliest hominins ; that is, the earliest of the human clade, and it is thought by some paleontologists to be the cradle of the evolution of humans. The Depression overlaps the borders of Eritrea , Djibouti and the entire Afar Region of Ethiopia ; and it contains

351-635: The Danakil , Adali and Odali , are a Cushitic ethnic group inhabiting the Horn of Africa . They primarily live in the Afar Region of Ethiopia and in northern Djibouti , as well as the entire southern coast of Eritrea . The Afar speak the Afar language , which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic family. Afars are the only inhabitants of the Horn of Africa whose traditional territories border both

390-469: The Danakil Desert . About 128 kilometres (80 mi) from the Red Sea the Awash ends in a chain of salt lakes, where its waterflow evaporates as quickly as it is supplied. Some 1,200 km (460 sq mi) of the Afar Depression is covered by salt deposits, and mining salt is a major source of income for many Afar groups. The Afar Depression biome is characterized as desert scrubland . Vegetation

429-659: The French Somaliland in Djibouti , but the inland Aussa in the south was able to maintain its independence for longer. Even comparatively fertile and located on the Awash River , it was demarcated from the outside by surrounding desert areas. Ethiopia wanted to neutralize Aussa and prevent them from helping the Italians during the course of the First Italo-Ethiopian War in 1895–1896. The show of Abyssinian force dissuaded

SECTION 10

#1732851541970

468-549: The Gawis cranium hominin from Gona ; several sites of the world's oldest stone tools; Hadar , the site of Lucy , the fossilized specimen of Australopithecus afarensis ; and Dikika , the site of the fossilized child Selam , an australopithecine hominin. In 1994, near the Awash River in Ethiopia, Tim D. White found the then-oldest known human ancestor: 4.4 million-year-old Ar. ramidus . A fossilized almost complete skeleton of

507-475: The Kingdom of Dankali was confined by Abyssinia to its west and Adal Sultanate in the east. He also described that the Afar salt trade was extremely lucrative in the area. The mineral he adds, were considered very cheap in the Afar country, but was very valuable by the time it got to Shewa . Afar society has traditionally been organized into independent kingdoms, each ruled by its own Sultan . Among these were

546-535: The Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden . The etymology of the term "Dankali" can be traced back to the Afar language and is derived from the words "dan" (meaning "people" or "nation") and "kali" (referring to the Afar Region). The term has been used for centuries to refer to the Afar people, their language, culture, and way of life. Its usage reflects the Afar people's sense of pride in their unique identity and their determination to preserve their heritage and way of life in

585-573: The Sultanate of Aussa , Sultanate of Girrifo/Biru, Sultanate of Tadjourah , Sultanate of Rahaito , and Sultanate of Gobaad . In 1577, the Adal leader Imam Muhammed Jasa moved his capital from Harar to Aussa in modern Afar region . In 1647, the rulers of the Emirate of Harar broke away to form their own polity. Harari imams continued to have a presence in the southern Afar Region until they were overthrown in

624-760: The Sunni sect of Islam. The majority of the Afar had adopted Islam by the 13th century due to the expanding influence of holy men and traders from the Arabian peninsula . The Afar mainly follow the Shafi'i school of Sunni Islam. Sufi orders like the Qadiriyya are also widespread among the Afar. Afar religious life is somewhat syncretic with a blend of Islamic concepts and pre-Islamic ones such as rain sacrifices on sacred locations, divination, and folk healing. Socially, they are organized into clan families led by elders and two main classes:

663-525: The lowest point in Africa , Lake Assal , Djibouti , at 155 m (509 ft) below sea level. The Awash River is the main waterflow into the region, but it runs dry during the annual dry season, and ends as a chain of saline lakes . The northern part of the Afar Depression is also known as the Danakil Depression . The lowlands are affected by heat, drought , and minimal air circulation, and contain

702-566: The Afar Region of Ethiopia, as well as in southern Eritrea and northern Djibouti. However, since the Afar are traditionally nomadic herders , Afar speakers may be found further afield. Together, with the Saho language , Afar constitutes the Saho–Afar dialect cluster. Afar people are predominantly Muslim . They have a long association with Islam through the various local Muslim polities and practice

741-621: The Afar region, including the Middle Awash region and the sites of Hadar , Dikika , and Woranso-Mille. These sites have produced specimens of the earliest (fossil) hominins and of human tool culture, as well as many fossils of various flora and fauna. Dallol in the Danakil Depression is one of the hottest places year-round anywhere on Earth. There is no rain for most of the year; the yearly rainfall averages range from 100 to 200 mm (4 to 8 in), with even less rain falling closer to

780-632: The Afar sultan Mahammad Hanfare of the Sultanate of Aussa from honouring his treaties with Italy, and instead Hanfare secured a modicum of autonomy within the Ethiopian Empire by accepting Emperor Menelik indirect rule after the war. When a modern administrative system was introduced in Ethiopia after the Second World War, the Afar areas controlled by Ethiopia were divided into the provinces of Eritrea, Tigray, Wollo, Shewa and Hararge. Tribal leaders, elders, and religious and other dignitaries of

819-684: The Afar tried unsuccessfully in the government from 1961 to end this division. Following an unsuccessful rebellion led by the Afar Sultan, Alimirah Hanfare , the Afar Liberation Front was founded in 1975 to promote the interests of the Afar people. Sultan Hanfadhe was shortly afterward exiled to Saudi Arabia . Ethiopia's then-ruling communist Derg regime later established the Autonomous Region of Assab (now called Aseb and located in Eritrea ), although low-level insurrection continued until

SECTION 20

#1732851541970

858-463: The Afars as being "very tall with ugly faces" and that their hair was plaited like that of women so that it "reached to their waists". The chronicler was greatly impressed by their military prowess, as he states that they were "great fighters", for when they went into battle "they tied the ends of their garments, one man to the next, that they might not flee". They are again mentioned over a century later in

897-575: The Egyptian force was attacked at night by a large number of Afars. The Afar managed massacred their army leaving only a small number left which fled to Tadjoura. Amongst the Egyptian casualties were the leader Munzinger, his wife, and his child. Towards the end of the 19th century, the sultanates of Raheita and Tadjoura on the coasts of the Red Sea have then colonized between European powers: Italy forms Italian Eritrea with Assab and Massawa , and France

936-520: The Red Sea to breach the highlands surrounding the Afar Depression and flood the valley. Geologists predict that in about 10 million years the whole 6,000 km (3,700 mi) length of the East African Rift will be submerged, forming a new ocean basin as large as today's Red Sea, and separating the Somali plate and the Horn of Africa from the rest of the continent. The floor of the Afar Depression

975-572: The chief tribe of the Asaimara was the Mudaito in the south, to which the sultan of Aussa belonged to. The Modaitos who occupied the region of the lower Awash, were the most powerful tribe, and no European traversed their territory without claiming the right of hospitality or the brotherhood of blood. Some Afars helped the Europeans by providing, for a fee, the security of Western caravans that circulated between

1014-545: The coast. Daily mean temperatures at Dallol ranged from 30 °C (86 °F) in January to 39 °C (102 °F) in July in six years of observations from 1960 to 1966. The Awash River , flowing north-eastward through the southern part of the Afar Region, provides a narrow green belt which enables life for the flora and fauna in the area and for the Afars , the nomadic people living in

1053-485: The early 1970s, and the remaining population, estimated at 70 to 600 individuals, is limited to a portion of the Afar Depression in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The reserve was designated in 1973, and is also known as the Mille-Serdo Wild Ass Reserve. The local people are Afar pastoralists . Afar Depression The Afar Triangle (also called the Afar Depression ) is a geological depression caused by

1092-732: The early 1990s. In Djibouti, a similar movement simmered throughout the 1980s, eventually culminating in the Afar Insurgency in 1991. After the fall of the Derg that same year, Sultan Hanfadhe returned from exile. In March 1993, the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Front (ARDUF) was established. It constituted a coalition of three Afar organizations: the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Union (ARDUU), founded in 1991 and led by Mohamooda Gaas (or Gaaz);

1131-619: The eighteenth century by the Mudaito dynasty of Afar who later established the Sultanate of Aussa . The primary symbol of the Sultan was a silver baton , which was considered to have magical properties. The Afar are divided into two subgroups, the Asaimara ("Red Men") and the Adoimara ("White Men"). The Asaimara were regraded as the nobility, whereas the Adoimara were seen as inferior stock. These groups are further subdivided into upwards of 150 sub-tribes,

1170-457: The face of various historical and contemporary challenges. The earliest surviving written mention of the Afar is from the 13th-century Andalusian writer Ibn Sa'id , who reports of a people called Dankal , inhabiting an area which extended from the port of Suakin , to as far south as Mandeb , near Zeila . The Afar are consistently mentioned in Ethiopian records. They are first mentioned in

1209-722: The hottest places (year-round average temperatures) of anywhere on Earth. The Afar Triangle is bordered as follows (see the topographic map): on the west by the Ethiopian Plateau and escarpment ; to the north-east (between it and the Red Sea) by the Danakil block ; to the south by the Somali Plateau and escarpment; and to the south-east by the Ali-Sabieh block (adjoining the Somali Plateau). Many important fossil localities exist in

Mille-Serdo Wildlife Reserve - Misplaced Pages Continue

1248-546: The reserve along the Ethiopia- Djibouti border. Two other protected areas, Yangudi Rassa National Park and Awash West Controlled Hunting Area , adjoin Mille-Serdo reserve on the southwest. The reserve was created to protect the critically endangered Somali wild ass ( Equus africanus somaliensis ). The species used to range more widely across the Horn of Africa . The wild population has declined precipitously since

1287-399: The royal chronicles of Emperor Amda Seyon in a campaign beyond the Awash River . The Afar country was originally known in Ethiopian records as "Adal", a word that was used to denote the area of the lower Awash River to the country north of Lake Abbe , which G.W.B Huntingford describes as a "Danakil state in heavily forested region with permeant water and swamps". The chronicler describes

1326-703: The royal chronicles of Emperor Baeda Maryam . According to his chronicler the ruler of the Danakil offered to intervene and help in the Emperor's campaign against their neighbors, the Dobe'a . He sent the Emperor a horse, a mule laden with dates, a shield, and two spears to show his support, along with a message saying, "I have set up my camp, O my master, with the intention of stopping these people. If they are your enemies, I will not let them pass, and will seize them." According to sixteenth century Portuguese explorer Francisco Álvares ,

1365-543: The southern coast of the Red Sea and central Ethiopia. The Afars were also heavily active in the Red Sea slave trade , serving as guides to Arab slave traders. A major slave route to Arabia crossed through Afar country, with Afars reportedly still actively trading in slaves as recently as 1928. The Afars were consistently viewed as violent and bloodthirsty, and generally had a bad reputation for massacring caravans and expeditions. As Italian explorer L. M. Nesbitt describes: "The Danakils kill any stranger on sight. The taking of

1404-481: The southern part of the plain lies the Mille-Serdo Wildlife Reserve . The Afar Triangle is a cradle source of the earliest hominins . It contains a paleo-archaeological district that includes the Middle Awash region and numerous prehistoric sites of fossil hominin discoveries, including: the hominids and possible hominins, Ardi , or Ardipithecus ramidus , and Ardipithecus kadabba , see below;

1443-544: The surface, known as the Dabbahu fissure . Related eruptions have taken place in Teru and Aura woredas . The rift has recently been recorded by means of three-dimensional laser mapping. The region's salt deposits were created over time as water from the Red Sea periodically flooded the depression and evaporated; the most recent such flood was roughly 30,000 years ago. Over the next millions of years, geologists expect erosion and

1482-481: The terrain hundreds of metres long, and the valley floor sinking broadly across the depression. During September and October 2005 some 163 earthquakes of magnitudes greater than 3.9 and a volcanic eruption occurred within the Afar rift at the Dabbahu and Erta Ale volcanoes. Some 2.5 cubic kilometers of molten rock was injected from below into the plate along a dyke between depths of 2 and 9 km (1 and 6 mi), forcing open an 8 m (26 ft) wide gap on

1521-427: The total population), of whom 105,551 are urban inhabitants, according to the most recent census (2007). The Afar make up over a third of the population of Djibouti, and are one of the nine recognized ethnic divisions ( kililoch ) of Ethiopia. Afars speak the Afar language as a mother tongue . It is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic language family. The Afar language is spoken by ethnic Afars in

#969030