Dire Dawa

Dire Dawa is a big city. It sits in eastern Ethiopia.

A river flows near the city. High cliffs are also nearby.

The city grew because of a train. The train could not go up steep hills. So, the tracks stopped here.

This made the town very busy. People came to trade and work. It became a place for many shops.

Today, it is a place for industry. It even has its own airport.

Dire Dawa is a large city in eastern Ethiopia.

It sits near the Oromia Region. The Dechatu River flows through the city. High cliffs stand near the land too.

Long ago, people lived in this area. They left rock paintings in nearby caves. Later, the Harla people lived here. The city we know today is much newer. It started because of a railway.

The train tracks could not climb steep hills. The tracks had to stop at the foot of the mountains. This made the town a very busy place for trade. Many people came to live there. They came from places like France, Greece, and Italy. They built shops, hotels, and factories.

Today, Dire Dawa is a center for industry. It has many markets and an airport. The city is divided into two parts. One part is the city itself. The other part is a place called Gurgura. It is one of two special cities in Ethiopia.

Dire Dawa is a large and busy city in eastern Ethiopia.

It sits near the Oromia Region and the Oromo border. The Dechatu River flows through the middle of the city. This river is often dry, but it becomes a rushing torrent when it rains. Nearby, the Gorro River also flows through the area. The city sits at the foot of a ring of high cliffs.

It is one of only two chartered cities in the whole country. This makes it a very special place in Ethiopia.

The city grew because of a big problem with a train line. Engineers wanted to build a railway from Djibouti to Addis Ababa. However, the tracks could not climb the steep mountains near Harar. Because of this, the tracks had to stop at a village near the mountains. This village was called Addis Harar at first. The railway reached this spot on December 24, 1902. This date is considered the true beginning of Dire Dawa.

Long before the railway, people lived in this land. Scientists found rock paintings and stone tools in nearby caves. These items show that people lived there in very old times. Later, the Harla people lived in this area. You can still see the ruins of their old town, Hubat.

During medieval times, the region was part of the Adal Sultanate. Later, it became part of the Emirate of Harar. Eventually, it became part of modern Ethiopia in 1887.

As the railway grew, the city became a center for trade.

It became a "boom city" because so much business happened there. Many people moved to the city from all over the world. People from France, Greece, Armenia, and Italy arrived to build shops. They also built hotels and new industries. In 1931, the Bank of Ethiopia opened its first branch here. By 1934, the city had good roads, electric lights, and piped water.

Today, Dire Dawa is a very important industrial center. It has many markets and a large airport. The city is divided into two main parts for management. One part is the city itself, and the other is the Gurgura area. In 2015, experts estimated the whole area had 440,000 people. The city proper was expected to have 277,000 people. This makes it the second largest city in Ethiopia.

Dire Dawa is a major chartered city located in eastern Ethiopia.

It is one of only two chartered cities in the entire nation. The other is the capital, Addis Ababa. The city sits near the Oromia Region and the Oromo border. Geographically, it lies at the foot of a ring of cliffs. The Dechatu River flows through the city. This river is often dry for most of the year. It becomes a rushing torrent only when it rains. The Gorro River, a tributary of the Dechatu, flows near the western outskirts.

The modern city was founded because of a technical railway problem. Engineers were building the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway. They could not lay tracks through Harar because the mountains were too steep. Emperor Menelik II decided the line should end at a village near the mountains. He initially suggested the name Addis Harar, meaning "New Harrar." The railway reached this location on December 24, 1902. This date marks the foundation of the town.

Dire Dawa developed into two distinct settlements separated by the Dechatu River. The north-western part was planned by railway engineers. This area was built with a regular, organized layout. It originally housed railway employees. It later attracted diverse groups like the French, Greeks, Armenians, and Arabs. These residents opened hotels, shops, and industries. In 1909, the French Capuchin Mission settled there. The southeast part of the town grew around the local market. This area was mainly inhabited by Somali and Arab traders. Later, Gurgura and Oromo populations also grew there.

Long before the railway, the region had a rich history. Mesolithic artifacts and rock paintings were found in the Porc-Épic and Laga-Oda caves. These sites are only a few kilometers from the city. The area was also home to the extinct Harla people. You can still see the ruins of the thirteenth-century Harla town, Hubat.

During the medieval period, the region belonged to the Adal Sultanate. It later became part of the Emirate of Harar. In 1887, Menelik conquered the kingdom. This brought the region into modern Ethiopia.

The city experienced significant changes during the Italian occupation from 1936 to 1941. Italian troops occupied the city on May 9, 1936. They used the railway station as a meeting place. The Italians built new administrative buildings and improved the roads. They also enlarged the airport for military use. During this time, the city was known by its Italian spelling, Dire Daua.

After the occupation ended, the British provided military administration. The town was handed back to the Ethiopian government in 1947. Following this, the city expanded greatly. By the following decades, the population reached 160,000 people.

In the later years of the empire, Dire Dawa became a modern urban center. By 1931, the Bank of Ethiopia opened its first branch in the city. By 1934, the city featured electric lights, piped water, and good roads. The city also saw the rise of organized labor. The Railroad Workers Syndicate was formed in 1947. During the 1970s, the Ethiopian Revolution brought political unrest. The government nationalized several industries, including the Cotton Company of Ethiopia. The city also faced conflict during the Ogaden War in 1977. The Ethiopian military successfully defended the city against Somali troops.

Today, Dire Dawa is a vital industrial and commercial hub. It is divided into two administrative woredas. These are the city proper and the non-urban Gurgura. The city features several markets and the Dire Dawa Airport. For 2015, the projected population for the entire chartered city was 440,000. The city proper was projected to have 277,000 residents. This makes the city proper the second largest city in Ethiopia.

The city remains a key link for trade and transport in the region.