Mount Welel
Encyclopedia
Mount Welel is a mountain in southwestern Ethiopia
. Located in the Mirab Welega Zone
of the Oromia Region
, it has a latitude and longitude of 08°53′N 34°50′E and an elevation of 3273 metres (10,738 ft) above sea level. Characterized by twin peaks, Welel is the highest point in the Zone and Hawa Welele
woreda
.
, who considered it sacred. They named after a mountain in Meda Welabu
, which he considers to have been "the region of Borana dispersal in the early sixteenth century".
The Dutch explorer Juan Maria Schuver
reached Mount Welel August 1882, but he declined to attempt to climb it, explaining in his memoirs that "an escort of 100 men would have been needed to reach the top, as the mountain and a large extent of the forest around it, is inhabited by fugitive slaves and criminals from different tribes."
In his book In Search of King Solomon's Mines
, Tahir Shah
explains how he first learned of this mountain in the memoirs of the explorer Frank Hayter, The Gold of Ethiopia, which was written in 1936. In the book, Hayter claimed to have found a shaft full of gold in the mountain, which he claims was the source of the wealth of the Queen of Sheba, but misfortune prevented him from benefiting from his discovery. Although in an interview with Richard Pankhurst
he learns that Hayter is "rather unreliable", locating this mountain becomes Tahir Shah's goal in his further travels through Ethiopia, which he eventually reaches. When he reaches Begi
, the locals warn him that the mountain is the home of the Devil
; when he reaches the base of Mount Welel, he finds the land almost empty of people, and that the locals apparently sell the local crops to people in Gambela
because they believe the harvest to be poisonous. In the penultimate chapter he describes reaching the mountain and finding a cave entrance, although at first he believes it is the entrance to the mines Hayter claimed to have discovered, upon investigation it took him no further than 20 feet into the mountain.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. Located in the Mirab Welega Zone
Mirab Welega Zone
Mirab Welega is one of the 12 Zones in the Ethiopian Region of Oromia. This zone is named after the former province of Welega, whose western part lay in the area Mirab Misraq now occupies....
of the Oromia Region
Oromia Region
Oromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...
, it has a latitude and longitude of 08°53′N 34°50′E and an elevation of 3273 metres (10,738 ft) above sea level. Characterized by twin peaks, Welel is the highest point in the Zone and Hawa Welele
Hawa Welele
Hawa Welele is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Mirab Welega Zone, Hawa Welele is bordered on the south by Sayo, on the west by Anfillo, on the northwest by Jimma Gidami, on the north and east by Gawo Dale, and on the southeast by the Illubabor Zone...
woreda
Woreda
Woreda is an administrative division of Ethiopia , equivalent to a district . Woredas are composed of a number of Kebele, or neighborhood associations, which are the smallest unit of local government in Ethiopia...
.
Human history
According to Mohammed Hassen the name of this mountain is OromoOromo language
Oromo, also known as Afaan Oromo, Oromiffa, Afan Boran, Afan Orma, and sometimes in other languages by variant spellings of these names , is an Afro-Asiatic language, and the most widely spoken of the Cushitic family. Forms of Oromo are spoken as a first language by more than 25 million Oromo and...
, who considered it sacred. They named after a mountain in Meda Welabu
Meda Welabu
Meda Welabu is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Bale Zone, Meda Welabu is bordered on the south by the Ganale Dorya River which separates it from the Borena Zone, on the northwest by Nensebo, on the north by Mennana Harena Buluk, and on the northeast by Guradamole...
, which he considers to have been "the region of Borana dispersal in the early sixteenth century".
The Dutch explorer Juan Maria Schuver
Juan Maria Schuver
Juan Maria Schuver was a Dutch explorer who was a native of Amsterdam....
reached Mount Welel August 1882, but he declined to attempt to climb it, explaining in his memoirs that "an escort of 100 men would have been needed to reach the top, as the mountain and a large extent of the forest around it, is inhabited by fugitive slaves and criminals from different tribes."
In his book In Search of King Solomon's Mines
In Search of King Solomon's Mines
In Search of King Solomon's Mines is a travel book by Anglo-Afghan author, Tahir Shah.It began with a map in Jerusalem. The map showed a trail leading to the fabled mines of King Solomon, who built the first temple of Israel out of gold, mined from the land of Ophir...
, Tahir Shah
Tahir Shah
Tahir Shah , né Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi is an Anglo-Afghan Indian author, journalist and documentary maker. He lives in Casablanca, Morocco.-Family origins and life:...
explains how he first learned of this mountain in the memoirs of the explorer Frank Hayter, The Gold of Ethiopia, which was written in 1936. In the book, Hayter claimed to have found a shaft full of gold in the mountain, which he claims was the source of the wealth of the Queen of Sheba, but misfortune prevented him from benefiting from his discovery. Although in an interview with Richard Pankhurst
Richard Pankhurst (academic)
Richard Keir Pethick Pankhurst OBE is a British academic with expertise in the study of Ethiopia.-Early life and education:...
he learns that Hayter is "rather unreliable", locating this mountain becomes Tahir Shah's goal in his further travels through Ethiopia, which he eventually reaches. When he reaches Begi
Beica
Beica is a town in southwestern Ethiopia. Located in the Mirab Welega Zone of the Oromia Region, the town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 1673 meters above sea level. Beica is the administrative center of Begi woreda.Beica has enjoyed telephone service since the 1930s...
, the locals warn him that the mountain is the home of the Devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
; when he reaches the base of Mount Welel, he finds the land almost empty of people, and that the locals apparently sell the local crops to people in Gambela
Gambela Region
Gambela is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia. Previously known as "Region 12", its capital is Gambela. Lying between the Baro and Akobo Rivers, the western part of Gambela includes the Baro salient....
because they believe the harvest to be poisonous. In the penultimate chapter he describes reaching the mountain and finding a cave entrance, although at first he believes it is the entrance to the mines Hayter claimed to have discovered, upon investigation it took him no further than 20 feet into the mountain.