Bahir Dar

Origins Originally the settlement was called Bahir Giyorgis. Between 1810 and 1900, Bahir Dar had 1,200 to 2,000 inhabitants. It was developed in situ as a monastery and function of trading hub. In the 19th century, Bahir Dar was visited by Belgian, French, British and Italian travelers, who described it alternatively as a village or a town. 20th century During the early 20th century, the British, desiring to construct a barrage at the outlet of Lake Tana, dispatched several study teams, such as those of Dupis (1902), Grabham and Black (1920–21) and Cheesman (1926–34). In 1930 the Ethiopian Government sent to Bahir Dar its own team of experts, who described Bahir Dar as a village with considerable trading activity, with a population from the interior as well as from Lake Tana ports such as Zege. At this time Bahir Dar was characterized by various traditional settlement areas, each of which was distinguished by the social position its members occupied. The kahenat (clergy) and balabbat (landowner) communities were the most prestigious. In addition, three groups of tenant-craftsman communities, tanners, Muslims weavers and the Weyto stone-mill grinders, lived on balabbat lands. Although all were economically interdependent, there was no intermarriage between the tenant communities or between them and the balabbat and kahenat. The physical and social appearance of Bahir Dar was considerably changed. New settlement patterns emerged: an Italian camp, a Muslim community and a Weyto quarter, while the tanners' quarter remained unaffected. Bahir Dar became a melting-pot of different people and cultures. In the commercial zone, different types of shops, tea-rooms, tailor shops, bars and restaurants run by foreigners made their first appearance. Ethiopian influence on this reorganization was insignificant. The Italians gave Bahir Dar political importance by making it the administrative center of the Lake Tana southern territories. They were also interested in the agricultural development of Lake Tana and the Blue Nile and in exploiting their waters for hydroelectric power. The EPRDF gained permanent control of the city at around 18:10 hours on 23 February 1991, as one of the objectives of Operation Tewodros. In the 1990s Bahir Dar experienced remarkable growth and expansion. It has become the capital of the Amhara National State. The country's free-market economic policy has encouraged investment and other market potentialities. Today Bahir Dar is not only a center of administration but also a nucleus of commerce, industry, transport, communication, health, education and tourism. 21st century The city, in honor of the Millennium celebrations, hosted a National Investment Bazaar and Trade Fair on 6–9 January 2007. Mulat Gezahegn, head of the Trade, Industry and Investment Promotion Coordination Office, told journalists that more than 150 local and foreign companies participated. On 22 June 2019, during the Amhara Region coup d'état attempt, there were coordinated assassinations of Amhara Region government officials in Bahir Dar and Addis Ababa. Assassination victims included General Se'are Mekonnen (along with his aide General Gizae Aberra), President of Amhara Region Ambachew Mekonnen (along with advisor Ezez Wassie) and Amhara Region Attorney General Megbaru Kebede. On 24 June, state media announced that General Asaminew Tsige had been shot dead in Bahir Dar. == Geography ==

Bahir Dar is located at the exit of the Abbay from Lake Tana at an altitude of above sea level. The city is located approximately 578 km north-northwest of Addis Ababa. The Lake Tana region is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 2015. Climate Bahir Dar has a borderline tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw), very close to a subtropical highland climate (Cwb). Afternoon temperatures are very warm to hot year-round, and morning temperatures cool; however, the diurnal range is much larger in the largely cloudless dry season. }} ==Demographics==

Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), Bahir Dar Special Zone had a total population of 221,991, of whom 108,456 were male and 113,535 female; 180,174 or 81.16% were urban inhabitants, the rest of population were living in rural kebeles around Bahir Dar. As Philip Briggs notes, Bahir Dar "is not only one of the largest towns in Ethiopia, but also one of the fastest growing – the western outskirts have visibly expanded since...1994." In fact, Bahir Dar City had an average annual population growth of 5.31% from 2007 to 2023, while Bahir Dar Special Zone had an annual growth rate of 4.75%. Ethnic and linguistic composition As of 2007, the three largest ethnic groups reported in Bahir Dar Special Zone were the Amhara (96.23%), the Tigrayan (1.11%), and the Oromo (1.10%); all other ethnic groups made up 1.56% of the population. Amharic was spoken as a first language by 96.77%, Oromiffa by 1.03%, and Tigrinya by 0.98%; the remaining 1.22% spoke all other primary languages reported. The Wayto caste In 1938, an Italian tourist guide noted well established Wayto villages on Bahir Dar's lakeshore. The Wayto nowadays live in three distinct villages within Bahir Dar's city boundaries; the buildings are made of clay with thatched roofs and have a lifespan of about five years. In Bahir Dar, the Wayto are outcast because their traditional lifestyle is considered impure; for the Orthodox Christians the food habits are impure, and the Muslim community does not recognise them because the Wayto continue to worship the Nile River. Hence, the majority of the population remains wary of the Wayto. The health of the Wayto community in Bahir Dar is affected because they continue drinking the lake water, which has become strongly polluted. • ritual places are contested by other population groups; • Amhara have greater financial power to obtain the land; • the Wayto do not hold land titles; and • overall, they have a weak position in negotiation. Religions in a church on Lake Tana, near Bahir Dar In 2007 census 89.72% of the population said they practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, 8.47% were Muslim, and 1.62% were Protestants. The 1994 national census reported 87.53% practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, and 11.47% of the population said they were Muslim. The Ethiopian Catholics, who practice the Alexandrian Rite in Geez language, have a cathedral in the city, which is the Episcopal See since 2015 of the Ethiopic Catholic Diocese of Bahir Dar–Dessie, one of the suffragan eparchies (dioceses) of the Ethiopian Catholic Archeparchy of Addis Abeba, a Metropolitanate sui juris. == Culture ==

as they looked before a hydro system was installed. Some of the river water is tunneled from above the Falls down into a fairly small HEP plant. The city offers a small daily market and a very extensive weekly market. There are some music clubs in the city. The Blue Nile Falls (Tis Issat) are located about 30 km to the south. Nowadays the amount of water running through the falls is being reduced and regulated, since the construction of a hydroelectric power dam. Nevertheless, the Blue Nile Falls are still one of the main tourist attractions of Bahir Dar, especially during the rainy season when the water level rises and the falls become greater. == Education ==

Bahir Dar is home to a number of universities and colleges. The most prominent of all is the Bahir Dar University, which projects an enrollment of over 40,000 students in the academic year beginning in October 2012. Bahir Dar University is home to more than 40,000 students. Emperor Haile Sellasie inaugurated the Technical School in Bahir Dar University on 11 June 1963. As part of political initiatives and development efforts in Africa, renewed interest in the higher education in Ethiopia has been the focus of partnerships between governmental and private funders. The Ethiopian university system has been noted as one of the "fastest growing" systems in the twenty-first century. Bahir Dar University, one of the largest universities in Ethiopia, has an enrollment of 45,000 students in 65 undergraduate and 67 graduate programs. A Council of Ministers regulation combined the Bahir Dar Polytechnic and Bahir Dar Teachers' College in 2000 to establish the university. Supporting the country's objective to attain a "middle-income status" by 2025, a research priority has produced eleven research centers. within the university. As part of the US AID objective IR 3.2: Improved workforce skills development, an identified strategy of enhancing "... university partnerships with U.S. Universities to strengthen the capacity of Ethiopian Universities." Primary and secondary education goals are supported by the university through teacher education programs designed to improve literacy rates, supporting employment and higher education opportunities for citizens. Degrees in science and health support the effort to address Ethiopia's inclusion as one of 57 countries on the health workforce crisis list. Alkan University College is located in Bahir Dar. The Institute of Land Administration was founded and located in Bahir Dar in 2006. The city has numerous government schools including a STEM-based High School that is within the University. There are many private schools, including Bahir Dar Academy, Rispins International School, and an SOS school. == Transportation ==

. Air transportation in Bahir Dar is served by the Bahir Dar Dejazmach Belay Zeleke Airport. There are up to ten flights a day which connect with Addis Ababa. The runway was extended to cope with International flights. Horticultural products and other exports can now leave by air. Additionally, the city is also connected through roads (and buslines) to those cities. The most common and convenient way of traveling in Bahir Dar is cycling. Auto rickshaws and share taxis also provide transportation in the city. Intercity bus service is provided by the Selam Bus Line Share Company, Abay Bus s.c, Ethio Bus s.c and Sky Bus Transport System which operates daily to and from the capital. Tickets offices are mainly in the mall at the south end of the high street, on the left if you have walked up from the lake area/Giorgis. Now, in 2021, a new road bridge across the Nile, is under construction. It will soon carry the main road to the northern outskirts and on to Gondar == Sports ==

Association football is the most popular sport in Bahir Dar. The 60,000-capacity Bahir Dar Stadium and the 15,000-capacity Bahir Dar University Stadium are the main sports venues. ==Twin towns – sister cities==

Bahir Dar is twinned with: • Ashdod, Israel (2011) • Cleveland, United States (2004) • Madison, United States (2018) • Oakland, United States (2010) == See also ==