Soqota
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| Soqota | |
  Soqota
|
|
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | Ethiopia |
| Region | Amhara |
| Zone | Wag Hemra Zone |
| Population (2005) | |
| - Total | 13,700 |
| Time zone | EAT (UTC+3) |
Soqota (also transliterated Sekota and related variations) is a town in north-central Ethiopia. Located the Wag Hemra Zone of the Amhara Region, Soqota has a latitude and longitude of . It is the largest settlement in the woreda of Soqota.
Soqota is the historic seat of the Wagshum, the former ruler of Lasta, who could trace an unbroken succession back to the last king of the Zagwe dynasty. However, this town is not mentioned in the surviving records until 1746, when the soldiers of Emperor Iyasu II burned it down.[1] About 6 kilometers from Soqota is the church Wukro Meskal Kristos, where the mummified corpses of several Wagshums lie.[2] Philip Briggs speculates that this town may be identified with the mysterious Ku'bar, said by al-Ya'qubi and al-Masudi to have succeeded Axum as the capital of Ethiopia.[3]
Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this town has an estimated total population of 13,700, of whom 6,606 were males and 7,094 were females.[4] According to the 1994 national census, this town has a population of 7,922. The 1994 census reported this town had a total population of 7,922 of whom 3,476 were males and 4,446 were females.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Richard P.K. Pankhurst, History of Ethiopian Towns (Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag, 1982), p. 182
- ^ Camerapix, Spectrum Guide to Ethiopia (New York: Interlink Books, 2000), p. 117
- ^ Philip Briggs, Ethiopia: the Bradt Travel Guide, third edition (London: Bradt, 2002), p. 302. The problem of Ku'bar is discussed by Taddesse Tamrat, Church and State in Ethiopia (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1972), p. 37.
- ^ CSA 2005 National Statistics, Table B.3
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