Mizan (Dogu'a Tembien)

Mizan is a tabia or municipality in the Tanqua Millash district of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. This tabia includes the rock church of Debre Sema'it, as well as Arefa, reputedly birthplace of the Queen of Sheba. The tabia centre is in Kerene village. Until 2020, Mizan belonged to the Dogu'a Tembien district.
The tabia occupies the Tsilare ridge, that overlooks the wide Tekezze lowlands. On the horizon, across Tekezze River, the Simien Mountains can be seen. The highest area is the plateau in Kerene at 2590 m a.s.l. and the lowest place is the foot of the escarpment at Debre Semay'it (1725 m a.s.l.).
From the higher to the lower locations, the following geological formations are present:
The main geomorphic units, with corresponding soil types are:
The rainfall pattern shows a very high seasonality with 70 to 80% of the annual rain falling in July and August. The mean temperature in Kerene is 17.8 °C, oscillating between an average daily minimum of 9.9 °C and a maximum of 25.3 °C. The contrasts between day and night air temperatures are much larger than seasonal contrasts.
As there are no permanent rivers, springs are of the utmost importance for the local people. The main springs in the tabia are:
In this area with rains that last only for a couple of months per year, reservoirs of different sizes allow harvesting run-off from the rainy season for further use in the dry season.
There are both traditional surface water harvesting ponds, particularly in places without permanent springs, called rahaya and more recently constructed Horoyo. These are household ponds the construction of which has been promoted by development campaigns.
The tabia centre of Kerene has a few administrative offices, a health post, a primary school and some small shops. There are a few more primary schools across the tabia. The other main populated places are:
The population lives essentially from crop farming, supplemented with off-season work in nearby towns. The plateau is dominated by farmlands on Vertisols which are clearly demarcated and are cropped every year. Hence the agricultural system is a permanent upland farming system. The farmers have adapted their cropping systems to the spatio-temporal variability in rainfall.
The history of the tabia is strongly connected with the history of Tembien.
Most inhabitants are Orthodox Christians. The following churches are located in the tabia:
Arefa, at the western side of the tabia and end of the Tsilere ridge, is reputedly the birthplace of the Queen of Sheba. The inhabitants have many legends about her, that all play in and around the rugged mountains of Dog'ua Tembien (Arefa, Megesta, Gelebeda).
In the main villages, there are traditional beer houses (Inda Siwa), often in unique settings, where people socialise. Well known in the tabia are
The main road from Mekelle via Hagere Selam to Abiy Addi runs through the eastern part of the tabia. There are regular bus services to these towns. Furthermore, a rural access road links Kerene to the main asphalt road.
Almost all children of the tabia are schooled, though in some schools there is lack of classrooms, directly related to the large intake in primary schools over the last decades. Schools in the tabia include Yeresere school.
Its mountainous nature and proximity to Mekelle makes the tabia fit for tourism.
Trekking routes have been established in this tabia. The tracks are not marked on the ground but can be followed using downloaded GPX files.
Both treks involve a vertical interval of more than one kilometer and require good physical conditions.
Though facilities are basic, the inhabitants are hospitable.