Bichena
| Bichena | |
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 Bichena
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| Coordinates: 10°27′N 38°12′E / 10.450°N 38.200°ECoordinates: 10°27′N 38°12′E / 10.450°N 38.200°E | |
| Country | Ethiopia |
| Region | Amhara Region |
| Zone | Misraq Gojjam Zone |
| Elevation | 2,541 m (8,337 ft) |
| Population (2005) | |
| • Total | 21,824 (est) |
| Time zone | EAT (UTC+3) |
Bichena is a town in west-central Ethiopia. Located in the Misraq Gojjam Zone of the Amhara Region on the hillside overlooking the Abay River, it has a latitude and longitude of 10°27′N 38°12′E / 10.450°N 38.200°E and an elevation of 2541 meters above sea level. It is the administrative center of Enemay woreda.
Bichena was important in the 18th century as the capital of the province of Gojjam; C.T. Beke, who visited the town in November 1841, reports that the town "which is pleasantly situated on a low eminence" was surrounded by "strong stone walls" and most of the houses were of stone too; however
Paul B. Henze notes the nearby church of Weyname Kidane Mihret, which he found in the 1970s in a ruinous state, but the interior "was covered with extraordinary eighteenth-century paintings", although roughly a third were damaged beyond repair. Henze continues,
According to the locals, the church had lost the lands it depended on during the governorship of Ras Hailu Tekle Haymanot, and afterwards suffered from neglect. This may be the same church that L.A. Fuertes mentions seeing in 1936.
Bichena was the scene of a massacre by the Derg in August 1975, when a delegation visited to explain the meaning of land reform. One of the meetings became unruly and nervous soldiers opened fire into the crowd; "later artillery and planes were summoned to quell what the government feared would be a major disturbance. Reports of the death toll vary from one hundred to one thousand."
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Wikipedia