Chiro (town)
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Chiro/Ciroo ciroo Asebe Teferi |
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| Town | |
 Chiro/Ciroo
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| Coordinates: 9°5′N 40°52′E / 9.083°N 40.867°E | |
| Country | Ethiopia |
| Region | Oromia |
| Zone | West Hararghe |
| Government | |
| • City manager | Wozir jemal |
| Elevation | 1,826 m (5,991 ft) |
| Population (2014) | |
| • Total | 56,900 |
| Time zone | EAT (UTC+3) |
| Climate | Aw |
Chiro (also called Asebe Teferi or Asba Littoria; Afan Oromo: Ciroo) is a town and separate woreda in eastern Ethiopia. Located in the Amhar Mountains, it has a latitude and longitude of 9°05′N 40°52′E / 9.083°N 40.867°ECoordinates: 9°05′N 40°52′E / 9.083°N 40.867°E and an altitude of 1826 meters above sea level. It is the administrative center of the West Hararghe Zone.
Although by the 1930s a road existed which connected the town with the railroad station at Mieso, another road was constructed connecting Chiro with Metehara with Swedish funds in 1966.
Chiro was founded around 1924 by Fitawrari Tekle Hawariat Tekle Mariyam on the site of a village named Chiro. It was the capital of the former "model" province of Chercher, created as part of Emperor Haile Selassie's campaign of modernization in the 1930s. Most part of present-day West Hararge zone which was known by its mountainous tract on the rift valley edge was commonly known as cărĉar. It is inhabited by the Itu Oromo. Nole, Ala, Jarso wacalee etc. inhabit different part of the region. The Wacale specifically inhabit Ciro area (Hasan: 1985; informants Wozir). When Menelik’s expansion to the east began to the east, the Ittu land became militarily important because it was considered as a spring board, a sanctuary for the much pressed campaign against the Arsi Oromo. The campaign against Ittu, then, began in 1883 through 1884. The campaign was led by one of Menelik’s general Walda-Gabrel Abba Satan. By 1886 the whole cărĉar came under Wolde Gabriel and he became its governor (Caulk: 1971; Hasan: 1985; Tsehay: 1969). Ever since the period of conquest, the Eastern provinces remained principalities for the Showan royal house. After Harar came under Menelik’s occupation Ras Mekonnen Wolda-Mikael became its governor. Then the whole Hararge became the hereditary fief of the family of Ras Mekonen. This was true to cărĉar. The Showan army that marched to cărĉar went through Gubba-Qoricha, from Baddessa to Galamso and then too Borama. Though Wolde-Gabrel also established garrisons at Galamso the main seat of the neftegna force governing cărĉar was at Qunni where they established Qunni Georgies church (informants 3, 6; Tsehay 1969). Qunni then remained the capital of cărĉar until the foundation of Ciro town (informants 1, 2). During the regence of Tafari Mekonen (later Emperor Haile Sellassie) cash crop and money began to dominate the Ethiopian’s political economy. The previous traditional provincial administration began to give way to money-economy. In Hararge, including cărĉar the a royal families, including Tafari conducted commercial agriculture from which they derived great profit. To realize the development along cash economy, model provinces were set-up. These model provinces were to be controlled by western educated men responsible to the Ministry of Interior in the capital. One such model province was cărĉar, which was governed by Western educated men, first Takle Hawariat Takle-Mariam and later Dr Martin or Azazh Workneh (Greenfield 1969).
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