Mount Ayalu

Ayalu
Ayalu Location in Ethiopia
Elevation	2,145 m (7,037 ft)
Location
Location	Arsi Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia
Coordinates	10°5′N 40°42′E / 10.083°N 40.7°E / 10.083; 40.7Coordinates: 10°5′N 40°42′E / 10.083°N 40.7°E / 10.083; 40.7

Mount Ayalu (also spelled Ayelu) is an isolated, rhyolitic stratovolcano in eastern Ethiopia. Located in Administrative Zone 3 of the Afar Region, near the eastern bank of the Awash River, this mountain has a latitude and longitude of 10°5′N 40°42′E / 10.083°N 40.7°E / 10.083; 40.7 and an altitude of 2145 meters.

The Argobba have a tradition that after landing in Africa at Zeila, they travelled to this mountain where they settled for a number of years. Here they prospered until their wealth led them to hold weddings and feasts during Ramadan; for this Allah is said to have sent a famine and plagues on them. After this, the people moved to the Ifat Sultanate during its earlier period.^[1]

Mount Ayalu.

Wilfred Thesiger describes his ascent of Mount Ayalu in 1933. He notes that this mountain was the object of an annual pilgrimage by members of the Afar people, who travelled from as far away as Daoe and Aussa in order to climb to the summit where they would pray for good health and success in war. They would also make a pilgrimage to Ayalu in other times of the year to pray for relief in times of famine and after a defeat in war.^[2] When David Buxton visited the site a little more than 10 years later, he was unable to learn if sacrifices were still made there.^[3]

See also

• List of volcanoes in Ethiopia
• List of stratovolcanoes

Notes

1. ^ Aklilu Asfaw, "A short History of the Argobba", Annales d'Ethiopie, 16 (2000), p. 179
2. ^ Wilfred Thesiger, The Danakil Diary: Journeys through Abyssinia, 1930-4 (Hammersmith: Flamingo, 1996), p.
3. ^ David Buxton, Travels in Ethiopia, second edition (London: Benn, 1957), pp. 153ff

External links

• Global Volcanism Program: Ayelu