Municipality in Ethiopia
Seret is a "tabia" or municipality in the Dogu'a Tembien district of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. The "tabia" centre is in Inda Maryam Qorar village, located approximately 11 km to the southwest of the "woreda" town Hagere Selam.
Geography.
The "tabia" occupies a (locally wide) structural flat on the foot of the Tsatsen plateau, along the main road. It occupies a saddle position between the Upper Tanqwa and Zeyi River gorges. The highest location is the Tsatsen plateau (culminating at 2810 m a.s.l.) and the lowest place near Zeyi cave (2180 m a.s.l.).
Geology.
From the higher to the lower locations, the following geological formations are present:
Geomorphology and soils.
On the basalt rocks, the red-black soil catena is widespread: reddish soils such as Luvisols in the uplands and dark Vertisols in the plain around Inda Maryam. Here, the Vertisols are covered with stones, what evidences the vertic movements; they are also very prone to gully erosion.
The main geomorphic unit is the Hagere Selam Highlands. Corresponding soil types are:
Climate and hydrology.
Climate and meteorology.
The rainfall pattern shows a very high seasonality with 70 to 80% of the annual rain falling in July and August. Mean temperature in Inda Maryam is 17 °C, oscillating between average daily minimum of 9.4 °C and maximum of 24.3 °C. The contrasts between day and night air temperatures are much larger than seasonal contrasts.
Rivers.
The Giba River and its tributary the Tanqwa are the most important rivers in the surroundings of the "tabia". They flow towards Tekezze River and further on to the Nile. These rivers have incised deep gorges which characterise the landscape.
The drainage network of the "tabia" is organised as follows:
Whereas they are (nearly) dry during most of the year, during the main rainy season, these rivers carry high runoff discharges, sometimes in the form of flash floods. Especially at the beginning of the rainy season, they are brown-coloured, evidencing high soil erosion rates.
Springs.
As there are no permanent rivers, the presence of springs is of utmost importance for the local people. The main springs in the "tabia" are:
Water harvesting.
In this area with rains that last only for a couple of months per year, reservoirs of different sizes allow harvesting runoff from the rainy season for further use in the dry season. 
Settlements.
The "tabia" centre Inda Maryam Qorar holds a few administrative offices, a health post, a primary school, and some small shops. Saturday is the market day. There are a few more primary schools across the "tabia". The main other populated places are:
The latter two villages are the highest villages of this part of Tigray, on the Tsatsen plateau, at an elevation of approximately 2800 metres.
Agriculture and livelihood.
The population lives essentially from crop farming, supplemented with off-season work in nearby towns. The land is dominated by farmlands 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 introduction of apples for cultivation in backyards by smallholder farmers was especially successful in Mashih, some 5 km to the east of Inda Maryam.
History and culture.
History.
The history of the "tabia" is strongly confounded with the history of Tembien.
Religion and churches.
Most inhabitants are Orthodox Christians. The following churches are located in the "tabia":
"Inda Siwa", the local beer houses.
In the main villages, there are traditional beer houses ("Inda Siwa"), often in unique settings, where people socialise. Well known in the "tabia" are
Roads and communication.
The main road Mekelle – Hagere Selam – Abiy Addi crosses the "tabia". There are regular bus services to these towns. Further, a rural access road links Mashih, Mezegat and Duwele to the main asphalt road.
Schools.
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 Mashih school.
Tourism.
Its mountainous nature and proximity to Mekelle make the "tabia" fit for tourism. As compared to many other mountain areas in Ethiopia the villages are quite accessible, and during walks visitors may be invited for coffee, lunch or even for an overnight stay in a rural homestead. In Inda Maryam Qorar there are very basic hotels, mainly used by pilgrims on their way to Dabba Hadera monastery.
Geotouristic sites.
The high variability of geological formations and the rugged topography invite for geological and geographic tourism or "geotourism". Geosites in the "tabia" include:
Trekking routes.
Trekking routes have been established, with starting point in Inda Maryam Qorar'. The tracks are not marked on the ground but can be followed using downloaded .GPX files.
References.
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