Bale

Bale rises from arid lowlands into high plateaus and mountain ranges in eastern Ethiopia. The Wabe Shebelle forms its northern boundary in deep canyons, while the Genale divides it from Gujii and Boorana country in the south. The Weib, Welmel and Dumal rivers cut additional corridors through grassland, woodland and mountain forest. These contrasting elevations produce many local climates and rare plants and animals. Rain on the high plateau feeds streams that descend toward the surrounding lowlands and mark historic routes.

The historical province of Bale was smaller than the later province of that name. It belonged for centuries to the wider world of Islamic sultanates and highland trade centred on Harar. Arsi Oromo communities occupied much of the interior, while Somali groups lived in the drier eastern lowlands. Rivers and passes connected highland grazing with markets in the Ogaden and the Ethiopian plateau.

The Emirate of Harar claimed authority over Bale. Local communities nevertheless organized their own grazing, farming and long-distance trade. Bale’s history is therefore a history of highland settlement, Oromo and Somali movement, and caravan routes between the Ethiopian interior and the eastern lowlands.