Burie

History

An early mention of Bure is Emperor Susenyos's visit in 1608, after he had celebrated Easter at Wancha near the Melka Saytant ford over the Abay River. Ras Mikael Sehul and his puppet Emperor Tekle Haymanot camped at Bure in 1770 for three days. The Enderase (Regent) of the Emperor of Ethiopia, Ras Ali II, was born in Bure while his father Dejazmach Alula was governor of Damot. Bure is located at a group of hot springs that were popular during the 19th century for their therapeutic properties. When Charles Beke visited Bure in 1842, he reports he found the market "to be very small. It is occasionally visited by a few Gallas from Shinasha and A'muru." Beke continues, "The Baso market is, however, now-a-days so generally frequented by the merchants, that it has drawn away from Burie the trade which I apprehend formerly existed here." In the late 1930s, during the Italian occupation, Bure was described as a large village with a market located on a ridge between the upper valleys of Fettam/Sarki and Selala. It had two churches, one dedicated to Saint John and the other to Kidane Mihret. It also reportedly had a radio telegraph station, a clinic, and the residence of the local Italian official. Due to ethnic unrest in the East Welega Zone (located in the Oromia Region) during 2001, over 10,900 Amhara sought refuge in Bure.