Goba

History

Ras Darge Sahle Selassie advance into southern Arsi and Bale led to the development of a camp at Goba in 1900, which was the site of a medieval Christian rock church or monastery. In 1907 Goba became the main center of administration in Bale under the governorship of Leul Sagad. Arnold Weinholt Hodson visited Goba while he was the British resident in southern Ethiopia (1914–1923), briefly describing it as a "large garrison town." Goba was the capital of the former Bale Province, until the province was abolished with the adoption of the new constitution in 1995. A telephone line connected Goba to Addis Ababa at least as early as 1936. During the Bale revolt, rebels attacked the capital twice between November 1965 and March 1966. In 1970 the town had the only high school in Bale Province; that year the school had 682 students, of whom 86 were Muslims in a province where Islam claimed over 90 per cent of the population. According to the third edition of the Lonely Planet guide to Ethiopia, "Goba is in a state of decline and Ethiopian Airlines has even cancelled its flights here." Starting from 1 September 2014, Ethiopian Airlines has announced a scheduled service four time per week to Robe Airport connecting Goba to Addis Ababa and Arba Minch.