Townapedia
Asaita City
Asaita City · Alawi10, CC BY-SA 4.0
Asaita 2015
Asaita 2015 · Albert Backer, CC BY-SA 4.0
Awash near Asaita
Awash near Asaita · Albert Backer, CC BY-SA 4.0
Asaita Main Road 2015
Asaita Main Road 2015 · Albert Backer, CC BY-SA 4.0
Asaita town
Asaita town · Doogisa, CC BY-SA 4.0
ISS065-E-135503 - View of Earth
ISS065-E-135503 - View of Earth · Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B...., Public domain

Asaita, Ethiopia

Asaita is a town of 39,400 people in Āfar, Ethiopia.

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Population39,400 GeoNames
RegionĀfar
Elevation300 m 984 ft
Time zoneAfrica/Addis Ababa
Land area50.2 km²
Nearest airportSemera Airport (SZE) 55 km

Why visit Asaita

Townapedia lists 1 place to eat and 1 place to stay in and around town.

About Asaita

Asaita (Amharic: አሳይታ, Asayəta; Afar: Aysaqiita), known historically as Aussa or Awsa, is a town in northeastern Ethiopia, and until 2007 served as the capital of the Afar Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Afambo woreda, part of the region's Awsi Rasu zone, the town has a latitude and longitude of 11°34′N 41°26′E and an elevation of 300 metres (980 ft).

From the Wikipedia article Asaita (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Restaurants and cafes1

Hikma cafe

Cafe

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Where to stay1

Nardos Hotel

Motel and hotel · 0.8 km

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Churches and places of worship1

Mosque

Place of worship

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Healthcare1

Asayita primary Hospital

Hospital · 0.8 km

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History

In its early history Aussa appears to neighbor the powerful Mora state in medieval times. Aussa was once home to the extinct Harla people, their moniker still exists within clans in rural areas. Aussa is unique to the Afar region since it is the only area today that Afar people are engaged in agriculture. Farming was established by Harla as far back as the fourteenth century. The town also seems to have been a haven for mutineers of the Harari kingdom early on.

In the middle of the 16th century Aussa is mentioned in texts as part of the Harar based Adal Sultanate, the ruler of Aussa in this period was known as Hegano. Aussa became prominent when it served as capital of the Adal Sultanate in 1577. After Adal's demise, the Imamate of Aussa was established by Hararis and continued ruling the southern parts of Afar region until they were overthrown in the eighteenth century by the Mudaito dynasty of Afar who later established the Sultanate of Aussa.

In 1960 it was reported Aussa consisted of numerous clans with various origins, who each had a religious leader with the title Kabirto, Sharifa, Saido or Harara.

Asaita was flooded by the Awash River in August 1954, and again in September, 1998.

From the History section of Asaita on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Map of Asaita

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Getting there and nearby towns

Semera Airport (SZE) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 55 km away.

  • Dubti 43 km northwest, about 43 min by car
  • Samara 53 km northwest, about 53 min by car
  • Logīya 53 km west, about 53 min by car
  • Mīlē 75 km west, about 1 h 15 min by car

Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.

Reviews, tips and questions

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Sources and licences

Photo credits

Page built November 4, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.