Why visit Āsela
Townapedia lists 1 museum or landmark, 2 parks and trails, 6 places to eat, 5 places to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Arsi University.
Weather in Āsela
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Āsela
Asella (Oromo: Asallaa, Amharic: አሰላ) is a town in central Ethiopia. Located in the Arsi Zone of the Oromia Region 156 km (97 mi) south from Addis Ababa, this town has a latitude and longitude of 7°57′N 39°7′E, with an elevation of 2,430 meters. Asella hosts an Asella Airport (IATA code ALK). Asalla was the capital of Arsi Province until that province was demoted to a Zone of Oromia with the adoption of the 1995 Constitution.
From the Wikipedia article Asella (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do2
Museums and landmarks1
Parks, trails and playgrounds2
Restaurants and cafes6
History
Asalla town got its start before the Second Italian-Abyssinian War. The Italian occupiers wanted to make Asela into a provincial capital, but they were unable to build more than one two-story building and some warehouses of masonry. The 6th brigade and two companies of the 5th brigade of the King's African Rifles captured Asella on 10 April 1941, after pursuing General De Simone south from Dire Dawa and forcing their way past the Awash River and a dug-in Italian position. Brigade headquarters were afterwards set up in the town.
In 1946, a Swedish Mission laid the foundations for a hospital and a school in Asella, which was ordered closed in 1966 when a government hospital was built. The town was subjected to a serious epidemic of dysentery during 1953, and a locust invasion in April 1961. In 1957, Asella was the southern end of the national telephone network, and by 1960, Asella had one of the ten municipal slaughter houses in Ethiopia; further, that year, a branch of the Ethiopian Electric Light and Power Authority had begun operation in the town.
Asella has been the home of many long-distance runners, including Haile Gebrselassie, Kenenisa Bekele, Tirunesh Dibaba, and Derartu Tulu. The Arsi University was established in Asella in 2015.
From the History section of Asella on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay5
Churches and places of worship7
Gas and EV charging2
Schools, colleges and libraries10
Healthcare1
Map of Āsela
36 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
- Sagurē 22 km south, about 22 min by car
- Īteya 23 km northeast, about 23 min by car
- Huruta 33 km northeast, about 33 min by car
- Mek’ī 41 km northwest, about 41 min by car
- ‘Alem T’ēna 44 km northwest, about 44 min by car
- Ziway 46 km west, about 46 min by car
- Bek’ojī 48 km south, about 48 min by car
- Gobēsa 55 km southeast, about 55 min by car
- Wonji 57 km north, about 57 min by car
- Nazrēt 68 km north, about 1 h 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Page built November 4, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.