Townapedia

Chelenko, Ethiopia

Chelenko is a town of 20,900 people in Oromiya, Ethiopia.

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Population20,900 GeoNames
RegionOromiya
Elevation2,195 m 7,201 ft
Time zoneAfrica/Addis Ababa
Nearest airportDire Dawa Airport (DIR) 41 km

About Chelenko

Chelenqo is a town in eastern Ethiopia located in the Oromia region a few km west of Harar. It was historically located in the Chercher region of Harar.

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

Churches and places of worship1

Ch'Elenk'O Be`Ale Weld Bete Kristiyan

Church · Orthodox

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History

The town is linked to the Middle Ages during the reign of the Makhzumi dynasty as engravings in the area date back to the 13th century. Chelenqo is also part of an ancient bartering route in the region which consists of livestock vendors.

In 1887 the Battle of Chelenqo took place between the Emirate of Harar and the Abyssinian state of Shewa following the latter's invasion. Skeletal remains belonging to the fallen soldiers of Harar emir Amir Abdullahi II were visible in Chelenqo until recently. In the neighboring Harari Regional State "the Chelenqo Martyrs" day is observed based on this conflict.

French writer Hugues Le Roux upon visiting Chelenqo in the early 1900s, described it as possessing spectacular cornfields encircled by mountains.

In 2018, sixteen peaceful Oromo protestors were gunned down by Ethiopian National Defense Force in Chelenqo which forced the Oromia president Lemma Megersa to criticize the federal governments actions.

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

Map of Chelenko

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Getting there and nearby towns

Dire Dawa Airport (DIR) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 41 km away.

  • Deder 16 km southwest, about 16 min by car
  • Dire Dawa 40 km northeast, about 40 min by car
  • ‘Alemaya 49 km east, about 49 min by car
  • Hīrna 54 km west, about 54 min by car
  • Harar 62 km east, about 1 h by car
  • Felana 69 km east, about 1 h 15 min by car
  • Āsbe Teferī 84 km southwest, about 1 h 30 min by car
  • Funyan Bīra 83 km east, about 1 h 30 min by car
  • Babīlē 87 km east, about 1 h 30 min by car

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

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Sources and licences

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