# Meshaha River > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Meshaha_River > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Meshaha_River.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meshaha_River > Source revision: 1275848102 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|River in the Simien Mountains, Ethiopia}}{{Infobox river|name=Meshaha River|country=Ethiopia|state_type=Province|state=Gondar|image=Ras Dejen western peak with some snow.JPG|map=Ethiopia relief location map.jpg|map_caption=The Meshaha River is in the north-northwest, near Gondar.|image_caption=West peak, with frost}}[[File:Ras Dejen view onto Bwahit.JPG|thumb|View of [Bwahit Mountain](/source/Mount_Bwahit) from [Ras Dejen](/source/Ras_Dejen), with the Meshaha [Valley](/source/River_valley) also visible. Same image as in infobox but taken in the warm season.]] The '''Meshaha''' or '''Mesheha River''' is a relatively short minor tributary river of the [Tekeze](/source/Tekez%C3%A9_River) that rises in and runs through the [Simien Mountains](/source/Simien_Mountains) in [Gondar](/source/Gondar_Province) province, [Amhara](/source/Amhara_Region), northwestern [Ethiopia](/source/Ethiopia). It is situated near [Ras Dejen](/source/Ras_Dejen), Ethiopia's highest peak, in a [valley](/source/valley) that is relatively hot and dry compared to the lands above.{{Cite web |title=The Ultimate Simien Mountains Adventure: Tips and Highlights |url=https://ethiopiangobgnu.com/blogs/The-Ultimate-Simien-Mountains-Adventure:-Tips-and-Highlights?%3E |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=ethiopiangobgnu.com |language=en}} It is part of a system of westerly ravines relative to Ras Dejen; therefore it drains into the Tekeze River (they all do).{{Cite web |last=Loots |first=Harry |date=2021-07-05 |title=How to climb Ras Dashen - Ethiopia's highest peak |url=https://mountain-paths.com/how-to-climb-ras-dashen |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=mountain paths |language=en-GB}} At approximately {{Convert|2800|m|ft}} of elevation, it is far below the mountains and plateaus surrounding it and below the [treeline](/source/Tree_line) [at {{Convert|3700|m|ft}} in the Simien Mountains].{{Cite web |title=Simien Mountains National Park Trekking Routes |url=https://www.simienmountainsnationalpark.org/simien-mountains-national-park-trekking-routes/ |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=Simien Mountains National Park |language=en-US}} The river is extremely active and fast-flowing during the rainy season (mid-June to mid-September). Three villages, Ambikwa, Chiro Leba and Mizma, exist on the slopes of the river valley.{{Cite web |last=wordydog15 |date=2022-11-10 |title=7-Day Simien Mountains trek |url=https://abebatoursethiopia.com/7-day-simien-mountains-trek/ |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=Abeba Tours Ethiopia |language=en-US}} A trail winds through it from Bwahit Pass to Dejen Pass. == History and geology == The river valley is very [eroded](/source/Erosion), steep, and deep, as the Simien Mountains are the result of a dramatic uplifting after a violent volcanic eruption in the area and their landscapes are very eroded and varied in terms of elevation, as is the river valley.{{Cite web |title=Simien Mountains {{!}} Geology, Soil and Landscape |url=http://simienmountains.org/the-park/geology-soil-and-landscape |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=simienmountains.org}} As a result, the river was likely created with the massif in the [Oligocene](/source/Oligocene) and eroded the valley over time after its creation. The river is within [Simien Mountains National Park](/source/Simien_Mountains_National_Park), which has been a park since 1969 along with Awash National Park, the only two parks in the country until 2006.{{Cite web |title=Simien Mountains {{!}} History |url=http://www.simienmountains.org/the-park/history |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=www.simienmountains.org}} == Geography == === Course === The Meshaha River rises in the high Simien Mountains, approximately {{Convert|500|mi|km}} north-northwest of Addis Ababa and {{Convert|200|mi|km}} northeast of [Lake Tana](/source/Lake_Tana),{{Cite web |title=Bing Maps |url=https://www.bing.com/maps?mepi=24~~TopOfPage~LargeMapLink&ty=18&q=Ras+Dashen,+Amhara+Region,+Ethiopia&satid=id.sid:e72a22de-f629-27fc-a9f1-33fa7d3945c4&vdpid=7329266780906455041&ppois=13.23642635345459_38.36845397949219_Ras+Dashen,+Amhara+Region,+Ethiopia_~&cp=12.43488~37.873014&v=2&sV=1&FORM=MIRE&qpvt=Ras+Dejen+bing+maps&lvl=8.3 |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=Bing Maps |language=en}} and flows through its namesake ravine between Ras Dejen and Bwahit Mountain, eventually draining into the Tekeze farther west. === Climate === The area around the Meshaha River and Ras Dejen (not the summit, around 2,000 m) has a ''BSh'' ([hot semi-desert](/source/Semi-arid_climate)) climate, bordering on a ''Cwa'' ([hot-summer subtropical highland](/source/Humid_subtropical_climate)) and a ''Cwb'' ([the warm-summer variant](/source/Subtropical_highland)), with mild to warm, rainy summers and warm to hot, extremely arid winters. The average lowest temperature to be observed in a year is {{Convert|48|F|C}}, and the average highest is {{Convert|88|F|C}}, giving an amplitude of 40 F (22 C).{{Cite web |title=Simulated historical climate & weather data for Ras Dejen |url=https://www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/historyclimate/climatemodelled/ras-dejen_ethiopia_329710 |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=meteoblue |language=en}} [[File:Ethiopian highlands 01 mod.jpg|thumb|An [ibex](/source/Walia_ibex) looking into Ras Dejen (top left, cloud-covered) from a valley with [sub-alpine](/source/sub-alpine) vegetation. Ibexes are endemic to Ethiopia.]] === Flora and fauna === The river, being in a semi-desert area, has some arid-climate plants on and just above its banks, such as [Euphorbia](/source/Euphorbia)s. Slightly higher up, the land below the treeline, on the banks of the river and higher op on the slopes of the ravine, is [farmland](/source/Fallow) with scattered bushes and small trees, grading to [alpine tundra](/source/alpine_tundra) above 3,700 meters closer to the summits of both mountains. The highest areas, above ~{{Convert|4050|m|ft}} are mostly rock and frost, without substantial vegetation of any kind, but they do not have an [ice cap climate](/source/ice_cap_climate) (''EF''). Rare animals that are endemic to the [Ethiopian Highlands](/source/Ethiopian_Highlands) exist at this river and the cliffs around it, such as [Walia ibex](/source/Walia_ibex)es, [Ethiopian wolves](/source/Ethiopian_wolves), [bearded vulture](/source/bearded_vulture)s, and [Gelada baboon](/source/Gelada_baboon)s (famously known as "bleeding heart baboons).{{Cite web |title=Ras Dashen - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos) |url=https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293791-d10290657-Reviews-Ras_Dashen-Addis_Ababa.html |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=Tripadvisor |language=en}} == Gallery == In all pictures that have been taken from above, the [elephant](/source/elephant)-trunk-shaped formation is the Meshaha valley. View from Ras Bwahit - panoramio.jpg|Meshaha Valley seen from Bwahit ISS012-E-11328 - View of Ethiopia.jpg|Meshaha Valley visible from above In all from-above pics, the elephant-trunk shaped formation is the Meshaha Valley Ras Dashen, Ethiopia.jpg|Ras Dejen and the Meshaha Valley in false color Ras Dashen and Tekeze River.jpg|View of Ras Dejen and Meshaha Valley from above == References == {{Reflist}} {{Coord|12|56|51|N|38|34|39|E|region:RT_type:river|name=Meshaha River mouth|display=title}} Category:Rivers of Ethiopia Category:Simien Mountains --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Meshaha River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meshaha_River) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meshaha_River?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.