month. Then, after having been headquarters of Ras Kassa Haile Darge and Ras Seyoum Mengesha, it was definitely reoccupied by the Italians on 28 February 1936. A rock-hewn church served as the shelter of Ras Kassa. In 1938, there were shops and restaurants in Abiy Addi, a telephone and telegraph office, a health post and a school. There was also an important market. At May Lomin, there were gardens with bananas, coffee and lemons. The Derg attacked the town twice in 1988, once with helicopters, killing and wounding 48 people. Demographics In 1867, Abiy Addi was described as a "Mahomedan place" with, on market days, "about 2,000 people assembled in the market place". In 1938, the town counted approximately 20,000 inhabitants (which was very large for that time). Based on the 2007 national census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA), this town has a total population of 16,115, of whom 7,826 are men and 8,289 women. The majority of the inhabitants said they practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 88.59% reporting that as their religion, while 11.31% of the population were Muslim. The 1994 census reported it had a total population of 7,884 of whom 3,545 were men and 4,339 were women. Geology Abiy Addi has an elevation ranging from 1917 to 2275 meters above sea level. From the higher to the lower locations, the following geological formations are present: Ashangi Basalts, Amba Aradam Formation, Adigrat Sandstone, and Edaga Arbi Glacials. Tourism Its mountainous nature and proximity to Mekelle makes Abiy Addi fit for tourism. The high variability of geological formations and the rugged topography invite for geological and geographic tourism or "geotourism". Geosites in the tabia include: Geramba Sillasie, rock-hewn church Chege forest May Lomin gorge and springs Arefa, reputedly birthplace of the Queen of Sheba See also History of Tembien First Battle of Tembien Second Battle of Tembien References Populated places in the Tigray Region