Goba

Goba is a highland town in the Bale Zone of Oromia, about 446 km southeast of Addis Ababa at an elevation of roughly 2,743 m. A camp was established here in 1900 during Ras Darge Sahle Selassie's advance into southern Arsi and Bale, at the site of an older medieval Christian rock church, and by 1907 Goba had become the main seat of administration for the Bale region. It was proclaimed capital of the newly formed Bale province in 1960, spurring further growth, and its status was cemented when the headquarters of Bale Mountains National Park was established just outside town in 1969, ahead of the park's official opening in 1970. Goba remains the primary gateway to the park, which lies about 10 km to the southwest, and the town itself is known for its Wednesday market and for local honey, basketry, and cotton-shawl making.