Atsbi Wenberta: History
Atsbi Wemberta was composed of four sub provinces mainly Dera, Atsbi, Dessia and Wemberta. There are Axumite and Pre Aksumite sites which return the Wereda's history back to antiquity. Habes, Era, Safir, Zerema, Keteba and Sekera were major Archaeological sites of the Wereda. During the Aksumite Civilization several rock churches were built.Among them, the major architecturally fine churches are Mikael Debreselam, Mikael Amba, Zerema Georgis, Cherkos Agewo and Mikael Bark. There are also other dozens of ancient churches.
In the dawn of 19th C, the town of Atsbi Endaselasie was established as a result of the church's foundation by Dejazimach Subagdis. Elders narrate that two Rases and 17 dejazmaches ruled Atsbi from the reign of Subagadis to the coming of Derg.
Historically, the district of Wemberta has been an integral part of Enderta province, when Enderta was an independent province as well as an awrajja as recent as the late 1990s.
Wemberta was occupied by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party (EPRP) in 1978. Local shifta (or brigands) are said to have joined the EPRP and robbed woreda inhabitants, using the political organization as a cover. They killed at least one man known as Hagos Tesfu. However, when the EPRP left, the shifta remained in the area. The Derg then organized the local people against these shifta, which resulted with one killed, one fleeing to the Afar Depression, and four being executed. In 1980, the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front took control of the area, which resulted in numerous military campaigns by the Derg; woreda inhabitants were arrested or killed by the military, their livestock were killed and married women raped.
Atsbi Wenberta was one of nine woredas in Tigray most affected by a drought during 2008, requiring emergency food supplies requested for an estimated 600,000 people.
In 2020, woreda Atsbi Wenberta became inoperative and its territory belongs to the following new woredas:
Atsbi (new, smaller, woreda)
Agula'i woreda (part of it)
Sa'isi woreda
Atsbi town