Overview
The Kingdom of Gera was located in a basin surrounded with gently undulating hills, although extensive swampland existed in the northern hills. The population of this kingdom was estimated in 1880 to have been between 15,000 and 16,000. The planting and harvesting of corn followed a different calendar in Gera from the other Gibe kingdoms; where the others planted in February and harvested in July, in Gera it was planted in April and harvested in August. Mohammed Hassen adds that Gera "was, and still is, the rich land of honey" and notes that Gera honey had a reputation as the finest honey in Ethiopia. Hassen lists eight kinds of honey cultivated in Gera, the best being the Ebichaa ("dark") honey, from which was made a mead known as dadhi, the drink of royalty and dignitaries in the Gibe region. "It is not surprising, therefore," Hassen concludes, "that the flavorsome and prestigious Ebichaa was a royal monopoly."
Gera is also the location of Mount Ijersa, which the Oromo regard as sacred. They believe that God will take his seat there at the time of the Last Judgement.
Rulers of the kingdom held the royal title of Donacho.
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