A village that is set on a hill; the Shonke village is located 23 km east of the town of Kemisse. The village of Shonke is inhabited by ethnic Aroggobas. According to local tradition, the Argobbas settled in this area by the 12th century AD. The origin of the name ‘Argobba’ has two assumptions. First, the elders of Shonke Amba say that Argobba means Arab gebba (Arabs have entered). The second is Har gubba which means silk that is seen on the mountain. The villagers are entirely Muslims and traced their ancestors to Arabs. The reason for their migration to Ethiopia by the 12th century AD is fleeing from a war in the Gulf region.
The Argobbas are Muslim, self-sufficient agriculturists, traditional cloth weavers, and merchants. One of the drawing factors that trigger tourists to visit the Shonke village is the 900 years stellar houses. The house and the Amba-based settlement are the identities of Argobba people because the settlement has preserved the culture and religion of Argobba for more than 9 centuries.
