Dire Dawa is a creation of the railway. Its establishment as an urban center started on December 24, 1902, the very day that the first train arrived at the place where the city stands now. So Dire Dawa is a 106-year-old city. The selection of this particular place for the construction of the first train terminal was made on account of a number of favorable factors that stood in its favor. Thus, factors like the availability of water, sufficient flat land for the intended constructions of workshop and residential units, relatively agreeable climate, approximately halfway distance from Addis Abeba and Djibouti, and above all proximity to the fertile Harrarghe Highlands contributed to its selection.

Dire Dawa in due time rapidly grew into a thriving small town. An American diplomat named R.P. Skinner, who passed through the city in 1903 (soon after its establishment) at the head of an American delegation, called it “ the Queen of the Desert”! *?

The station that intended to serve as a railway terminal over a century ago has now become the second most populated urban center in the country.

As mentioned earlier, Dire Dawa from its very establishment has been home not only for a number of Ethiopians from the different nations and nationalities in the country but also for people from various other countries like Greek, Armenia, India, Yemen, France, Egypt, Somalia, and even Israel.

It is a city that has been a melting pot of indigenous and foreign cultures since its birt. It is a city that has evolved and developed a new culture of tolerance and respect that transcends culture, creed, ethnic, color, or national barriers. It is a city where most people speak fluently more than three languages, while some others could speak even more. It is a city where even strangers never feel home sick. In fact, it is a city where arriving is less difficult than departing for the simple reason that the people are friendly, frank, easy-going, and peaceful.