The tabia centre is Melfa village itself, located approximately 3 km to the west of the woreda town Hagere Selam.

From the higher to the lower locations, the following geological formations are present:[1] The main geomorphic unit is the Hagere Selam Highlands.

In Melfa there is: The population lives essentially from crop farming, supplemented with off-season work in nearby towns.

[8] Best known is Emperor Yohannes IV, born in Melfa, and whose forefathers had managed to gain power through marriage with all the surrounding ruling families.

[9] However, Emperor Yohannes IV did not establish his capital in Melfa (due to relative inaccessibility), but in Mekelle and Adwa - these towns were well connected to the Red Sea and to inner Ethiopia.

[15] In the main villages, there are traditional beer houses (Inda Siwa), often in unique settings, which are a good place for resting and chatting with the local people.

For more details on environment, agriculture, rural sociology, hydrology, ecology, culture, etc., see the overall page on the Dogu'a Tembien district.