It is located in the Misraq Gojjam Zone of the Amhara Region on the secondary road that links Dejen with Bahir Dar overlooking the Abay River.

One local landmark is Sebara Dildiy or "the Broken Bridge", a stone footbridge built during the reign of Emperor Fasilides in the mid 17th century.

[5] Likewise, Mota was the seat of an important royal fiefdom during the Gondarine period,[6] and a notable place for asylum in the early 19th century.

His son Aleqa Gebre Ezgziabher Elyas was a man of literature, writing the Royal Chronicle of Lij Iyasu and the Empress Zewditu.

[9] In October 2009, zonal officials announced that construction of 47-km road connecting Mota and Digua Tsion had begun, with a budget of over 147 million Birr and completion expected by September 2010.