Jiren is a small settlement on the northern edge of Jimma city, largely absorbed into the urban sprawl but still identifiable as a distinct place. It was the royal capital of the Kingdom of Jimma from its foundation by Abba Jifar I in 1830 until 1936, when the Italian colonial administration merged it with the neighbouring settlement of Hirmata to create the modern city of Jimma.
At its height, Jiren was a substantial centre: the court of Abba Jifar II drew foreign merchants, Islamic scholars, and diplomatic envoys from across the region. By the time the Ethiopian Empire absorbed the kingdom in 1932 and the Italians reorganised the area in 1936, Jiren's population had largely relocated. What remains is a quiet neighbourhood with a few old structures and the sense of a place that was once more important than it looks. The proximity to the Aba Jifar Palace compound, a few minutes' walk away, makes combining both into a single excursion the obvious approach.