Asmara
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Asmara, on the eastern edge of Eritrea's highland plateau, is the country's commercial and industrial center. The capital enjoys a nice climate and has clean streets, lined with beautiful buildings. The city's main industries include beer and textile factories and it is connected to the Red Sea port of Mitsiwa (Massawa, Mesewa) by rail. Despite Eritrea's violent past, Asmara is one of the safest capitals in Africa.
In the 14th century, shepherds, which were pleased with the abundance of fresh water in the area founded four villages at the location of present day Asmara. Travelers used them as stopover points on their way between the mountains and the sea. According to legend, four clans were living in the villages: the Geza Gurtom, the Geza Shelele, the Geza Serenser and Geza Asmae. They united and defeated the bandits that made the area unsafe. After their victory the four men named the place Arbaete Asmara which in the Tigrinya language means 'the four are united'. There is still an area in the capital called Arbaete Asmara. The villages slowly became important trading posts and as they grew, they merged together the name changed into Asmara. The Italians occupied Asmara 1889 and made it the capital of their colony of Eritrea in favor of Massawa in 1897. They decided that Asmara should become the jewel of their east African empire and over the following five decades they built lavish constructions. As a result, many buildings in the city resemble Italian colonial style. The Italians also used Asmara as a base for their invasion of Ethiopia during 1935 and 1936. The British took over during WWII in 1941 and independent Ethiopia annexed Eritrea in 1962. Asmara was the last city to be freed of Ethiopian (guerrilla) control and in 1993 the city became the capital of an independent Eritrea.
During the war with Ethiopia in the 1990s, Asmara didn't get damaged much, although during the 30 years of Ethiopian rule much of the city deteriorated, but Eritrea is working hard on restorations. The Italian legacy is prominent all over Asmara, from the original residential area in the south, where you can see many Art-Deco villas, to the buildings of the administrative area in the north. Most of Asmara's sights are in the city center that can easily be explored on foot. If you stroll along the city's main thoroughfare of Liberation Avenue, which runs in east-west direction, you will pass the Corinthian columns of the Neoclassical Governor's Palace and the Romanesque portico of the 1920's Opera House. Also on Liberation Avenue is the Catholic Cathedral, which was built in 1922 in the Lombard-Romanesque style. It has a 52 m tall Gothic bell tower that can be climbed for good views over the city and it is visible from everywhere in Asmara. The cathedral is though to be the finest example of Lombard-Romanesque style outside Italy. If you walk a little further you will come to the imposing frontage of the Cinema Impero.
The Al Khulafa Al Rashiudin Mosque (Followers of the Right Path) is on Peace Street not far from the covered markets, was built in 1938 from Dekemhare travertine and Carrara marble. The square in front of the mosque is paved in geometrical patterns. The Nda Mariam Coptic Cathedral is Asmara's orthodox church. It was originally built in 1920, but in 1938 it was enlarged and mosaics were added. With its two towers, it is another good reference point when you walk around town. There are nice murals inside. Oriental Christians have their own church called Kidane Meheret. It has frescoed walls and you will find it behind the central market. The Synagogue of Asmara was built in 1906. It is a beautiful building just off the main street, with hand carved wooden cornices and fittings.
In the city's northeastern districts, building style is not as lavish, because it was the part of town where the local population were housed during the days of colonialism. Nowadays it is the area where the poorest locals live.
Asmara has an excellent National Museum, which includes exhibits on the country's struggle for independence, Eritrea's nine ethnic groups and the nation's main archaeological sites.
The busy market is not far from the Nda Mariam Coptic Cathedral. There, you can get all sorts of fruit, vegetables and handicrafts, such as pottery and musical instruments, as well as secondhand clothes and shoes. Small shops are scattered all over town and sell gold, jewelry, woodcarvings and carpets. Asmara's City Park is a haven of peace and quiet. The Tank Cemetery, not far out of town, is a place where hundreds of tanks, armored cars and other scrap military metal have been dumped.
There is a wide range of accommodation in Asmara and restaurants and bars are found everywhere.
Long distance buses connect the capital with many other places in Eritrea. Buses and minibuses connect different areas in the city itself.
Images have kindly been made available by Hans van der Splinter and Mebrat Tzehaie
