Eritrea - Learn, Explore and Travel

Asmara was made the capital city in preference to Massawa by Governor Martini in 1897. It is by far the largest city in Eritrea, with a population of some 400,000. Asmara sits atop (2,350m) the Eritrean highlands on the eastern edge of the escarpment. Unlike many of the other towns in Eritrea it is relatively undamaged, the Ethiopian forces having fled the city without fighting a full-scale battle at the end of the war. Under thirty years of Ethiopian occupation, the city was allowed to deteriorate, but it still retains its essential beauty and since coming under Eritrean control in 1991 it has been undergoing a rapid improvement in infrastructure, building repairs and repainting. The day begins early in Asmara with the first call to prayer of the muezzin from the tower of Asmara 's main mosque. Not long afterwards the massive bells of the Catholic Cathedral chime the beginning of the Christian day while the Orthodox Church celebrates early morning mass. Asmara is possibly the safest African capital for travelers. It is one of the cleanest cities in Africa. The streets are elegantly lined with palms and a string of boutiques, coffee-shops and restaurants reminiscent of southern Italy

Looking Down on Church and Other Buildings, Asmara, Eritrea Photographic Print

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Eritrea, independent state in Africa, bordered on the east by the Red Sea, on the south-east by Djibouti, on the south and west by Ethiopia, and on the north and north-west by Sudan. Formerly under Italian control, Eritrea was taken over by Britain during World War II and was a British protectorate from 1941 until 1952, when it was federated with Ethiopia. The creation of an Ethiopian unitary state in 1962, in which Eritrea was incorporated as a province, helped to provoke a long war of liberation that culminated in Eritrean freedom in 1993. Eritrea has an area of 121,144 sq km (46,774 sq mi). Asmera is the capital and largest city.

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Michela Wrong's style of writing is captivating as she brings History to life. She develops the personalities of the people involved very thoroughly and it is almost like reading a novel. She picks a relevant theme (not obvious until read) for her chapters to coincide with each pertinent stage of recent Eritrean History. Her book is not only a lesson in History, but also pleasure to read.

Lonely Planet Ethiopia & Eritrea (Country Travel Guide) [Paperback]

The Northeastern African nation of Eritrea spent much of the early twentieth century as a colony of Italy, and more recently shook off another invader, Ethiopia. Its capital city, which dates back more than 700 years, exploded into life and growth with the arrival of Italian colonists in the 1930s, and then stagnated under Ethiopian rule. The surprising result is a living museum of Italian "Nuova Architettura," where decorative smokestacks tower over street markets and portholes look out onto bicycle traffic. Futuristic, monumentalist, rationalist and cubist work is not just preserved, but dominant on the skyline. Here, photographer Stefan Boness frames private, public and industrial buildings to incorporate their sometimes jarring contemporary African surroundings. He succeeds in conveying the unique atmosphere of a city where architectural time has, in some pockets, stood still. An essay on the city complements extensive illustrations.

Asmara: The Frozen City [Hardcover]

Ciao Asmara: A Classic Account of Contemporary Africa [Paperback]

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