History of Asmara

Published on 29th November 2006

Asmara is the capital city of Eritrea at an altitude of c.7,300 ft (2,225 m). It is a commercial and industrial center which is connected by rail and highway with the Red Sea port of Massawa. The major industrial products are textiles and clothing, processed meat, beer, shoes, and ceramics.

Asmara grew from four villages founded in the 12th century. It is said originally, there were four clans living in the Asmara area on the Kebessa Plateau: Gheza Gurtom, Gheza Shelele, Gheza Serenser and Gheza Asmae who were fighting each other. The women in these regions worked together and encouraged their men to stop the fights. The men united and defeated the bandits who preyed on the area. After the victory, the area was named Arbaete Asmara which means the four are united in the Tigrinya language. With time the name Arbaete was dropped and the city is now called Asmara although there is still a zone called Arbaete Asmara.  

In 1889 the city was colonized by Italy and was made the capital city by Governor Martini in preference to Massawa. The city therefore bears many traces of the Italian colonial area in its infrastructure, architecture and some culinary traditions. Asmara is by far the largest city in Eritrea, with a population of approximately 500,000. Asmara sits atop (2,350m) the Eritrean highlands on the eastern edge of the escarpment. It was a village until the 1880s, when it became an Ethiopian regional administrative center.  

Asmara was rapidly developed in the 1930s as a base for the Italian invasion of Ethiopia. In 1941 the British forces took over and in 1950 the Eritreans seeking independence from Ethiopia, reached an agreement with the government. But as Eritrean self-governance was withdrawn, the Eritrean Liberation Front was founded and an armed revolt ensued. 

During the Eritrean war for independence from Ethiopia, Asmara's airport became a key in the conflict, as it was used by the Ethiopians to obtain arms and supplies from outside supporters.

The city is not damaged as many other towns in Eritrea, the Ethiopian forces fled the city without fighting a full-scale battle at the end of the war. Asmara still retains its essential beauty and since 1991 when it came under Eritrean control it has been undergoing a rapid improvement. 

The main languages are Tigrinya, Tigre and Arabic. Italian and English are widely spoken and understood. Amara is home to the Eritrean National Museum, the University of Asmara and a nineteenth century fort. The city is also known for its early twentieth century buildings, including the Art Deco Cinema Impero, Cubist Africa Pension, eclectic Orthodox Cathedral and former Opera House among others.

Reference:

http://www.asmera.nl/asmara.htm
http://www.world66.com/africa/eritrea/asmara/history
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asmara
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0805021.html


This article has been read 1,723 times
COMMENTS