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Eritrea in the Horn of Africa

Sightseeing in Asmara, the capital and the country

By Rasma RaistersPublished about a year ago 3 min read
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The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in Northeast Africa, jutting out hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean, lying along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. The countries in the Horn are Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia.

Eritrea lies on the Red Sea coast in northeast Africa.

The capital, Asmara is known for its Italian colonial buildings.

The Opera House was completed around 1920 and is one of the city’s most elegant early-20th-century buildings. During the opening hours of the cafe, visitors are welcome to look around.

Fiat Tagliero Building is an interesting building that was once a petrol station constructed in the late 1930s. It resembles an airplane.

You can find a lot of interesting things at the Medebar Market. Here you can find old tires that have been recycled into sandals, see corrugated iron flattened and made into metal buckets and many more things.

The Enda Mariam Orthodox Cathedral was built in 1938. It is an interesting mix of Italian and Eritrean architecture. Its central block is flanked by large square towers.

You’ll find the Great Mosque at the head of a large open square. It was completed in 1938 and is a mix of classical and Islamic styles.

The elaborate, brick-walled Catholic Church is Asmara’s most iconic monument. It was consecrated in 1923 and is a fine example of the Lombard Romanesque style.

Traveling in Eritrea

Massawa offers visitors an interesting town where they can stroll the streets and alleys and see small porticoes, arcades and whitewashed buildings. The town lies right on the coast. There are houses made of coral. Take the time to explore the Ottoman bazaar.

The Imperial Palace overlooks the harbor in Massawa. The current building was built in the 19th century.

St Mariam Cathedral is an Orthodox church in Massawa. This is an impressive building with a lovely mural on the outside.

Across the street from the cathedral is the monument dedicated to the Eritrean Struggle for Independence. The monument consists of three large tanks sitting in the exact spot in which they stopped in the last battle in Massawa in 1990. They sit on a sleek black marble slab.

Senafe is located in the south of Eritrea, on the edge of the highlands. It is mostly inhabited by the Tigrinya and Saho people and the town is well-known for the Metera or Balaw Kalaw ruins. Other popular sites in the town include Enda-Tradqan, a monolithic church and the huge stone outcropping south of town.

Dahlak Marine National Park is surrounded by water and is located in the Dahlak Archipelago. Here you can find turtles, dolphins, manta rays and more than 300 fish species. This is a great place for divers. There are underwater volcanoes with amazing pumice stone formations. Many shipwrecks around the island offer adventures for divers.

Be on the lookout for Dugong dugon – the unusual marine mammal believed to be the origin of the mermaid myth.

Qohaito is one of the most famous archeological sites in Eritrea. This is the place to find the ruins of the Safra’s Dam and King Saba’s Palace, dating to the Axumite and pre-Axumite periods. This site was first discovered in the 19th century and excavation began in the 1960s. Nearby is Emba Soira, the country’s highest peak.

Filfil is a town on and with plantations. It and the forest are a protected national forest. It is a beautiful area.

Here you can see what remains of Eritrea's tropical forest. It is home to many mammals and bird species.

A part of Dankalia runs along the coast of the Red Sea for about 500 kilometers. The inland area is known as the Dankali depression and is considered to be the hottest place on Earth. It is also one of the lowest points on Earth. The area has volcanic cones, isolated mountain groups, and deep valleys. The region is populated by the Afar tribe.

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About the Creator

Rasma Raisters

My passions are writing and creating poetry. I write for several sites online and have four themed blogs on Wordpress. Please follow me on Twitter.

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