Asmara, Eritrea

Asmara (also spelled Asmera) is the administrative, cultural, and economic capital of Eritrea, an East African nation on the western edge of the Red Sea. Eritrea was designated as a province of Ethiopia in 1961. The Eritrean population's desire for autonomy and Ethiopia's desire to control the small nation resulted in a civil war between the two nations, which lasted until the late 1990s. The civil conflict between the two nations continues to rank among Eritrea's most pressing international issues. Asmara has been an important settlement since the twelfth century. The city is the major transportation hub for Eritrea and contains a majority of the nation's cultural, educational, and governmental institutions.

Landscape

Asmara is located at the eastern edge of the Ethiopian Plateau, a mountain range covering portions of Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia and surrounding Africa's Great Rift Valley. The highest point in Asmara rises to over 2,300 meters (7,600 feet) above sea level. Mountain scrubland surrounds the city and is punctuated by arid patches of desert plain. Eritrea is divided into six administrative divisions, or provinces. Asmara is located in the Ma'akel Province.

While much of Eritrea is located in an arid climatic zone, Asmara's higher elevation gives the city cooler average temperatures. The city also receives more rainfall than the rest of the country. Asmara has relatively stable year-round temperatures, divided into wet and dry seasons. The average temperature is 16 degrees Celsius (60 degrees Fahrenheit) with a range between 8 and 23 degrees Celsius (46 to 73 degrees Fahrenheit). The hottest months are from May to August. Asmara receives approximately 50 centimeters (20 inches) of rain annually, most of which falls between April and August.

Asmara, and all of Eritrea, has felt the effects of climate change. Temperatures have increased, with droughts occurring more frequently and lasting longer.

The downtown area of Asmara is a blend of Italian colonial and modern architecture organized into an irregular grid. Most of the urban area was constructed in the twentieth century and is therefore of modern design. Independence Avenue, the city's main street, is lined with restaurants, bars, and other recreational venues. Independence Avenue leads to a traffic circle that marks the city's geographic center. Streets in Asmara were designed to be aesthetically pleasing, with wide avenues lined by trees, numerous piazzas, and urban parks.

People

The population of Asmara was reported to be 1.035 million in 2022. The population for Eritrea as a whole was estimated to be 6,209,262 residents in 2022. Roughly 42.6 percent of Eritrean citizens live in urban areas, while a slight majority of the population lives in rural villages.

The primary ethnic group in Eritrea is the Tigrinya, which constitutes 50 percent of the national population and more than 70 percent of the population of Asmara. The Tigre, Saho, and Kunama people, comprising roughly 36 percent of the national population, are also major ethnic groups in the city. A number of small ethnic groups contribute to the remaining 10 percent of the population.

In Asmara, Tigrinya is the dominant language and is spoken by over 80 percent of the population. As a result of the nation's colonial heritage, Italian is still spoken by many residents in Asmara and nearby cities. Arabic is also commonly spoken and one of the most popular languages for business and commerce. English is taught in many Eritrean schools. Languages used by other ethnic groups include Tigre, Afar, and Kunama. Approximately 74 percent of the population is literate, with the percentage rising among younger generations.

Islam is the most popular religion in Eritrea, and Asmara has a large Muslim population. Coptic Christianity is also practiced in Asmara, along with Protestantism, Catholicism, and other forms of Christianity. Mosques and churches are prominent in the architecture of Asmara and serve as recreational focal points for the population.

The culture of Asmara is a blend of Italian, British, Middle Eastern, and African influences. The cuisine reflects the cultural mélange, as many of Asmara's restaurants specialize in Italian food, while others serve traditional Eritrean cuisine. The city has numerous pizzerias, coffee bars, and cafés, making recreational life similar to that found in Italian cities. Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Eritrea, as in most of Africa, and is played in public parks and on school grounds.

Economy

Eritrea is an economically impoverished nation and over 50 percent of Eritreans live below the poverty line. Subsistence agriculture is the primary occupation and employs over 80 percent of the population. Fishing and the harvest of ocean commodities are more common along the Red Sea but do not contribute significantly to national revenues. Herding is the largest agricultural activity and meat products are one of Eritrea's principal exports. Though agriculture is the chief form of employment, agricultural exports contribute less than 10 percent to the nation's gross domestic product (GDP). The production or mining of copper, potash, and gold have driven economic growth in recent years.

In Asmara, industry and services are the most common forms of employment. The services industry, which includes tourism, contributes about 60 percent to the nation's annual GDP. Cities such as Asmara have become popular destinations for African tourists. Industrial manufacturing plants in and around Asmara produce a variety of products including clothing and textiles, cement, and other stone products.

Asmara is the primary transportation hub in Eritrea. The international airport is located approximately 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from the downtown area. Most of the roads in Asmara are paved, though dirt roads cover the city's periphery. Asmara is serviced by a public bus system and is connected by regional rail to many of the nation's other cities and ports. Despite years of economic hardship, partially due to the conflict with Ethiopia, Asmara's infrastructure has shown steady improvements and the city has one of the best irrigation and sewage systems in Africa.

Landmarks

Many of the buildings in Asmara that were built during the Italian occupation have been converted to serve as cultural centers. The former residence of the colonial governors has been converted into the National Museum of Eritrea, which contains artifacts from the nation's archaeological and cultural history. Asmara also has a number of small art museums, which generally showcase the works of local artists. Painting is popular in Eritrea; many public buildings in Asmara are decorated with murals. Asmara has a small zoological park located between the city and the port of Massawa on the Red Sea.

The Catholic Cathedral of Asmara is one of the most prominent buildings in the city and is located near Independence Avenue, the city's main thoroughfare. The cathedral's 52 meter (171 foot) tower is easily visible from most parts of the city. The cathedral was constructed in the 1920s and was designed to be reminiscent of Victorian architecture. Asmara also has a number of prominent Islamic mosques, including the beautiful Al Khulafa Al Rashaudin, a mosque built in the 1930s, which is surrounded by an urban park.

One of the most recognizable structures in Asmara is the Fiat Tagliero Building, which currently serves as a gasoline station. The building was built in 1938 by Italian architect Giuseppe Pattazzi and was constructed in an early twentieth-century design fad known as futurism, wherein buildings were constructed to defy historical architectural traditions. The Fiat Tagliero Building consists of a central tower with two broad, wing-like structures attached to form a roof over the building's parking areas. Although the building is unimportant in terms of function, it has become a popular spot for tourists and is a symbol of the nation's modernist architectural traditions.

History

Traditional Eritrean legend holds that, by the twelfth century CE, Asmara was the historic home of four Tigrinya tribes. The four clans eventually banded together to protect their growing agricultural settlements against raids by the nomadic tribes inhabiting peripheral territories. The name of the city is derived from the Tigrinya term "Arbaete Asmara," meaning "four united." Though many of the Tigrinya legends about early Asmara history are unverifiable, the city's predominantly Tigrinya population has occupied the region since as early as the seventh century.

In the sixteenth century, Eritrea was a disputed territory divided between Ethiopia, Italy, Egypt, Somalia, and the Ottoman Empire. However, by the nineteenth century much of the nation was under the control of Ethiopia. In 1889, after Ethiopia and Italy clashed over territories in East Africa, resulting in the death of Ethiopian King Yohannes IV, Ethiopia ceded control of Eritrea to Italy.

The Italian government invested heavily in Eritrea, leaving a lasting legacy on the culture and infrastructure of the nation. Asmara became the cultural capital of the colonial empire in 1897. The Italians called Asmara "Piccola Roma" (Little Rome) and the number of Italians living in the city grew steadily over more than thirty years of occupation.

During World War II, the British military competed with Italian fascist forces for control over Italy's East African territories. The British took control of Asmara in 1941. Britain did not remain long in Eritrea but instead turned to the United Nations (UN) to determine the fate of the country. Though many in Eritrea wished for full independence, the United Nations decided in 1952 that Eritrea would be designated as an independent state under the Ethiopian government.

By the late 1950s, Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia violated the UN agreements by outlawing political parties, restricting the local press, and violently repressing any anti-Ethiopian or pro-independence sentiment among the Eritrean populace. In 1962, Ethiopia formally annexed Eritrea, despite the preexisting UN agreements.

From 1971 to 1991, the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF), which was composed mainly of student and activist revolutionaries from the Tigrinya group, fought an armed struggle against the larger Ethiopian Army. The ELF later split, leading to the creation of a competing group, the Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front (EPLF), which soon became the dominant wing of the independence movement. Ethiopia fell into internal struggle and civil war during the early years of the conflict, culminating in the 1974 removal of Emperor Selassie and the establishment of a military junta government.

During the 1980s, Eritrean forces began winning skirmishes against the Ethiopians, who were hindered by internal conflict and a lack of military support. The Eritrean forces took control of Asmara in 1990 as preparations were being made for UN-sponsored peace negotiations. A peace agreement was reached in 1991; soon afterward, a referendum was held to allow Eritrean citizens determine their future. The referendum overwhelmingly supported complete independence. In 1993, the Eritrean government formed a new constitution and Asmara was formally designated as the capital of the nation.

From 1993 to 1997, relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea stabilized and the Eritrean government concentrated on repairing the damage wrought during the war with Ethiopia. Though many of the nation's cities remained intact in terms of infrastructure, the nation had a poor economic base and rapidly accrued significant debt. In 1997, a border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea led to armed conflict. The situation devolved into war in 1998, when large portions of Eritrea were occupied by Ethiopian troops. Thousands of Eritrean and Ethiopians were killed between 1998 and June 2000, when leaders met and organized a ceasefire. The fragile economy of Eritrea was further damaged by the war with Ethiopia, and the nation accrued a significant deficit. In 2000, relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea stabilized, though there are remaining ongoing territorial disputes that threaten the future stability of the peace agreement.

In 2003, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission was formed to determine the border between the two countries based on past treaties and international law, which it did in 2007. While Eritrea has accepted the border, Ethiopia has not.

Asmara was inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's World Heritage List in 2017 in recognition of its early-twentieth-century modernist architecture and city planning.

Bibliography

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Denison, Edward, Guang Yu Ren, and Naigzy Gebremedhin. Asmara: Africa's Secret Modernist City. Merrell, 2007.

"Eritrea." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 20 Feb. 2024, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/eritrea/. Accessed 23 Feb. 2024.

Schmidt, Peter R. "Postcolonial Silencing, Intellectuals, and the State: Views from Eritrea." African Affairs, vol. 109, no. 435, 2010, pp. 293–313.

Tewolde, Mussie G., and Pedro Cabral. "Urban Sprawl Analysis and Modeling in Asmara, Eritrea." Remote Sensing, vol. 3, no. 10, 2010, pp. 2148–65.

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