Must-see attractions in Eritrea

  • Qohaito

    Eritrea

    Historians debate whether or not the ruins of Qohaito were once the inhabited walls of the ancient town of Koloe, a settlement that predated, but grew to…

  • Imperial Palace

    Eritrea

    Overlooking the harbour just north of the gates of the Dahlak Hotel is the Imperial Palace, the original iteration of which was built by the Turkish…

  • Camel Market

    Eritrea

    From 8am on Monday mornings, a small yard on the Nakfa road just before the edge of town comes alive with buyers and sellers from Keren and the…

  • House of Mammub Mohammed Nahari

    Eritrea

    The ancient House of Mammub Mohammed Nahari was built with magnificent soaring Ottoman-style windows on every side. Unfortunately they are particularly…

  • Desolate landscape of Dankalia.

    Dankalia

    Eritrea

    Dankalia is the name of the narrow strip of land about 50km wide that stretches south of Massawa down to Djibouti, about 600km along the coastline. You…

  • Adulis Archaeological Site

    Eritrea

    Adulis was once the primary port of the Aksumite empire and a few impressive architectural remnants of this heritage remain. Most notable is the…

  • Belocalo

    Eritrea

    Though the large iron cross is Italian-era, legend claims that the peak towering over Senafe and the surrounding region has been a site of worship and…

  • Metera

    Eritrea

    What at first appears to be a stele and two small ruined buildings just off the dirt road is actually the sprawling site of a city that was once an…

  • Green Island

    Eritrea

    Green Island is 10 to 20 minutes from Massawa and is the most accessible place for decent snorkelling and tolerable beaches. It's certainly no Bora Bora,…

  • Hotel Savoiya

    Eritrea

    As you come over the causeway from Taulud Island, a broad sweep of white, arcaded palazzi (palaces) stretches out before you. On the corner you'll see the…

  • Dahlak Islands

    Eritrea

    A grouping of more than 200 islands off the Red Sea coast, the Dahlak Archipelago is populated by around 2500 people of the Tigre and Afar tribes living…

  • Sheikh Hanafi Mosque

    Eritrea

    At the centre of the Piazza degli Incendi (meaning 'Square of the Fire', after it was the scene of a great fire in 1885) is the Sheikh Hanafi Mosque. At…

  • Mariam Dearit Shrine

    Eritrea

    This small Catholic shrine to the Virgin Mary is built into a baobab tree said to be 500 years old or more. The site is extremely popular with locals and…

  • House of Abu Hamdum

    Eritrea

    A remarkable example of Turkish Ottoman architecture with its mashrabiyya (trellised) balcony, which allowed cool breezes to enter and the air inside to…

  • Monday Market

    Eritrea

    With a strong focus on produce and household goods, this weekly market set up along the city's dry riverbed is of more interest to tourists for the sights…

  • Italian Cemetery

    Eritrea

    Tucked behind the grand mosque on the northern edge of town, this carefully tended cemetery is the final burial place of many soldiers who fought for the…

  • Coral-Block House

    Eritrea

    At the port entrance, this is a good example of a 17th-century house constructed of coral-block, which for centuries was the preferred local building…

  • Banco d'Italia

    Eritrea

    On the far end of the northern coastal road from the causeway, you'll see the Banco d'Italia, a ramshackle copy of the 1920s original and a mishmash of…

  • Old Railway Station

    Eritrea

    Built during the Italian occupation, the columns and elegant facade look completely abandoned from the front but a wander inside reveals that several…

  • Campo

    Eritrea

    A huge square lined on all sides by houses with trellised balconies, finely carved wooden doors, and shutters of Turkish or Egyptian origin. Local…

  • War Memorial

    Eritrea

    At the foot of the mainland causeway is the massive monument to the Eritrean Struggle for Independence. Three huge tanks stand on a black marble base…

  • Halib Mentel

    Eritrea

    This small Bilen ethnic group village is a fantastic place to see their traditional round thatched huts. It's 11km before Keren on the road from Asmara,…

  • Turkish House

    Eritrea

    In a square beside the Banco d'Italia is a rare example of a Turkish house with a domed roof, now partially restored and serving food and drinks out of a…

  • St Mariam Cathedral

    Eritrea

    Opposite the end of the causeway from the mainland is the Orthodox St Mariam Cathedral. While the building is lovely and the artwork speaks to the…

  • Tomb of Sheikh Durbush

    Eritrea

    Though the identity of Sheikh Durbush is lost to time, the tomb is thought to date back to the 16th century. It's sometimes possible to ask at the small…

  • Shaafi Mosque

    Eritrea

    Founded in the 11th century but rebuilt several times since, the decorated coral-block facade of this mosque just south of the Banco d'Italia ruins is…

  • Keren War Cemetery

    Eritrea

    This mournful memorial and burial ground on the western edge of town holds the many graves of Commonwealth soldiers who fell in the battle to take Keren…

  • Covered Bazaar

    Eritrea

    Though now reflecting little of its former glory, the ancient roof of this market – in the Turkish style – was beamed like an upturned boat; there are…

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