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…
Must-see attractions in Eritrea
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Eritrea
A remarkable example of Turkish Ottoman architecture with its mashrabiyya (trellised) balcony, which allowed cool breezes to enter and the air inside to…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Eritrea
Built during the Italian occupation, the columns and elegant facade look completely abandoned from the front but a wander inside reveals that several…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
