Massawa - Culture

The road from Asmara to Massawa in Semhar province offers many scenic panoramas along its twists and turns. You can see Debre Bizen, the famous Orthodox monastery, from the road. You will pass through the town of Ghinda and a major citrus fruit production area.

Massawa became an urban center in ancient times. It is the largest natural deep water port on the Red Sea. If Asmara is an "Italian" city, Massawa is a Turk-Egyptian one. The city is divided into three parts: Batsa, Twalet, and the mainland or Idaga. The old town and port are on the island of Batsa. This is joined to Twalet by a causeway. Another causeway connects Twalet to the mainland.

Coral blocks, carved stone lintels, and roshans (wooden windows which extend outwards into the street) predominate in Batsa's old town. The architecture reflects the impact of Turkish and Egyptian rule from 1500's until the late 1800's. The city was badly damaged by the Ethiopian bombing and shelling from its liberation by the EPLF in February 1990 until the liberation of all of Eritrea in May 1991. Nevertheless, a stroll through this area is still pleasure for the eyes. One can see the remains of a wooden roof covering one of the streets. The main mosque, Imam Hanbeli, is largely intact and there are many other mosques from various periods. Many of the city's restaurants and coffee shops are in Batsa so you can periodically rest your feet and enjoy some refreshment. Small boats will take you from Batsa to Sheikh Said Island (Isola Verde) to the southwest. It is a favourite spot for picnics. The Ministry of Marine Resources and some private business people offer boats for rental.

Twalet Island is to a greater extent a mixture of Turk-Egyptian and Italian architecture. The Ghibi or palace is near the causeway to Batsa. The foundations are from the 1500's but the building has been restored numerous times since then. It was badly damaged during the independence struggle and is in need of restoration again. The Port Club is open to the general public. The complex includes a restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating, a small library and museum, and some sports facilities.

The airport and the main market are on the mainland directly across the Twalet causeway. Beyond the airport at Hitumlo is the tomb of Hashim el Mirgani. North of the causeway is an industrial area. The salt flats and the cement factory are located here. Gergussum beach to the north of Massawa on the mainland offers lots of white sand and warm water for sunbathing and swimming. At nearby Emberemi are the tombs of Sheikh el Amin and Muhammad ibn Ali, both major pilgrimage sites. At Emkulu there is a monument under construction for the EPLF fighters who died on the Salina salt flats in the 1977-78 battle for Massawa.

The road from Asmara to Massawa in Semhar province offers many scenic panoramas along its twists and turns. You can see Debre Bizen, the famous Orthodox monastery, from the road. You will pass through the town of Ghinda and a major citrus fruit production area.

Massawa is a magical city. Set on the edge of the arid plains at the foot of the Rift Valley escarpment it appears like a mirage, rising from the waters of the Red Sea, its long low skyline punctuated by domes and minarets and the tall masts of ships drifting on the horizon.

To enter the old city at night is to find oneself in a place of enchantment. The broad sweep of the white arcaded palazzi along the waterfront gives way to the narrow alleys and unpaved paths and piazzas where dim lights cast deep shadows occasionally illuminating a timbered upper room or courtyard. Outside the houses women with braided hair doze on their charpoys or sit serenely performing the ritual of the coffee ceremony. Children laugh and play around them while men stroll together and gather at the cafes on every corner. Everywhere there is the gentle hum of human voices and the sound of music, while the lights reflected in the water ripple and dance, enhancing the illusion that one has entered a scene from the Arabian Nights.

By day this illusion is harshly dispelled. The cruel evidence of the city's recent history is revealed. The dreadful damage inflicted by war has left almost no building undamaged or unscarred. Holes still gape in the walls of once grand buildings; pockmarks of shells pit the fine facades and delicate traceried balconies hang desperately from the walls of shattered houses.

Despite a vigorous programme of rebuilding and ambitious plans for the regeneration of the city, the area nearest the port that was most severely shelled, first by the Russians and then by the Ethiopians, is still largely in ruins.

Many of the domestic buildings, including the historic houses of Abu Hamdum and of Mammub Mohammed Nahari, close to the ancient tomb of Sheik Durbusc, are sadly dilapidated. The former Banco di Italia, a glorious combination of architectural styles that once dominated the harbour is now a skeleton, its main façade blasted and broken. Across the water on Taulud Island the previous Governor's Palace, built in the 19^th century on the site of the original 16^th century palace of Ozdemir Pasha, is shattered, its great dome cracked open like an egg.

Thirty years of war have left the city administration with enormous problems of reconstruction and redevelopment. Massawa's multiple role, as an important historical and cultural site, as a major port, as the regional capital and as the potential centre for the development of Eritrea's tourist trade, all pose particular challenges.

For centuries the city has been a centre of commerce, a vital conduit between countries boarding the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the inland African highlands. In the past its strategic location has exposed it to exploitation by foreign powers but now it has sovereignty for the first time in its long and remarkable history.