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Massawa ምጽዋ Missiwa, مصوع Massawaʿ |
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| Coordinates: 15°36′33″N 39°26′43″E / 15.60917°N 39.44528°E | |
| Country | Eritrea |
| Region | Northern Red Sea |
| District | Massawa |
| Government | |
| - Administrator | Fana Tesfamariam |
| Elevation | 63 m (207 ft) |
| Population (2004)[1] | |
| - Total | 36,700 |
| Time zone | EAT (UTC+3) |
Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa (Ge'ez ምጽዋ miṣṣiwa, Arabic مصوع maṣṣawaʿ, Italian Massaua) and Batsiʿ (Ge'ez ባጽዕ bāṣiʿ, [Eritrean spelling reform], formerly ባፅዕ bāṣ́iʿ) or Badi (Arabic بِضع baḍiʿ) is a port city on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea. Important for many centuries, it has been colonised by Egypt, the Ottoman Empire, Italy, Britain and was finally part of Ethiopia until the independence of Eritrea in 1991. Massawa was the capital of the Italian Colony of Eritrea until this was moved to Asmara in 1900.
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For most of its history, Massawa was little more than a seaside village, lying in lands that pertained to the Kingdom of Axum in ancient times and overshadowed by the nearby port of Adulis about 50 kilometres (31 mi) to the south. Following the fall of Axum in the 8th century, the area around Massawa became embattled by the Islamic forces emerging in the region (Arabs and later Beja peoples) and mutually rival post-Axumite Christian forces from the region of Midri-Bahri, a Kingdom in Eritrea. At this time, the Sheikh Hanafi Mosque, Eritrea's oldest mosque, was built on Massawa Island, along with several other works of early Islamic architecture both in and around Massawa (including the Dahlak Archipelago and the Zula peninsula).
Venetian Merchants were said to have lived in Massawa and nearby Suakin in the 15th century.
Massawa became prominent when it was captured by the Ottoman Empire in 1557. The Ottomans made it the capital of Habesh. Under Özdemir Pasha, Ottoman troops then attempted to conquer the rest of Eritrea. Due to resistance, as well as sudden and unexpected demands for more troops in the Mediterranean and on the border with Persia, the Ottoman authorities placed the city and its immediate hinterlands under the control of one of the aristocrats of the Beja people, whom they appointed Naib of Massawa and made answerable to the Ottoman governor at Suakin.[2] The Ottomans nevertheless built the old town of Massawa on Massawa Island into a prominent port on the Red Sea in typical Islamic Ottoman architecture using dry corals for walls, roof and foundation as well as imported wood for beams, window shutters and balconies. These buildings and the old town of Massawa remain to this day, despite having withstood both earthquakes and wars with aerial bombardment.
During the 19th century, along with much of the African coast of the Red Sea, Massawa was ruled by Egypt with Ottoman consent. Following the Egyptian defeat at the Battle of Gura, Egyptian control of the port withered, and with the help of the British, Massawa came under Italian control as part of their colony of Eritrea in 1885. In 1921 most of the City and Port of Massawa was destroyed by the Massawa Earthquake; the ports were unable to fully recover until 1928,[3] hampering the Italian colonial ambitions. The Italian colonialists had nevertheless built Massawa to become the largest and safest port on the east coast of Africa, and the largest deep-water port on the Red Sea.
Italy was allied to the Axis powers during World War II and Massawa was the homeport for the Red Sea Flotilla of the Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marina). When the city fell during the East African Campaign, a large number of Italian and German ships were sunk in an attempt to block Allied use of the harbor of Massawa.
From 15th April 1942, later master diver and salvage specialist RNR Lieutenant Peter Keeble (then a complete rookie in both disciplines) was assigned to the clearing of the harbour[4]: He managed to salvage and refit a ex-italian tugboat with simple means, before United States Navy Captain Edward Ellsberg and his crew arrived. Ellsberg took over, the wrecks were salvaged and the port was returned to service, as part of what had now become the British protectorate of Eritrea.
In 1945, following the end of World War II, the port of Massawa suffered damage as the occupying British either dismantled or destroyed much of the facilities. These actions were protested by Sylvia Pankhurst in her book Eritrea on the Eve.[5]
From 1952 to 1990, when Eritrea entered into a federation with Ethiopia, previously landlocked Ethiopia briefly enjoyed the use of Massawa as the headquarters of the now defunct Ethiopian Navy. Ultimately Ethiopia dismantled the federation and forcibly annexed and occupied Eritrea. This led to the Eritrean War of Independence (1961-1991). In February 1990, units of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front captured Massawa in a surprise attack from both land and sea. The success of this attack cut the major supply line to the Second Ethiopian Army in Asmara, which then had to be supplied by air. In response, the then leader of Ethiopia Mengistu Haile Mariam ordered Massawa bombed from the air, resulting in considerable damage.[6] As of 2005 the Eritrean government is rebuilding and repairing this damage.
With Eritrea's de facto independence (complete military liberation) in 1991, Ethiopia reverted to being landlocked and its Navy was dismantled (partially taken over by the nascent national navy of Eritrea).
During the Eritrean-Ethiopian War the port was inactive, primarily due to the closing of the Eritrean-Ethiopian border which cut off Massawa from its traditional hinterlands. A large grain vessel donated by the United States, containing 15,000 tonnes of relief food, which docked at the port late in 2001, was the first significant shipment handled by the port since the war began.[7]
Notable buildings in the city include the shrine of Sahaba[8] and the fifteenth century Sheikh Hanafi Mosque and various houses of coral. Many Ottoman buildings survive, such as the bazaar. Later buildings include the Imperial Palace, built in 1872 to 1874 for Werner Munzinger; St Mariam Cathedral; the 1930s Villa Melotti and the 1920s Banco d'Italia. The Eritrean War of Independence is commemorated in a memorial of three tanks in the middle of Massawa.
Massawa is also home to a naval base, large dhow docks, the Massawa International Airport and a station on the railway line to Asmara. Ferries sail to the Dahlak Islands and nearby Green Island.
Massawa is noted for its high summer humidity and its mean annual temperature is one of the highest in the world.
Coordinates: 15°36′33″N 39°26′43″E / 15.60917°N 39.44528°E
Massawa is a port city in Eritrea.
Massawa International Airport (IATA: MSW), (ICAO: HHMS) is a newly built international airport with a greater capacity than Asmara, no regular international services have begun as of yet so flying in from abroad is out of the question as of March 2007. Domestically Massawa is served by flights on Nasair (local airline) from Asmara and the other port city of Assab a couple of times a week. By road, Massawa is accessible from Asmara and the rest of inland Eritrea via the Asmara-Massawa highway. Buses run many times daily (before dusk) between Asmara and Massawa. Minibuses also run as soon as they are full (which takes very little time) between the Asmara bus station and Massawa. Regional buses run from the Massawa bus station and around the area a couple of times a week. But other than the long coastal two-day voyage to the other port city of Assab and to the inland via Asmara, there is not much to see beyond Massawa within the region. Massawa also connects to Asmara by narrow gauge rail, but it is not open to any regular service as it is more or less a museum railway with trains running on a steam engine and only open to chartered tours.
Massawa is divided by the mainland neighbourhoods of Gurgusum Beach, Hitumlo, Amaterre and Salinas, the island neighbourhoods of Tualud and oldtown Massawa as well as the Abdelkadir peninsula. The only interesting areas of the city for tourists are the two islands (Tualud and Oldtown) connected to eachother and the mainland by causeways, and Gurgusum Beach which lies about 14 km north of the city towards the airport. The two islands are walkable, but to Gurgusum beach one needs to take a taxi/car.
Massawa's oldtown sits on an island (Batsi) that it shares with the country's busiest deep-sea port (not very busy), a free trade area and as the name indicates; an oldtown consisting of medieval Ottoman style coral buildings separated by narrow alleys as well as an ancient mosque. The island is connected to the mainland via another island called Tualud, both separated by a causeway. On Tualud you will find most "downtown" hotels like the Dahlak, Red Sea, Central, Corallo etc. Tualud also hosts St. Mary's catholic church and the famous tank monument.
From Tualud Island where all the main hotels are, there is another causeway to the mainland, where there isn't much at all besides the central bus station, Segalet open air cinema and some public administration and residential buildings of varying standard.
Massawa's surrounding islands (the Dahlak and nearby Green Island) offer excellent snorkeling and diving opportunities and have pristine beaches with turquoise waters. But going there requires chartering a boat or joining one of the pricy diving tour groups which tend to be rather costly and to date there are no cheap alternatives. There is a decompression chamber in Massawa if you were to have any problems and you should obviously not get on a flight or travel up to Asmara at 2600 meters above sea level too soon after diving. Give it a day or two (of staying on land). There aren't many extraordinary beaches in or around mainland Massawa or the bridge-connected islands (apart from the Green Island). Gurgusum beach which lies only 14 km north of town on the mainland is an average beach with adequate facilities.
The town itself comes to life "after dark" when temperatures cool down slightly. The oldtown becomes a bazaar of sorts with shops, bars, restaurants and brothels opening up to customers. Bring tankloads of sunscreen and a good pair of sunglasses because the Red Sea sun is merciless. You will not find good sunscreen in Eritrea, if at all it will be too expensive and/or expired. Also bring plenty of insect repellent and mosquito net to place above your bed, especially in the winter months (November to February). Although you may be taking anti-malaria treatment, there are other insect-borne diseases for which there is no prevention or treatment other than avoiding insect bites, such as Dengue fever. This is especially prevalent in the tropical climate zone along the Eritrean coast.
Buy tankloads of sunscreen before coming here. The Red Sea sun is merciless. There could be some sunscreen in a Massawa shop (maybe) but in that case it will still cost three times as much as wherever you're from and have expired three years prior. So just bring lots of it along with a good pair of sunglasses and insect-repellents and mosquito-net (bednet). The latter can be bought cheaply in Eritrea and its called "Lamse" (LAM-SUH) locally. There aren't much souvenirs to buy in Massawa which are legal to bring out or even ethical to trade in (corals, mother of pearl etc). But if you're staying in Eritrea for a longer while, presumably up in Asmara, your hosts will greatly appreciate a great basket of sea-salt from Massawa.
You obviously have to eat Red Sea fish while in Massawa. The best place to do that is either at the Dahlak Hotel (somewhat pricy but well worth it) or at the rustic streetside restaurant in oldtown Massawa (there is only one) where the day's catch is grilled Yemeni style in a fired up clay-oven and served along with little limes and a side order of thin flat-bread and dates soaked in butter and honey.
Downtown Massawa has a few airconditioned and moderately priced hotels on Tualud Island (none with beaches):
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