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«Asmara» hug the clouds at a height of 2500 meters

18-11-2017  | Written by Samar Ibrahim

Complex markets  Photography: Egyptian Today

On the first day of Al-Masry Al-Youm's visit to the state of Eritrea, we had a four-hour tour in the Eritrean capital Asmara or small Rome,

At 10:00 am, accompanied by the photographer of the Ministry of Information, who accompanied us in all the official tours and meetings, called "Azzaz Ibrahim", we set off for our first visit to Asmara, a city with a wonderful social difference, and a mix of The paper of the cities and buildings of Italy, and the goodwill of the people of Eritrea.

The streets are quiet, the girls are very special as they walk down the streets. The young people have a special Eritrean character. They are simple in every way, even their clothes. The shops there specialize in selling everything separately, but the prices are rather high because of the economic sanctions imposed on them.

Buses in Asmara have specific dates, characterized by European character and form, and every citizen wants to go to a specific area waiting in the waiting position of the region, and the mixing of the sexes allowed, and lovers walking on the street and hands embrace without violating the privacy of their relations.

The bike is an essential feature of the Eritrean people. It is used by the elderly, young and young, while citizenship is at the top of the principles of coexistence between the different sectors of society.

The most important feature of Asmara is that it is located 2500 meters above the mountain, making it a city with cold weather most of the year, characterized by dense fog in the sky, which occasionally appears to embrace the mountains in an attractive cinematic scene.

Italian character prevails over all aspects of Eritrean life, in terms of organization, tranquility, urbanization and slavery in dealing with outsiders before the partners of the country, and the smile does not leave the face of everyone who welcomes you in that quiet city.

The Eritrean National Museum is one of the most important museums and monuments in Eritrea in general. In Asmara in particular, it was founded on January 1, 1992, by Father Weldam Waldermariam, one of the most important historical figures in Eritrea. .

The museum contains more than one historical section, including the Department of Human Origins, which contains the geographical discoveries found in Eritrea. The "structural discovery of mammals extinct 26 million years ago" is among its most important contents at all, as well as another discovery of a human skull found in the region "Boya," her age is more than a million years. The second section is the Archeology Department, where Eritrea is rich in prehistoric artefacts, and other blogs that reflect cultural developments that have produced complex societies in the Horn of Africa. Among these important archaeological finds, the discovery dates from the second millennium to the millennium Eighth century BC, which illustrates one of the most important historical faces «Statue of Abholh», but the size of a very small.

The third section is the Department of Natural History, which presents many types of extinct wildlife. The fourth section is the "Archive of the most important works of art", which reflect the revolution of armed struggle and the life of the fighters, and icons of a number of artists have drawn in their hands paintings expressing their sense of humanity in time of war.

All Asmara markets are located in one area, near the city center, but each market is on a different street, called MEDA Eritrea.

In the "fruit and vegetable market", a dark girl greeted me with a beautiful smile, called Sofia. She said that the prices of vegetables and fruits range between 15 and 180 pounds per kilo, although the dollar is worth 15 pounds.

In the adjacent street lies the "Gifts and Handicrafts" market, where we saw the finest and most beautiful paintings made of natural leather for goat, cloth and wool.

The Egyptian market is the most popular and most popular among the market exhibits, including those that are hung on the walls of the walls, carrying pictures of the Lady of the Virgin Mary and Jesus, and the price ranges between 400 and 700, according to the size, and handmade tableposts cost about 200 pence , As well as wooden statues, and the price of 400 pence, and there is the old burner and 250 pence, and handmade wooden chairs of elephant skin, and 350 pence, as well as icons of many girls illustrate the differences between the profiles of women of different nationalities, and the price of these icons 120 So.

After the tour of the markets, we set off in the direction of the "Madeber Zone", a famous area in Eritrea. It includes hundreds of craft workshops for craftsmen, laborers and raw materials. They recycle everything to extract modern materials and products. The market is one of the most important tourist attractions. , And the most important characteristic of the work that is held away from modern machines.

The Orthodox Cathedral in the capital, the main Orthodox church in Eritrea, has a unique design character of Italian character. It was built in 1923 and has a tower of about 25 meters in height. At its summit are 8 Church bells, one bell weighing 100 kilograms.

The interior of the church is characterized by a large square, about 20 seats for the worshipers, scattered on the left and right side, and most of the interior decoration has handcrafts, icons and illustrations of the angels, Jesus and Mary of the Virgin rare design, in addition to 14 different forms of the cross.

In a beautiful scene that shows tolerance and the establishment of the principle of citizenship in a secular state, you will find the scene of the meeting of the minarets of the mosque of the Caliphs with the crosses of the Orthodox Church is very natural, and indeed meters away from the Orthodox Church will reach the mosque of the Caliphs, the most famous mosques in the capital. The mosque, built in 1938, is also located next to the fish market in Asmara. It is the largest mosque built by white bricks and has a simple religious decoration.