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ASMARA

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Originally appearing in Volume V02, Page 763 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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ASMARA , the See also:

capital of the See also:Italian See also:colony of See also:Eritrea, N.E. See also:Africa. It is built on the Hamasen See also:plateau, near its eastern edge, at an See also:elevation of 7800 ft., and is some 40 M. W.S.W. in a See also:direct See also:line of the seaport of See also:Massawa. Pop. (1904) about 9000, including the See also:garrison of 300 Italian soldiers, and some r000 native troops. The See also:European See also:civil See also:population See also:numbers over 500; the See also:rest of the inhabitants are chiefly Abyssinians. There is a small See also:Mahommedan colony. The See also:town is strongly fortified. The European See also:quarter contains several See also:fine public buildings, including the See also:residence of the See also:governor, See also:club See also:house, See also:barracks and See also:hospital. Fort Baldissera is built on a See also:hill to the See also:south-See also:west of the town and is considered impregnable. Asmara, an Amharic word signifying " See also:good pasture See also:place," is a town of considerable antiquity.

It was included in the maritime See also:

province of See also:northern See also:Abyssinia, which was governed by a See also:viceroy who See also:bore the See also:title of Bahar-nagash (ruler of the See also:sea). By the Abyssinians the Hamasen plateau was known as the See also:plain of the thousand villages. Asmara appears to have been one of the most prosperous of these villages, and to have attained commercial importance through being on the high road from Axum to Massawa. When See also:Werner See also:Munzinger (q.v.) became See also:French See also:consul at Massawa, he entered into a See also:scheme for annexing the Hamasen (of which Asmara was then the capital) to See also:France, but the outbreak of the See also:war with See also:Germany in 1870 brought the project to nought (cf. A. B. Wylde, See also:Modern Abyssinia, 1901). In 1872 Munzinger, now in See also:Egyptian service, annexed Asmara to the khedivial dominions, but in 1884, owing to the rise of the See also:mandi,See also:Egypt evacuated her Abyssinian provinces and Asmara was chosen by See also:Ras Alula, the representative of the See also:negus Johannes (See also:King See also:John), as his headquarters. Shortly afterwards the Italians occupied Massawa, and in 1889 Asmara (see ABYSSINIA: See also:History). In 1900 the seat of See also:government was transferred from Massawa to Asmara, which in its modern See also:form is the creation of the Italians. It is surrounded by See also:rich agricultural lands, cultivated in See also:part by Italian immigrants, and is a busy trading centre. A railway from Massawa to Asmara was completed as far as Ghinda, at the See also:foot of fhe plateau, in 1904.

At Medrizien, 6 m. See also:

north of Asmara, are See also:gold-mines which have been partially worked. See G. Dainelli, In Africa. Lettere dall' Eritrea (See also:Bergamo, 1908) ; R. Perini, Di qua dal Mareb (See also:Florence, 1905).

End of Article: ASMARA

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