ANALYSIS
By Sirak Habtemichael
The region stretches 600 kilometers along the coastal line,
and around 450 kilometers inland, a total area of 34,236 square kilometers with
every single place of history and scenic beauty. Today, I would like to give
you an overview of some select places in the region.
The expedition began from the port city of Massawa, capital
of the region, and made its way to the very cradle of Homo sapiens, the Buya
area located on the tip of the East African rift valley, around 110 kilometers
from Massawa. This is the area where a 1.4 million-year-old Human Cranium of
the Homo erectus family that was later identified as remains of a young lady
was excavated. From archaeological studies, by local experts from the National
Museum of Eritrea and foreign researchers, the skull of the early human remain
was unique from the other findings of other corners of the world because it
still possesses the full facial feature of the ‘Buya Woman’, and it is believed
to have filled the missing link in those transition era.
Buya is also an example of uniquely preserved relics of one
up to two million years old stone tools, a large number of fossilized bones of
extinct animals, and others. The achulian stone tools are abundant once you lay
foot on the Dandero valley of Buya and the very place where the human cranium
was found is still preserved, but the actual finding was moved to the National
Museum of Eritrea.
The inhabitants of Buya received the visiting group with a
warm welcome, and most interesting of all, the banners they were holding
signified how well-informed they are in regards to the archaeological
importance of their district and reflect how attached they are with the finding
of the human cranium and how important it is for Buya to be an area where the
very first humans originated.
Crossing the village of Buya, we made our way to the
South-Eastern part of the region to finish the first day of the expedition in
the sub-zone of Gel’alo. Before going to the destination, however, another
archaeological site and of very high significance had to be visited; Abdur, a
coastal site that may be the first place where man discovered the possibilities
of marine resources.
This site is located on the eastern edge of the Gulf of
Zula. The 125,000 years old stone tools discovered within the uplifted marine
terraces along this coastline of Eritrea at the Abdur archaeological site show
the earliest well-dated evidence of human occupation of the coastal marine
environment.
The smooth road that mostly runs side by side with the clear
coastal water and sand made the expedition extraordinary. To make matters even
more trilling a family of ostriches with around fifty newly born marched
crossing the road to the sea as if they were deliberately performing a march to
welcome the group.
The second day was yet another very long day but of course
full of adventures. As if chronologically sorted, day one started from the
early pre-history of man up to where the first sea daring humans originated.
The tour, as well as the history of the area, continues from there onwards.
Adulis, is a place of high archaeological importance and an
ancient port city, which may be one of the oldest civilizations of the world.
Located 56 kilometers from Massawa, archaeological findings in the ancient port
city of Adulis show that it existed around 2000 BC and became a major port
around 240 BC. The ancient port city reached its apex of prosperity and
influence from 100-700 AD. Adulis was a famous port harboring many ships at one
time and facilitated the transportation of raw materials from the African
hinterland to the Arabian land, India and China, and vice versa.
Another harbor, just a few kilometers from the town of
Gelalo is Marsa Fatuma. Standing remains of contemporary history from the
Italian colonial era make this harbor worth visiting. Historical references
date the rise of Marsa Fatuma as one of the main harbors of the Italian
colonizers from the early 20th century.
The expedition continued to explore more and enjoy the
beautiful scenery along the way. Sunrise in the region is by itself something
many people would only see on postcards and to make the tour even more
adventurous, the hotel we were staying in was located only a few meters from
the sea. By the sides of the road around Erafaile, remains of centuries-old
walls stand still narrating the history of the people of the area and their
bravery to protect their land from warlords who continuously raided the area to
find a Seagate.
After driving in the dusty roads around the Burea peninsula
towards the tip to visit a village called Engel, the clear seashore and
shimmering crystal clear coastal sands welcome you from afar. By then, it is
impossible to feel any exhaustion from the long hours of drive. Most
interesting of all, the cultural diversity of the ethnic groups that inhabit
the area and their genuine welcoming nature, accompanied by their unique drum
beats and their dancing styles, and of course the fresh seafood they provide is
indeed another significant factor that makes one stay as long as possible. By
far, unpolluted sea and unpolluted people would define this specific section.
The people in the region value the presence of guests and as
such accorded the visiting crew with a warm welcome wherever we went. Not only
was that the food they served which reflected the rich fish resource of the Red
Sea in all the places we visited, was exquisite. We couldn't stop admiring the
people wherever we went; it was like a cooking competition amongst the
inhabitants. Every meal served included a variety of fish and cuisine.
Zula is another historical place in the region just a couple
of kilometers from the ancient port city of Adulis. Like the other parts of the
region, a herd of ostriches on both sides of the road accompanied us until they
reached the outskirts of the town located on the Red Sea coast. Upon arrival,
the inhabitants of the area received us with face-melting drumbeats of the
predominant settlers of the Town; the Tigre, Saho, and Rashaida ethnic groups.
To our surprise, each ethnic group has its own style of beats but the sound of
all didn't interfere. On the other hand, they made a perfect harmony that
pleased the ears of the entire group.
After almost two hours of lunch rest and breathtaking sea
breeze, we made our way for yet another adventure in the port city of Massawa,
the region's capital. But before that, I forgot to mention the natural hot
springs on the way to Erafaile. Many people consider it a place where nature
heals nerve problems. All you need is a blanket to wrap yourself with and sit
over those holes scattered abundantly all the way and receive natural steam
from beneath.
After almost two and half hours, we reached the port city of
Massawa, an old and modern city. The city as a whole is a blend of Arabic
architecture that mostly is related to the Turks and Egyptians as well as some
monumental Italian touches. The Architectural splendor of the city by itself
needs an entire story to tell, but the main purpose of the visit then was to
see what could be the oldest mosque in Africa.
It is called the Sahaba, which means the followers of
Mohammed. It was built at around 615 A.D when the first fleeing companions of
Mohammed reached on this side of the Red Sea. It is said that the mosque could
have been constructed after the followers of Mohammed seek sanctuary in a land
across the Red Sea, which according to various historical evidence could be
Massawa. As a matter of fact, various other evidence that could underpin this
evidence is abundant in various parts of the region.
Towards the east of Massawa, somewhere around five
kilometers by the sea, there is an Island called Sheik Seid, which is commonly
known as the Green Island. Sheik Seid is a name, which signifies the existence
of an ancient mosque on the small Island, while the Green Island could be
related to the green view the island provides from afar due to the range of
mangrove trees.
According to marine resource experts, the island is a haven
for various marine species that includes a place of hatching for sea turtles.
Furthermore, the location of the island controls the natural flyway of various
bird species from Europe to Africa and the other way round.
Apart from the historical and architectural wonders, Massawa
is endowed with, the port city is also a land of bravery and a gateway for the
total liberation of Eritrea. Many battles were fought there and miracles were
made by the valiant liberation fighters, but the story of resilience in Massawa
and Nakfa, the stronghold of the Eritrean Liberation Struggle, will be covered
in our next edition.
Just a couple of kilometers from the area is an Island
called Delleme. We had to use small local boats to cross the sea. The Island
was used by the Italians to control the channel that goes from the Northern
part of the Red Sea to the south. Ruins of the walls that were used by the
Italians and heavy artilleries are still there on the Island.
From the other end of the Island, the beautiful sound of the
sea wave smashing against the cliffs immediately caught everyone's attention as
if it was deliberately calling us to enjoy the beauty and power of nature. The
mangrove trees surrounding most of the Islands around the area also provide
them a magnificent scenic beauty and cooler breeze.
There is nothing to leave in the area except footprints,
because it would ruin the site, and of course nothing to take except photos. It
is like driving on pages of history engraved by nature itself. The tour in the
Northern Red Sea region doesn't end here, there is more to tell and more to
enjoy.