Eritrea is a small country in East Africa, bordering Djibouti, Ethiopia and Sudan with a coastline along the Red Sea. It has a rich history, including being ruled by the Ottomans and Italians, before gaining independence in 1993. However, the country has faced internal problems since then, including closed elections and political persecution. Tourists should take precautions and avoid the Ethiopian border, but can visit major cities and historical sites such as Qohaito. Flights arrive weekly from several European hubs and airports in Africa and the Middle East.
Eritrea is a small country in East Africa. It covers 45,400 square miles, making it a little larger than the state of Ohio. It borders Djibouti, Ethiopia and Sudan and has a coastline along the Red Sea.
The ancestors of modern humans have been in this region for millions of years. People had settled along the Red Sea, Mare Erythreum, or Eritrean Sea, since the 3rd millennium BC. In the 8th century BC, the Kingdom of D’mt arose in the region, eventually coming under the control of the of Aksum, along with much of modern Ethiopia.
The Aksum kingdom waned in the 7th century, in the face of growing Islamic power. By the 9th century it had weakened to the point of being conquered by the Jewish queen Gudit. The northern parts of Eritrea fell to Yemen and other Islamic rulers.
In the mid-16th century the Ottomans conquered much of the country, ruling the north and west until handing them over to Egypt in the mid-19th century. The Italians gained control of these possessions in the late 19th century from the Egyptians. In the following years, after the death of the emperor of Ethiopia, the Italians spread further south, reconquering the southern part of the country and forming a cohesive colony.
For the first few decades, the Italians were relatively benevolent rulers, building infrastructure and allowing Eritreans to take part in the public sector. When the Fascists took over Italy, however, attitudes towards the country changed dramatically, with racist agendas to the fore and brutality becoming the norm.
The British took over administration of Eritrea after the Italian defeat in World War II. After the war, the United States and Great Britain both supported the cession of the country to Ethiopia, in exchange for the support Ethiopia had given during the war. In 1952, a constitution for the country was ratified and Ethiopia and Ethiopia were united as a federation.
Over the next decade Ethiopia removed many of the rights that had been granted to Eritrea, undermining autonomy and democracy, replacing Eritrean cultural symbols with those of Ethiopia, banning the use of the flag and replacing the national language with the Amharic. Beginning in the 1960s, Eritrea began to fight for its independence, with the help of arms and money from Syria and Iraq. This civil war continued after the emperor was deposed and replaced with the Marxist Derg government.
In the late 1970s the Eritreans seemed poised to win the war and drive Ethiopia off their lands. However, Soviet assistance to Ethiopia helped them recover, and the war dragged on for the next decade. In the late 1980s the Soviet Union, faced with its own internal problems, ceased providing aid to Ethiopia and the Ethiopian position collapsed.
In 1993, more than forty years after the country was first ceded to Ethiopia despite a desire for sovereignty, the country became independent. Since independence, the country has suffered from a number of internal problems, including seemingly unfair closed elections, media censorship, severe religious persecution and the detention of political opponents.
The situation in Eritrea is not ideal for tourists, but it is manageable for those who take precautions. Avoid the Ethiopian border entirely and pay close attention to posted signs, as areas with heavy landmines are marked. Staying in major cities and towns is probably a good idea, so both Keren and Asmara are prime destinations, with their casual atmosphere and beautiful architecture. Also worth seeing are the ruins of Qohaito, which date back to the Aksum kingdom, offering amazing architecture spanning centuries.
Flights arrive in Eritrea weekly from several European hubs, as well as a handful of airports in Africa and the Middle East. The borders between Sudan and Ethiopia are not recommended for overland travel, but the border with Djibouti is now open.
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