International conventions related to Urban Heritage

The Convention of Heritage 1972: It is one of the most important tools to protect and maintain World Cultural Heritage. Most important Organization in this field: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). For more information World Heritage Centre (WHC) International Council On Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) For more information

Urban heritage restoration Methodology and Tools

The methodology and electronic toolkit developed in the context of a project entitled "Urban Cultural Heritage in Conflict Zones" funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and implemented by GIZ under the umbrella of the Archaeological Heritage Network (ArcHerNet) will be used. This toolkit covers four main topics:
  1. Documentation Damage Assessment Legal framework Terms Planning Each topic of the above focuses on the main tasks required to protect and recover elements of urban cultural heritage

Urban Heritage in Eritrea

Eritrea has a diverse urban heritage, which is a continuum of links spanning through the ages. An urban heritage that was built according to distinguished scientific engineering that takes into account the cultural values and the environmental challenges of the climate, which must be documented, protected, and restored.

Classification of the urban heritage in Eritrea chronologically:

  1. Ancient Era: Gezi, Greek, and Roman civilizations in the city of Adulis and Gezia in the cities of Kohito, Matara, and Debarwa
  2. The Middle Ages: Islamic civilization in the city of Massawa and the island of Dahlak
  3. Modern era: Modern European civilization: in the city of Asmara and the city of Massawa

The urban heritage in the cities of the ancient era is mostly buried underground and needs research and exploration work, but the urban heritage in medieval and modern cities still exist above the ground and are visible, so documenting them does not require much effort

Asmara... on the World Heritage List

Asmara is the capital and largest city of Eritrea. It was built by the Italians at the beginning of the twentieth century to be the modern capital of the colony of Eritrea. The Eritrean National Commission for UNESCO prepared the candidacy file of the capital, Asmara (the modern city of Africa) for the UNESCO World Heritage List, which was accepted and registered in the final list of World Heritage in 2017.

Asmara in the world heritage since 2017 Hamal mosk
An overview of the urban history of the ancient city of Massawa
Old City master plan

The old city covers an area of 2,50 square kilometers, and its population reached between 9,000 - 8,000 in 1975. The number of buildings in the city is about 300, distributed among religious, commercial, and residential buildings

Division of the master plan of the old city

The city is planned according to the planning of Islamic cities in the Middle Ages, where the center of the city is the Great Mosque(Sheikh al-Hanafi Mosque), a religious, educational, and social center, and markets and housing are distributed around it.

The city will be divided geographically into four sections as follows:
  1. Downtown: The Centre of the city which contains The Great Mosque and the Arabic Market (Bazar). North Sea Side: contains banks, customs clearance offices and companies, hotels, and restaurants. Markets, such as vegetable and fish markets, industrial works, and restaurants. The eastern and southern sections: It has a residential character and is inhabited by most of the residents of the city.
The old city in Massawa in Eritrea

Brief about the urban heritage of Massawa

The architectural style of buildings in the historical city of Massawa

  1. Islamic Arabic Era (705-1557)
  2. Islamic Ottoman Era (1557-1885)
  3. Italian colonial era (1885-1941)

The classification of the historical building includes: Mosques, markets, government buildings, banks, and hotels.