Asmara Little Rome Archives

Little Rome: Eritrea’s Capital Asmara Seeks UNESCO Heritage Recognition

March 9, 2016March 9, 2016TesfaNews38 Comments

By Edmund Blair | for Reuters, In an often forgotten corner of the Horn of Africa, Eritrea’s capital boasts one of the world’s finest collections of early 20th century architecture and the authorities want it declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. When Italy’s colonial experiment in Eritrea ended in 1941, it left behind an array […]

Eritrea’s Unique Architecture under Threat

August 21, 2013December 9, 2014TesfaNews6 Comments

By Jenny Vaughan (AFP), ASMARA — Eritrea’s capital Asmara boasts buildings unlike anywhere else in Africa, a legacy of its Italian colonial past, when architects were given free rein for structures judged too avant-garde back home. Modernist architectural wonders in this highland city include a futurist petrol station mimicking a soaring aircraft and a funky […]