Asmara

The name Asmara (or Asmera) is rooted in the Tigrinya phrase Arbaete Asmera, which translates to 'the four women made them unite.' According to a beautiful highland legend, four women representing warring clans brokered a peace initiative to end generations of conflict, convincing their leaders to form a single unified settlement. This story reflects the traditional role of women as mediators in Eritrean society.

The city’s modern transformation began in 1897 when Italian colonial authorities moved their capital from the coast to the highlands to take advantage of the cool, temperate climate. During the 1930s, under Mussolini’s regime, Asmara underwent a massive building boom. Italian architects used the city as a canvas for experimental designs, resulting in one of the world's most concentrated and intact collections of Art Deco, Futurist, and Modernist architecture.

Following a thirty-year war of independence against Ethiopia, Eritrea emerged as a sovereign nation in 1993 with Asmara as its capital. Remarkably, the colonial-era architecture survived the conflict largely undamaged, as locals came to view the unique buildings as an integral part of their own national heritage rather than merely symbols of Italian rule.

In 2017, UNESCO designated Asmara as a World Heritage Site, hailing it as an exceptional example of early modernist urbanism. Today, the city maintains a distinctive character where palm-lined boulevards and Italian-style cafes coexist with a vibrant East African highland culture, earning it the nickname 'Piccola Roma' (Little Rome).