Dekemhare
Encyclopedia
Dekemhare is a town in Eritrea
, lying south east of Asmara
. Developed by the Italians
as an industrial
centre, it became known for its vineyard
s but was largely destroyed in the Eritrean War of Independence
.
Following their invasion in 1935, Dekemhare was originally intended by the Italians to be the industrial center and transport hub of Eritrea. The town was one of the primary agricultural areas for the colonialists
, where they grew grapes in their vineyards for wine. Agricultural produce was not limited to grapes: many other fruits and vegetables were grown as well. The Red Sea General Mills, a biscuit factory and the Dekemhare pasta factory are examples of the last remnants of the extensive agricultural and light industry once found in Dekemhare.
The northern part of Dekemhare was where the native population lived during the colonial period. It was the bustling heart of the town, with its shops, boutiques, barbers, bus station and the old market. To the south of the city park , the cinema and the administration buildings, lie the former Italian apartment buildings, where grapes still adorn many balconies.
Dekemhare was the scene of the first major military actions of the Eritrean liberation forces in December 1962, after Ethiopia's annexation of Eritrea and suffered through several skirmishes and offensives during the last major battle of the war of liberation that began at Dekemhare on 1991-05-19.
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
, lying south east of Asmara
Asmara
Asmara is the capital city and largest settlement in Eritrea, home to a population of around 579,000 people...
. Developed by the Italians
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
as an industrial
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
centre, it became known for its vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s but was largely destroyed in the Eritrean War of Independence
Eritrean War of Independence
The Eritrean War of Independence was a conflict fought between the Ethiopian government and Eritrean separatists, both before and during the Ethiopian Civil War. The war started when Eritrea’s autonomy within Ethiopia, where troops were already stationed, was unilaterally revoked...
.
History
Italian East Africa
Italian East Africa was an Italian colonial administrative subdivision established in 1936, resulting from the merger of the Ethiopian Empire with the old colonies of Italian Somaliland and Italian Eritrea. In August 1940, British Somaliland was conquered and annexed to Italian East Africa...
, where they grew grapes in their vineyards for wine. Agricultural produce was not limited to grapes: many other fruits and vegetables were grown as well. The Red Sea General Mills, a biscuit factory and the Dekemhare pasta factory are examples of the last remnants of the extensive agricultural and light industry once found in Dekemhare.
The northern part of Dekemhare was where the native population lived during the colonial period. It was the bustling heart of the town, with its shops, boutiques, barbers, bus station and the old market. To the south of the city park , the cinema and the administration buildings, lie the former Italian apartment buildings, where grapes still adorn many balconies.
Dekemhare was the scene of the first major military actions of the Eritrean liberation forces in December 1962, after Ethiopia's annexation of Eritrea and suffered through several skirmishes and offensives during the last major battle of the war of liberation that began at Dekemhare on 1991-05-19.