View source for Massawa

{{short description|Port city in Eritrea}}
{{use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{otheruses|Massawa Bridge|Massawa Island}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Massawa
| other_name         = Mitsiwa
| native_name        = {{langx|ar|مصوع}}<br>Məṣṣəwaʿ ({{lang|ti|ምጽዋዕ}})
| native_name_lang   = 
| nickname           = 
| settlement_type    = City
| motto              = {{langx|ti|ሉል ቀይሕ ባሕሪ}} Pearl of the Red Sea
| image_skyline      = {{Photomontage
|photo1a = Massawa harbour.JPG
|photo2a = Taulud Island Causeway (8527952257).jpg
|photo2b = Massawa, Eritrea - City Administration Building (8527951359).jpg
|photo3a  = St Mariam Orthodox Cathedral (8529065014).jpg
|photo3b = Altstadt Massawa 32.JPG
| size = 290
| spacing = 1
| position = center
| color = transparent
| border = 0
}}
| imagesize          = 250px
| image_caption      = '''Clockwise from top:''' <br> Port of Massawa, Administration building, Shiekh Hamaal [[Mosque]], St Mariam Orthodox Cathedral [[Church (building)|Church]], Massawa Island causeway
| image_flag         = 
| flag_size          = 
| image_seal         = 
| seal_size          = 
| image_shield       = 
| shield_size        = 
| city_logo          = 
| citylogo_size      = 
| dot_x              = 
| dot_y              = 
| pushpin_map        = Eritrea#Horn of Africa#Africa
| pushpin_map_caption = Location within Eritrea##Location within the Horn of Africa##Location within Africa
| pushpin_relief     = 1
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|Eritrea}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[Regions of Eritrea|Region]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Northern Red Sea Region|Semienawi Keyih Bahri Region]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[Subregions of Eritrea|District]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Massawa District|Massawa]]
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = Administrator
| leader_name        = Kidane Weldesilase
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = 
| established_title2 = <!-- Incorporated (town) -->
| established_date2  = <!-- Incorporated (city) -->
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_footnotes     = 
| area_total_km2     = 477
| area_land_km2      = <!--See table @ Template:Infobox Settlement for details on automatic unit conversion-->
| area_water_km2     = 
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| population_as_of   = 2012
| population_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=1&men=gcis&lng=en&des=gamelan&geo=-71&col=abcdefghinoq&msz=1500&pt=c&va=&srt=pnao |title=World Gazetteer – Eritrea |access-date=2013-02-08 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130412045300/http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=1&men=gcis&lng=en&des=gamelan&geo=-71&col=abcdefghinoq&msz=1500&pt=c&va=&srt=pnao |archive-date=12 April 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| population_note    = 
| population_total   = 53090
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_density_sq_mi = 
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| timezone           = [[East Africa Time|EAT]]
| utc_offset         = +3
| timezone_DST       = 
| utc_offset_DST     = 
| coordinates        = {{coord|15|36|35|N|39|27|00|E|region:ER-NRS|display=inline}}
| elevation_footnotes = <!--for references: use<ref> </ref> tags-->
| elevation_m        = 6
| elevation_ft       = 
| postal_code_type   = <!-- enter ZIP code, Postcode, Post code, Postal code... -->
| postal_code        = 
| area_code          = +291 4
| blank_name         = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]
| blank_info         = [[Desert climate #Hot desert climates|BWh]]
| website            = 
| footnotes          = 
}}
'''Massawa''' or '''Mitsiwa''' ({{IPAc-en|m|ə|ˈ|s|ɑː|w|ə}} {{respell|mə-SAH-wə}}){{efn|{{langx|ti|ምጽዋዕ|Məṣṣəwaʿ}}; {{langx|tig|ባጸዕ}}, {{transliteration|tig|Baṣäʿ}} or {{lang|tig|ባድዕ}}, {{transliteration|tig|Badəʿ}}; {{langx|gez|ምጽዋ}}; {{langx|ar|مَصَّوَع}}; {{langx|it|Massaua}}; {{langx|pt|Maçuá}}}} is a port city in the [[Northern Red Sea Region|Northern Red Sea region]] of [[Eritrea]], located on the [[Red Sea]] at the northern end of the [[Gulf of Zula]] beside the [[Dahlak Archipelago]].<ref name="Phillips">{{cite book|first1=Matt|last1=Phillips|first2=Jean-Bernard|last2=Carillet|title=Lonely Planet Ethiopia and Eritrea|publisher=Lonely Planet|year=2006|page=340|isbn=1-74104-436-7}}</ref> It has been a historically important port for many centuries. Massawa has been ruled or occupied by a succession of polities during its history, including the [[Sultanate of Dahlak|Dahlak Sultanate]], the [[Ottoman Empire]], the [[Khedivate of Egypt]] and the [[Kingdom of Italy]].

Massawa was the capital of the Italian [[Italian Eritrea|Colony of Eritrea]] until the seat of the colonial government was moved to [[Asmara]] in 1897.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dadfeatured.blogspot.com/2018/07/italian-massaua-was-name-used-during.html|title=Dadfeatured: ITALIAN MASSAUA|author=Bjunior|type=blog|date=8 July 2018}}</ref>

Massawa has an average temperature of nearly {{convert|30|°C|1}}, which is one of the highest experienced in the world, and is "one of the hottest marine coastal areas in the world."<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Melake|first=Kiflemariam|date=1993-05-01|title=Ecology of macrobenthos in the shallow coastal areas of Tewalit (Massawa), Ethiopia|journal=Journal of Marine Systems|language=en|volume=4|issue=1|pages=31–44|doi=10.1016/0924-7963(93)90018-H|bibcode=1993JMS.....4...31M|issn=0924-7963}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Massawa MKL Bd. 11 1890 (128500553).jpg|thumb|left|Historical map of Massawa.]]
The historical Massawa lies on the islands Basé (with the historical centre) and Taulud (or Tawalut, Tawlud), connected with each other and with the coast by dams. Massawa seems to have emerged as a port sometime between the 8th and 10th centuries, after the decline of the nearby port of [[Adulis]] about {{convert|50|km}} to the south. Massawa was known to Arab geographers from an early period. [[Ya'qubi]] referred to the Red Sea port in his [[Kitab al-Buldan (Ya'qubi book)|''Kitab al-Buldan'']] as ''Badi'', a corruption of its local [[Tigre language|Tigre]] name ''Base'', while [[al-Masudi]] spoke of it in 935 as ''Nase''. The nearby [[Dahlak Archipelago]] was dominated by Arabs, while the coast of Massawa was then controlled by [[Beja people|Beja]] tribes. With the rise of the [[Sultanate of Dahlak]] in the 11th century, Massawa became the main link between the Muslim-dominated Red Sea coast and the Christian highlands. Local tradition speaks of the ''Seyuma Bahr'' ("Prefect of the Sea"), an independent ruler of Dahlak and the coastal regions, who controlled the trade routes between [[Ethiopia]] and the [[Arabian Peninsula]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pankhurst |first=Richard |year=1982 |title=History Of Ethiopian Towns |page=80 |isbn=9783515032049 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Uhlig |first1=Siegbert |title=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: Volume 3: He-N |pages=851}}</ref>

From the 14th century onward, Massawa attracted increased interest from Christian highland rulers. During periods of political consolidation, Ethiopian rulers expanded their influence up to Massawa, competing with the ruler of Dahlak. War songs of Emperor [[Yeshaq I]] mention campaigns to Massawa, where he subdued the deputy of Dahlak. Emperor [[Zara Yaqob]], after consolidating control over the nearby highlands, appears to have reached Massawa in the mid-15th century. He fortified the Gerer peninsula, opposite of the island city, according to a chronicle of Addi Néýammén. It is also reported that both Massawa and Dahlak were pillaged by the Abyssinians in 1464/65, during which "the [[qadi]]" was killed (likely a powerful chief official of Massawa).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Uhlig |first1=Siegbert |title=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: Volume 3: He-N |pages=851}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Connel |first1=Dan |last2=Killion |first2=Tom |title=Historical Dictionary of Eritrea |year=2011 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SYsgpIc3mrsC&pg=PA1 |page=160 |isbn=9780810875050 }}</ref>

Massawa only irregularly paid tribute to the Abyssinian rulers of the adjacent highlands, such as the ''[[Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles#Important regional offices|Bahr Negash]]'' or the governor of the coastal provinces, but it remained connected to the ruler of Dahlak, who himself was a vassal of the Sultan in [[Aden]].<ref name="Reid2012Massawa">{{cite book|last=Reid|first=Richard J.|title=A History of Modern Africa: 1800 to the Present|publisher=[[John Wiley and Sons]]|chapter=The Islamic Frontier in Eastern Africa|page=106|isbn=978-0-470-65898-7|url={{GBurl|id=US6RQtYwasUC}}|date=12 January 2012|access-date=15 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Uhlig |first1=Siegbert |title=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: Volume 3: He-N |pages=851}}</ref>

=== Portuguese influence ===
In the struggle for domination of the Red Sea the Portuguese succeeded in establishing a foothold in Massawa (Maçua) and Arkiko<ref>{{Cite thesis|last=Carvalho|first=Maria João Loução de|title=Gaspar Correia e dois perfis de Governador: Lopo Soares de Albergaria e Diogo Lopes de Sequeira - Em busca de uma causalidade|language=pt|year=2009|hdl=10400.2/1484|degree=Mestrado em Estudos Portugueses Interdisciplinares|publisher=Universidade Aberta}}</ref> in 1513 by Diogo Lopes de Albergaria, a port by which they entered the allied territory of [[Ethiopia]] in the fight against the [[Ottoman–Portuguese conflicts (1538–1559)|Ottomans]]. [[Manuel I of Portugal|King Manuel I]] first gave orders for the construction of a fortress that was never built. However, during Portuguese presence, it was lifted as well as the existing cisterns and wells for the Portuguese Navy watery.<ref name="Barros 1782">{{Cite book|last1=Barros|first1=João|last2=de Couto|first2=Diogo|title=Da Asia|language=pt|volume=16|url={{GBurl|id=a6E2AAAAMAAJ|p=310}}|location=Lisbon|publisher=Regia Officina Typografica|year=1782|oclc=835029242}}</ref> It was drawn by D. João de Castro in 1541 in his "Roteiro do Mar Roxo"<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=D. João de Castro (1500-1548)|language=pt|url=http://cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/ciencia/p30.html|website=Ciência em Portugal - Personagens|publisher=Instituto Camões|year=2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110306181924/http://cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/ciencia/p30.html|archive-date=6 March 2011|quote=Estes roteiros, tal como toda a obra náutica e oceanográfica de D. João de Castro ficaram inéditos em Portugal até aos séculos XIX e XX, com a excepção do ''Roteiro do Mar Roxo'' [1541] que foi divulgado nos séculos XVII e XVIII através de diversas traduções, como acima foi descrito.}}</ref> in their route to attack [[El Tor, Egypt|El Tor]] and [[Suez]]. The captain of the Arkiko was the Portuguese Gonçalo Ferreira, second port on the coast that guaranteed the presence and maintenance of the Portuguese fleets, whenever the port of Massawa was threatened by the Turkish presence.<ref name="Barros 1782"/> In 1541 the [[Adal Sultanate|Adalites]] ambushed the Portuguese at the [[Battle of Massawa (1541)|Battle of Massawa]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hespeler-Boultbee|first1=John|title=A Story in Stones: Portugal's Influence on Culture and Architecture in the Highlands of Ethiopia 1493-1634|publisher=CCB Publishing|page=188|url={{GBurl|id=kEtLkfpSkvoC|p=188}}}}</ref>

[[File:Port of Massawa ( Maçua ) in 1541.jpg|thumb|298x298px|Drawing by D. João Castro, Massawa port in 1541, from his ''Roteiro do Mar Roxo''.<ref name=":0"/>]]

=== Ottoman rule ===
Massawa rose to prominence when it was captured by the [[Ottoman Empire]] in 1557.<ref>[https://shabait.com/2022/02/12/massawa-pearl-of-the-red-sea/ Massawa: Pearl of the Red Sea]</ref> The Ottomans tried to make it the capital of [[Habesh Eyalet]]. Under [[Özdemir Pasha]], Ottoman troops then attempted to conquer the rest of Eritrea. Due to resistance as well as sudden and unexpected demands for more, the Ottomans did not conquer the rest of Eritrea. The Ottoman authorities then tried to place the city and its immediate hinterlands under the control of one of the aristocrats of the [[Balaw]] people, whom they wanted to appoint "[[Nawab#Naib|Naib]] of Massawa" and almost made answerable to the Ottoman governor at [[Suakin]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Richard|last=Pankhurst|title=The Ethiopian borderlands: Essays in Regional History from Ancient Times to the End of the 18th Century|location=Lawrenceville|publisher=Red Sea Press|year=1997|isbn=0-932415-19-9|page=270}}</ref> In the city's administration, the local [[qadi]] of the [[sharia]] court occupied a powerful position in the region, as documented starting from the 16th century to the 19th century his jurisdiction extended over a wide areas from the Habab in the north to the northern [[Afar people|Afar]] coast. Ottoman interest in the city was revived in the early 19th century, when in 1809 a Turkish governor was appointed, and in 1813–23 an Egyptian one. From then on Ottoman governors were appointed regularly, and the [[Nawab#Naib|naib]]s lost a part of their influence.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Uhlig |first1=Siegbert |title=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: Volume 3: He-N |pages=851}}</ref>

In June 1855, Emperor [[Tewodros II]] informed the British Consul, [[Walter Plowden]], of his intention to occupy [[Tigray Province|Tigray]] and make himself master of "the tribes along the coast", he also informed [[Frederick Bruce (diplomat)|Frederick Bruce]] that he was determined to seize the port because it was being used by the Turks as "a deposit for kidnapped Christian children" who were being [[Red Sea slave trade|exported as slaves]]. Both Bruce and Plowden were sympathetic to the Emperor, but the [[Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office|Foreign Office]], who considered the Ottomans to be a useful British ally, refused to support the proposed Ethiopian annexation.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pankhurst |first=Richard |year=1982 |title=History of Ethiopian towns from the mid 19th century to 1935 |page=127 }}</ref>

[[File:ST-Massowa.jpg|thumb|left|Massawa in the 19th century]]
In May 1865, Massawa, and later much of the Northeast African coast of the [[Red Sea]], came under the rule of the [[Khedivate of Egypt|Khedive of Egypt]] with Ottoman consent. The Egyptians originally had a poor opinion of Massawa. Many of the buildings were in a poor state of repair and the Egyptian troops were forced to stay in tents. Sanitary conditions were likewise poor and cholera was endemic. Such considerations caused the Egyptians to contemplate abandonment of the port in favour of nearby [[Zula]]. However, the Egyptian governor, [[Werner Munzinger]],  was determined to improve the conditions of the port and began a programme of reconstruction. Work began in March 1872 when a new government building and customs house was constructed, and by June a school and a hospital was also established by the Egyptians. Causeways were also constructed to connect the islands and the coast.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pankhurst |first=Richard |year=1982 |title=History of Ethiopian towns from the mid 19th century to 1935 |page=135 }}</ref>
 
Egyptian control of Massawa was threatened following the defeat at the [[Battle of Gura]]. After the [[Egyptian-Ethiopian War]], Emperor [[Yohannes IV]] reportedly demanded that the Egyptians should cede both [[Zula]] and [[Arkiko]] and pay Ethiopia two million pounds in reparations or, failing this sum, grant him the port of Massawa. The Egyptians refused these demands and Yohannes ordered [[Ras Alula]] with 30,000 men to advanced on the port. The population was said to have been "much alarmed" at the Ethiopian show of force, however Alula soon returned to the highlands and the Egyptian control of the coastline remained unbroken.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pankhurst |first=Richard |year=1982 |title=History of Ethiopian towns from the mid 19th century to 1935 |page=135 }}</ref>

===Italian colonization===
[[File:Massaua 1886. Veduta del campo Gherar. Soldati de Genio Ferrovieri fra le rotaie che avrebbero collegato Massaua a Saati (Foto Ledru e Nicorta).jpg|thumb|200px|Italian soldiers of the [[Ferrovieri Engineer Regiment]] during the construction of the rails to connect Massawa to Saati, 1886.]]
[[File:CH-NB - Italienisch-Ostafrika, Massana (Massawa, Massaua)- Hafen - Annemarie Schwarzenbach - SLA-Schwarzenbach-A-5-23-158.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Two Eritrean boys in front of the Italian ocean liner ''[[SS Conte Biancamano]]'' before 1941]]
The British, feeling that the Egyptians were in no position to hold the port, and being unwilling to occupy it themselves or see it fall into the hands of the French, concurred in its seizure by the Italians in February 1885. In 1885–1897, Massawa (in the Italian spelling: 'Massaua') served as the capital of the region, before Governor [[Ferdinando Martini]] moved his administration to Asmara. However, the Italians' disastrous [[Battle of Adowa|defeat at Adwa]] ended their hopes of expanding further into the Ethiopian highlands.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pankhurst |first=Richard |year=1982 |title=History of Ethiopian towns from the mid 19th century to 1935 |page=135 }}</ref>

Many buildings in Massawa were designed and constructed by the Italians, who made a conscious effort to preserve the city's architectural heritage. Although most old structures had to be rebuilt or repaired, they retained their original scale and physical characteristics, as seen in the old Grand Mosque, Gami’ al-Khulafa ar-Rashidin. The Italians also maintained the layout of the city’s streets, preserving the irregular pattern of narrow, dense alleyways, which remains a defining feature of Massawa today. However, most of the city was completely destroyed by the [[1921 Massawa earthquake|1921 earthquake]]. Post-1921 buildings were constructed using reinforced concrete, often faced with coral block or cement plaster, and typically featured multiple storeys with the character being more European. Between 1887 and 1932, they expanded the [[Eritrean Railway]], connecting Massawa with Asmara and then [[Bishia]] near the [[Sudan]] border, and completed the [[Asmara-Massawa Cableway]]. At {{convert|75|km}} long, it was the longest ropeway conveyor in the world at the time.<ref>{{cite book|last=Killion|first=Tom|title=Historical Dictionary of Eritrea|location=Lanham, MD/London|publisher=The [[Scarecrow Press]]|year=1998|isbn=0-8108-3437-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Uhlig |first1=Siegbert |title=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: Volume 3: He-N |pages=852}}</ref>

In 1928, Massawa had 15,000 inhabitants, of which 2,500 were [[Italian Eritreans|Italians]]: the city was improved with an architectural plan similar to the one in Asmara, with a commercial and industrial area. With the rise of Fascism a segregation policy was implemented and with the passing of the "racial laws" soon became a real system of apartheid. Natives were segregated from residential areas, bars and restaurants reserved for the white population. However these laws did not stop relationships between Italian men and Eritrean women in the colonial territories. The result was a growing number of meticci (mulattos). Though the chief port of [[Italian Eritrea]], [[Emilio De Bono]] who inspected the harbor in 1932 reported that the port had to be reconditioned as it was "absolutely lacking in wharves and facilities for the rapid landing and discharge of cargoes." As a result, the quays were widened, the breakwater lengthened to enable the simultaneous discharge of five steamers and the harbour was equipped with two large cranes.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pankhurst |first=Richard |year=1982 |title=History of Ethiopian towns from the mid 19th century to 1935 |page=339 }}</ref><ref>{{cite thesis|first=Vittorio|last=Santoianni|url=http://www.fedoa.unina.it/1881/1/Santoianni_Progettazione_Architettonica.pdf|title=Il Razionalismo nelle colonie italiane 1928-1943: la «nuova architettura» delle Terre d'Oltremare|language=it|publisher=Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II"|degree=PhD|page=65}}</ref>

During the [[Second Italo-Ethiopian War]], Massawa served as a base for the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, which caused the town to be flooded with Italian soldiers. An American journalist reported at the height of the invasion, "The streets had obviously sprung up over night. Men slept in completely open barracks - just a skeleton frame-work of wood with galvanized iron roof."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pankhurst |first=Richard |year=1982 |title=History of Ethiopian towns from the mid 19th century to 1935 |page=340 }}</ref> After the [[Second Italo-Ethiopian War]], Massawa underwent significant and rapid development. The 115-km road to [[Asmara]] was improved, and an aerial cableway connecting Massawa with Asmara was constructed. The railway was extended to Taulud, and infrastructure projects included an electric power plant, fuel depots, a cement factory, new residential areas, a naval base on the Abdalqader Peninsula, and a military airport. By 1938, Massawa had 15,000 civilian inhabitants, including 4,000 Italians, along with thousands of soldiers passing through the city.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Uhlig |first1=Siegbert |title=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: Volume 3: He-N |pages=852}}</ref>

Following the end of [[World War II]], the port of Massawa suffered damage as the occupying British either dismantled or destroyed much of the facilities. These actions were protested by [[Sylvia Pankhurst]] in her book ''Eritrea on the Eve''.<ref>{{cite book|first=Michela|last=Wrong|chapter=The Feminist Fuzzy-Wuzzy|title=I Didn't Do it for You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation|location=New York|publisher=Harper-Perennial|year=2005|isbn=0-00-715096-2|pages=116–150}}</ref>

===Ethiopian rule===
[[File:Haile Selassie over massawa.jpg|thumb|A view of the port of Massawa on the Ethiopian dollar note, during the reign of [[Haile Selassie]].]]
Under the Ethiopian-Eritrean Federation (1952–62), Massawa developed as a naval base with American assistance. During this period, an Orthodox Church and a mosque were built. Unlike in other predominantly Muslim areas of Eritrea, part of Massawa's population supported Eritrea’s union with Ethiopia, viewing it as beneficial for trade and based on historical experience. However, Ethiopian interference in local administration and the increasing dominance of Christians led to various forms of protest, including docker strikes in 1954.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Uhlig |first1=Siegbert |title=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: Volume 3: He-N |pages=852}}</ref>

In 1977–78, Massawa was under siege by the [[Eritrean Liberation Front]] (ELF), but the attacks were repelled by the Ethiopian garrison.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Uhlig |first1=Siegbert |title=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: Volume 3: He-N |pages=852}}</ref>

In February 1990, Massawa was captured by the [[Eritrean People's Liberation Front]] in a surprise attack from both land and sea during the [[Second Battle of Massawa|Operation Fenkil]]. The battle utilized both infiltrated commandos and speed boats and resulted in the complete destruction of the Ethiopian 606th Corps. The success of this attack cut the major supply line to the Second Ethiopian Army in [[Asmara]], which then had to be supplied by air. In response, the then leader of Ethiopia [[Mengistu Haile Mariam]] ordered Massawa bombed from the air, resulting in considerable damage.<ref>{{cite report|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/pdfs/e/ethiopia/ethiopia907.pdf|title=Ethiopia: "Mengistu has Decided to Burn Us like Wood": Bombing of Civilians and Civilian Targets by the Air Force|work=News from Africa Watch|publisher=Human Rights Watch|date=24 July 1990}}</ref>

===Eritrean independence===
[[File:Massawa , Eritrea (30129478664).jpg|thumb|right|The War Memory Square.]]
With Eritrea's de facto independence (complete military liberation) in 1991, Ethiopia reverted to being landlocked and its Navy was dismantled (partially taken over by the nascent national navy of Eritrea).

During the [[Eritrean–Ethiopian War]] the port was inactive, primarily due to the closing of the Eritrean-Ethiopian border which cut off Massawa from its traditional hinterlands. A large grain vessel donated by the United States, containing 15,000 tonnes of relief food, which docked at the port late in 2001, was the first significant shipment handled by the port since the war began.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ocha-eth.org/Archive/DownloadableReports/hoa1101.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050220024319/http://ocha-eth.org/Archive/DownloadableReports/hoa1101.pdf|url-status=usurped|archive-date=20 February 2005|title=Horn of Africa, Monthly Review, covering the months between November and December, 2001|website=UN-OCHA|access-date=24 February 2009}}</ref>

==Transportation==
Massawa is home to a [[naval base]] and large [[dhow]] [[Dock (maritime)|docks]]. It also has a station on the [[Eritrean Railway|railway line]] to Asmara. [[Ferry|Ferries]] sail to the [[Dahlak Islands]] and the nearby Sheikh Saeed Island.

In addition, the city's air transportation needs are served by the [[Massawa International Airport]].

[[File:Massaua - hotel Torino.jpg|thumb|The "Hotel Torino" (built in 1938), an example of Venetian influenced architecture in the old section of the city.]]

==Main sights==
Buildings in the city include the shrine of [[Sahaba]],<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gebremedhin|first1=Naigzy|last2=Denison|first2=Edward|last3=Mebrahtu|first3=Abraham|last4=Ren|first4=Guang Yu|title=Massawa: A Guide to the Built Environment|location=Asmara|publisher=Cultural Assets Rehabilitation Project|year=2005|oclc=1045996820}}</ref> as well as the 15th century Sheikh Hanafi Mosque and various houses of [[coral]]. Many buildings, for example some unfinished [[Ottoman architecture|Ottoman buildings]], survive. The local [[bazaar]] as well. Later buildings include the Imperial Palace, built in 1872 to 1874 for [[Werner Munzinger]]; St. Mary's Cathedral; and the 1920s Banca d'Italia. The Eritrean War of Independence is commemorated in a [[memorial]] of three [[tank]]s in the middle of Massawa.

==Climate==

Massawa has a [[hot desert climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''BWh''). The city receives a very low average annual rainfall amount totalling around {{convert|185|mm|in|2}} and consistently experiences soaringly high temperatures during both day and night. The annual mean average temperature approaches {{convert|30|C|F}}, which is one of the highest found in the world. Massawa is noted for its very high summer humidity despite being a desert city. This combination of the desert heat and high humidity makes the [[humidex|apparent temperatures]] seem even more extreme. The sky is usually clear and bright throughout the year.

{{Weather box
|location = Massawa (1961 to 1990)
|metric first = y
|single line = y
|Jan high C = 29.1
|Feb high C = 29.4
|Mar high C = 31.8
|Apr high C = 33.9
|May high C = 36.8
|Jun high C = 40.2
|Jul high C = 40.8
|Aug high C = 40.3
|Sep high C = 38.7
|Oct high C = 35.6
|Nov high C = 33.1
|Dec high C = 30.5
|year high C = 35.0
|Jan mean C = 24.3
|Feb mean C = 24.3
|Mar mean C = 25.9
|Apr mean C = 27.9
|May mean C = 30.0
|Jun mean C = 33.0
|Jul mean C = 34.3
|Aug mean C = 33.9
|Sep mean C = 32.1
|Oct mean C = 29.5
|Nov mean C = 27.1
|Dec mean C = 25.2
|year mean C = 29.0
|Jan low C = 19.1
|Feb low C = 19.1
|Mar low C = 20.1
|Apr low C = 21.8
|May low C = 23.5
|Jun low C = 25.7
|Jul low C = 27.7
|Aug low C = 27.5
|Sep low C = 25.5
|Oct low C = 23.3
|Nov low C = 21.0
|Dec low C = 19.7
|year low C = 22.8
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 34.7
|Feb rain mm = 22.2
|Mar rain mm = 10.2
|Apr rain mm = 3.9
|May rain mm = 7.6
|Jun rain mm = 0.4
|Jul rain mm = 7.8
|Aug rain mm = 7.8
|Sep rain mm = 2.7
|Oct rain mm = 22.4
|Nov rain mm = 24.1
|Dec rain mm = 39.5
|unit rain days = 1.0 mm
|Jan rain days = 3.1
|Feb rain days = 2.0
|Mar rain days = 1.6
|Apr rain days = 0.9
|May rain days = 0.6
|Jun rain days = 0.1
|Jul rain days = 0.5
|Aug rain days = 0.5
|Sep rain days = 0.1
|Oct rain days = 1.6
|Nov rain days = 1.4
|Dec rain days = 2.7
|Jan humidity = 76.3
|Feb humidity = 75.3
|Mar humidity = 73.3
|Apr humidity = 70.5
|May humidity = 65.0
|Jun humidity = 53.8
|Jul humidity = 53.0
|Aug humidity = 55.6
|Sep humidity = 60.8
|Oct humidity = 66.6
|Nov humidity = 69.1
|Dec humidity = 74.5
|year humidity = 66.1
|source 1 = NOAA<ref name= NOAA>{{cite web
| url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/E1/63023.TXT
| title = Massawa Climate Normals 1961–1990
| publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210219220757/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/E1/63023.TXT
| archive-date = 2021-02-19
| url-status = dead
| access-date = June 24, 2015}}</ref>
|date=June 2015
}}

==See also==
*[[Massawa International Airport]]

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|last=Miran|first=Jonathan|year=2009|title=Red Sea Citizens: Cosmopolitan Society and Cultural Change in Massawa|location=Bloomington|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-35312-2}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[http://www.geographic.org/geographic_names/name.php?uni=-870903&fid=1677&c=eritrea Massawa, Eritrea]

{{Commons category|Massawa}}
{{wikivoyage}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Massawa| ]]
[[Category:Regional capitals in Eritrea]]
[[Category:Populated places in Eritrea]]
[[Category:Former national capitals]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns in Eritrea]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns of the Red Sea]]