Shabait

Gazing from a distance, the place looks like a hole in the surface of the earth facing towards the sky. But upon a closer look one can see that it is a pristine and eerily still lake in the middle of an arid and desert like area. Flanked by crescent shaped hill on one side and sand dunes on the other, the lake extends over a crater-like area of 20 sq. kms.  Named "Abha Bada", this lake is found in the Gelalo sub zone of the Northern Red Sea Region. Though its name literally means 'the smelly lake' in the Afar language, the lake is surprisingly fresh and clear.

Located in the north eastern district of Asmara, Medebber is sometimes referred to as the Mecca of inventors and modifiers. Craftsmen ranging from teenagers to elders sporting work- uniforms, grabbing tools with their grease stained hands are seen wandering here and there. Some hammer and weld while others stoop over their carpentry machines.

Traveling from Asmara to Massawa, one can witness many amazing sites beside the breathtaking twisting and winding roads, the changing climate and landscape. Around 25 kms from the capital, one finds the town of Nefasit, to the right of which is located one of the country’s ancient monasteries atop the Mount Bizen.

Mussie Asghedom is one of Eritrea’s principal artists. He got into painting when he was 12 and has been working since. Mussie was born in one of the rural areas of the country from a family of farmers; but he started painting at early age and developed his talent through. Mussie passed away in Feburary, 2010 and this article is dedicated in his memory though some of the information was gathered before his death.

When the Nine Saints came from Syria to preach the Christian faith in Eritrea in the 5th century, they came with a large host of religious men who dedicated their lives to the attainment of salvation through serving God. In Tigrigna, these holy men are called "Tsadqanat" and the story of their lives and the hardships that they endured is recorded in parchments called "Gedle Tsadqanat", which is roughly translated as the   "sufferings of the Holy Men".

The people in the region value the presence of guests and as such accorded the visiting crew with a warm welcome wherever they went. Not only was that, the food they served which reflected the rich fish resource of the red sea in all the places we visited was exquisite. We couldn’t stop admiring the people wherever we went; it was like a cooking competition amongst the inhabitants. Every meal served included variety of fish and cuisine.