Keren, Eritrea
Keren (Tigrinya and Tigre: ከረን, Italian: Cheren), historically known as Sanhit,[2] is the second-largest city in Eritrea. It is situated around 91 kilometres (57 mi) northwest of Asmara at an elevation of 1,590 metres (5,220 ft) above sea-level. The city sprawls on a wide basin surrounded by granitic mountains on all sides. It serves as the capital of the Anseba Region, and is home to a number of ethnic groups including the Bilen people and Tigre people.
Keren
ከረን | |
|---|---|
City | |
 .jpg.webp) .jpg.webp)   .jpg.webp)  Gallery of Keren | |
  Keren Location in Eritrea | |
| Coordinates: 15°46′40″N 38°27′29″E | |
| Country | Eritrea |
| Region | Anseba |
| District | Keren |
| Elevation | 1,590 m (5,220 ft) |
| Population (2016) | |
| • City | 120,000[1] |
| • Metro | 146,483 |
History
_signpost%252C_May_1941.jpg.webp)
Keren grew around the Eritrean Railway to Asmara. The railway was later dismantled because of the war, although there are plans to rebuild it. It is an important commercial centre and was the scene of regular battles in both World War II and the Eritrean War of Independence. Keren was the site of a key battle between Italian and British troops in February – March 1941.
Demographics
As of 2016, Keren has a population of around 120,000 inhabitants. Residents belong to various, mainly Afroasiatic-speaking ethnic groups, of which the Tigre people, Bilen people and Tigrinya people.
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Climate
Keren has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh), with two main seasons. There is a short monsoonal wet season from June to September and a length dry season covering the rest of the year. Vis-à-vis most hot semi-arid climates in northern Africa like those of Niamey or N'Djamena, Keren's climate is much less extreme due to the city's higher altitude. Nonetheless, in the period between March and mid-June immediately before the wet season begins, afternoon temperatures still average over 33.1 °C (91.6 °F) for around four months. Following the wet season, temperatures remain very warm to hot during the day, but the mornings become comfortably cool.
| Climate data for Keren (1991–2021) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 25.5 (77.9) |
27.4 (81.3) |
29.2 (84.6) |
30.5 (86.9) |
31.5 (88.7) |
29.8 (85.6) |
25.8 (78.4) |
24.3 (75.7) |
27.1 (80.8) |
27.8 (82.0) |
26.6 (79.9) |
25.4 (77.7) |
27.6 (81.6) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 13.1 (55.6) |
13.6 (56.5) |
14.7 (58.5) |
16.3 (61.3) |
17.5 (63.5) |
18.6 (65.5) |
17.2 (63.0) |
16.9 (62.4) |
16.3 (61.3) |
14.0 (57.2) |
14.1 (57.4) |
13.4 (56.1) |
15.5 (59.9) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 1 (0.0) |
1 (0.0) |
6 (0.2) |
13 (0.5) |
21 (0.8) |
44 (1.7) |
94 (3.7) |
199 (7.8) |
123 (4.8) |
7 (0.3) |
4 (0.2) |
1 (0.0) |
514 (20) |
| Average precipitation days | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 16 | 21 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 64 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 59 | 56 | 50 | 46 | 39 | 44 | 71 | 83 | 64 | 55 | 60 | 62 | 57 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 296.7 | 346.4 | 335.4 | 363.3 | 376.5 | 357.9 | 274.1 | 219.3 | 313.3 | 332.2 | 316.6 | 290.3 | 3,822 |
| Source: Climate-Data[3] | |||||||||||||
Attractions
Attractions in the city include the nineteenth century Tigu fort, the St Maryam Deari chapel, lying in a baobab tree, the 1920s former railway station, the old mosque, Sayed Bakri Mausoleum, British Army and Italian Army cemeteries and local markets. The nearby sixth century Debre Sina monastery is also known for its cave dwellings.
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Districts
The town's outlying subregions include:
- Elabered
- Geleb Subregion
- Hagaz (Hagat)
- Halhal
- Melabso
References
- "Everyday Eritrea: Resilience in the face of repression".
- Shinn, David & al. "Hewitt Treaty" in the Historical Dictionary of Ethiopia, p. 214.
- "Climate-Data : Eritrea". Retrieved 10 July 2023.
Further reading
- Hill, Justin (2002), Ciao Asmara, A classic account of contemporary Africa. Little, Brown, ISBN 978-0-349-11526-9. VSO volunteer's story of Eritrea. Hill lived in Keren for two years
- The Globalist Feature, including an extract from Justin Hill's book, Ciao Asmara.