The Culture of Eritrea has been influenced by the climate and the historical links with countries of Ethiopia, Sudan, Italy and Arabia. Other influencing factors to the Culture of Eritrea include association with the Tigrinya-speaking people of the highlands and other ethnic and linguistic groups.
History
People looking for Eritrea Culture have to go back in history of the country. At the beginning of the 4th century AD, Eritrea was under the rule of the Aksumite Empire. Christianity came at around the same time in the highland region. Muslim faith became popular in the lowlands 300 years later. This led to conflicts between the two religious groups. The region was the target of many foreign powers who wanted to take control over it due to its strategic location near the Red Sea. Eritrea fell into the hands of many foreign powers including the Ottoman Empire, Egypt, Italy, Ethiopia. Finally it came under the rule of the British before gaining independence in 1993.
People
There are nine major groups of people found in Eritrea. These include Tigrinya residing on the south central region, the Afar in the southeastern part of the country and the Tigre living in the north of Eritrea. The rest of the ethnic groups are the Saho living in the south central and the southeastern region and the Hedareb inhabiting the northwest apart, the Rashaida found in the northwest, the Kunama and Nara inhabiting the southeastern region and the Bilien found in the central part of Eritrea.
Languages
There are no official languages in Eritrea. Tigrinya and Arabic languages are used in the government settings. In the western part of the country, a large number of people speak Tigre.
Cities
The capital city of Eritrea is Asmara. The name came from "Arbata Asmara," that means "they (the feminine) united the four." A legend says that the inhabitants of four neighboring villages were fighting among themselves. Seeing this, one woman from each village came together and collaborated together and finally removed the feud.
The architecture of the buildings found in Asmara have an Italian influence. This is the result of the country being an Italian colony from the 19th century till the early 20th century. Agordet city has a Turkish and Egyptian style of architecture as a result of the presence of the Ottoman Empire and Egypt.
The Culture of Eritrea is also observed in the handicrafts which are made by the people of this country. These handicraft items include items of woodcarving, pottery as well as gold and silver jewelery. You will also get baskets, textiles and leather goods. The National Museum in Asmara is a popular tourist attraction in Eritrea that has many collections of artwork and artifacts that belong to Eritrean culture. The Museum used to be the residence of many colonial rulers.
The culture of Eritrea is rich and fascinating to know about.
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