In Eritrea, steam locomotives from the Italian colonial era are still operating. The railroad route is also spectacular: it goes over mountains and through
Source: Eritrea is a Dreamland for Railroad Nostalgics
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How to use Unesco world heritage sites as gig venues; Megan Townsend; Independent
What is it like to manoeuvre a Unesco World Heritage site and turn it into an arena? Its everything you would imagine; incredibly restrictive and challenging but equally motivating and rewarding. Our production team have refined the show each year and know the sites limits and its weakest spots, but you cannot by any means rest in your laurels with a site as important as this. What special rules do you need to follow in the planning?
Eritrea dares to dream of change as Ethiopia peace dawns; Chris Stein; AP
Crushed tanks and trucks destroyed in Eritrea’s war for independence from Ethiopia are piled up on the outskirts of Asmara, a rusting testament to a long and bloody history of conflict.
Source: Eritrea dares to dream of change as Ethiopia peace dawns
Asmara: the Unesco-listed African city you’d never thought to visit; Chris Leadbeater; Telegraph
World’s least visited countries and why you should visit; MSN
Not everyone wants to visit heavily trafficked locales on vacations, bumping shoulders with thousands of other travelers to visit crowded tourist spots. If you are looking for some unique experiences, here are some of the world’s least visited countries for your next adventure.
*The annual figures are for 2016 and taken from United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) 2017 Tourism Highlights. Click here for the full report. Check your government’s advisory before planning to travel.
Brunei (219,000 visitors)
With some of the finest Islamic architecture in the world, the Asian country is known for its lively mosques, the grand palace and lush rainforests.
Bhutan (210,000 visitors)
The Buddhist nation is equally well-known for its happy inhabitants and its stunning hiking trails that go through verdant hills, tumbling rivers and towering mountains.
Eritrea (142,000 visitors)
The country in Horn of Africa has a rich heritage and wows visitors with its Red Sea coast and capital Asmara, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Center due to its architecture.
Republic of Moldova (121,000 visitors)
The former Soviet nation is home to Mileștii Mici, a commune with some of the biggest wine cellars in the world.
Off-the-radar cities to explore in 2018; Larry Bleiberg; USA Today
Obscure destinations can be the most memorable.
If your new year’s resolution is to travel, you might want to follow in the tracks of Sal Lavallo, who at 27 is one of the youngest Americans to have visited all 193 U.N. member states. During his explorations, which were partially underwritten by Marriott International, he found that obscure destinations were the most memorable, and he shared many on his Instagram feed, @sallavallo. He recalls some favorites with Larry Bleiberg for USA TODAY. But before booking a trip, check U.S. State Department warnings because some destinations are near trouble spots.
Baku, Azerbaijan
This oil-rich capital city has invested billions in culture and modern architecture, making for a surprising stop in the Caucasus. “Walking around the city is like an open-air museum. They have these ancient ruins and in the background are modern buildings,” Lavallo says.
10 Healthiest Cities in Africa; Musungu Okach; Africa.com
Africa is known for her extreme poverty and malnutrition. However, when you flip the coin and look at the continent’s obesity index, you are met with some disturbing data. For instance, Libya is the 20th most obese country in the world at 33.10%, followed by Egypt at 28.9%, Tunisia at 27.10%, and South Africa at 26.8%.
The number of people who die each year for being overweight or obese is 4.5 million, which is higher than underweight deaths. Economically, obesity uses up to US $ 117.7 million globally every year. In many countries, cities have the most populations; therefore, they have more overweight cases than rural areas because of advanced technologies, office jobs, and paved roads with a significant number of vehicles and fast food franchises. As the cases of global obesity escalate, we took time to sample the top ten healthiest cities in Africa.
Best Laid Out Plans for the Restoration of Asmara; BILLION TEMESGHEN; TesfaNews
With Asmara being registered in the UNESCO World Heritage List, the attention invested in the city is growing by the day. The administration of the city, professionals of all fields from Eritrea and abroad, journalists, historians, architects, artists and tourists are opening their eyes to see what this historic city is all about.
Normally, we see monuments and specific places being enlisted in the UNESCO World Heritage List but in the case of Asmara it is the city with its thousands of buildings, roads, monuments and the intangible heritage, the Asmarino’s culture.
A question arises now on how to preserve and maintain the city. Professionals are being put in place to restore the beauty of Asmara in its most natural and original essence.
Exploring Eritrea’s UNESCO certified Art-Deco wonderland; Thomas Mukoya; Independent
Italian architects used what had been an amalgamation of highland villages centuries earlier as an ‘ideal blank canvas’.
In an often-forgotten corner of the Horn of Africa, Eritrea’s capital boasts one of the world’s finest collections of early 20th-century architecture – with UNESCO awarding it World Heritage Site status earlier this year
When Italy’s colonial experiment in Eritrea ended in 1941, it left behind an array of Rationalist, Futurist, Art Deco and other Modernist styles in Asmara, a city whose historic heart has changed little since the Italians lived and worked there.
In following decades, conflict ravaged Eritrea, leaving the nation isolated and stifling development. But the violence bypassed the city, and the capital has never been swallowed by the kind of exapnsion that raced ahead elsewhere in Africa.
Reflections on Asmara’s Modernist (and Colonial) Dream; Mebrak Tareke; HyperAllergic
It’s hard not to question why Asmara was named a World Heritage Site, especially as the country is reeling from decades of hardship.
Asmara is itself a giant monument to colonial folly. When it comes to architecture, the Italians simply lost their heads.
—Michela Wrong, I Didn’t Do It for You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation
In early July 2017, Asmara, the capital of Eritrea, was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hundreds of modernist buildings in the historic city center, built between 1935 and 1941 under Italian colonial rule, made it onto this prestigious list, along with the city of Asmara itself. This moment comes as Eritrea, which sits like a narrow, slanted pistol along the Horn of Africa, continues to face fierce criticism. Its government is considered one of the world’s most repressive regimes.
