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Eritrean Railway & Ropeway

2. – From Massawa to Asmara.

Map on page 192.

a) BY RAIL.

TRAIN 120 km in 3 hrs 35 min by "Littorina," 2 trips daily by "Littorina" and 1 by a combination passenger-freight train. On the "Littorina," single class Lire 57.60; round trip Lire 86.40; passenger-freight train Lire 27.20. The gauge is 95 cm; the Ghinda-Asmara stretch has an almost constant grade of 3.5% (interrupted in several places by level surfaces with double tracks for passing trains) and curves of 70 m. minimum radius. Begun in 1888, the railway reached Ghinda in 1904, Asmara in 1911. The extremely steep line is very interesting for its beautiful and varied panoramas. Climbing rapidly from sea level to more than 2400 m in altitude, it offers the traveler all the variety of the landscapes of the lowlands, of the slopes, and of the Eritrean highlands. One is advised to sit on the right. The change of climate is quite substantial, especially on rainy days in the highlands; one is advised to put on a wool sweater and to take an overcoat.

Massawa, page 175. From Massawa’s Taulud Station the line turns South, then North on the causeway that connects Taulud island to the mainland; the view to the rear is of Massawa, the port and the salt flats. It crosses the suburb of Egada Behrai or Adiberai. Km 3, Campo di Marte (Mars Field); all around is an infinitude of huts that served in 1935-37 as magazines and warehouses for the materials destined for the highlands; ahead, the airport of Otumlo. From this station sidings split off for the pier at Archico and the Gherar peninsula. On the sandy plain, one soon reaches (km 5) Otumlo, elev. 14 m, pop. approx. 6000, on the left, a village surrounded by hutments. The line turns Southwest, ever in a sandy zone with occasional dum palms; to the left, the bare slopes of the Ghanfur hills draw near. To the right, in a little oasis of green, the Evangelical Mission, now the Hospital of Cristoforis for natives (at the Western end of the trees, ruins of Arabic houses, first headquarters of the Italian Missionaries in Eritrea, under monsignor De Iacobis).

A trunk line connects Otumlo with the Abd el Cader peninsula and the Gurgussum Cement Works. Another trunk (approx. 2 km) leads Southwest towards Zaga (abandoned kiln).

The line ascends in a long curve to (km 10) Moncullo (Emcullu) elev. 34 m, pop. approx. 5000, on the right, with two tombs of Moslem holy men. It crosses the Obel river bed on a long bridge, a little way from the valley of the plant that supplies water to Otumlo, Edaga Behrai and the gardens of Taulud, and climbs the valley of the Hamaset River. All around everything is dreary desert for nine months a year and only cheers up with a little green during the winter rains.

The plain begins to undulate in low hills with meager growth of spiny acacias. Four km further, at the crossing for Hamasat (0.5 km), stone quarries (tescenite); the line crosses the Hamasat river bed. At km 19 the wide valley of Sergatab opens to the right, with coconut palm plantations. It stops in the Valley of the Desset at the little station of (km 20) Dogali (Tedali), elev. 102 m, bordered by palms. Here, the old aqueduct (1914) of Massawa originates in filtering tunnels in the sands of the river bed. In the other part of the river bed, to the right, the hill (174 m) with the unpretentious Monument to the Fallen of the engagement which took place in the little plain to the West.

On January 26, 1887, a column of 500 men, commanded by Lt. Col. De Cristoforis, left Moncullo to escort provisions for the fort at Saati (see below), but near the Doagali hills it was attacked by the Abyssinians of Ras Alula. The column withdrew, fighting, to the high ground, where it was surrounded. The Italians resisted for several hours until all fell; some eighty wounded, left for dead by the enemy, were saved by a relief column which arrived on the 27th from Massawa.

The line winds amid the heights along the sandy bed of the Iangus (on the right). It crosses the Agbalo and Adeita Rivers and, several kilometers on, the very wide Iangus at the bridge of the tamarisco. The abandoned Forts of Saati begin to be discernable.

Saati was occupied at the beginning of 1887 and was garrisoned by two infantry companies, two cannons and 300 natives. On January 25, 1887, Ras Alula attacked the post with 10,000 men. The Italians let the enemy advance to 300 meters, then opened fire; after four hours of fighting the Abyssinians withdrew with heavy casualties. The next day the battle of Dogali took place, after which the Saati advance post was temporarily abandoned.

The line encounters the Massawa-Asmara road on the right, which accompanies the railway to the station (km 30) of Mai Atal, elev. 180 m, on the right (shop), a village of stick and straw huts. The line begins the steep ascent of Mount Digdigta, switching back on its self in curves on the Eastern slope after crossing the river bed of the same name above the Aicun wells. Heavy vegetation of spiny acacias; in the winter, rich flowering on the slopes. Short tunnel; then, cutting through the lower slopes of Mt. Digdidta, elev. 698 m, the line climbs rapidly, after another tunnel, to the plain of Damas that extends Northward in the direction of Ailet and Asus, page 185. Km 45 Damas, elev. 416 m, on the right, a village of shepherds.

HIGHWAY 8 km, across the plain of the Damas, which reaches the large Massawa-Asmara road near Dembe, page 194. – HIGHWAY to Barresa and Saganeiti, page 287.

The railway crosses the Damas River, then, by a long Southerly expanse, reascends the wide valley of the same name. After about 4 km of straightaway it reaches the buttresses of Mount Ambatocan, elev. 729 m, the Eastern extreme of the range which, through Dongollo, page 194, pushes on to the ampitheater to the North above Ailet and separates the plain of Damas from the Ghinda basin above. At km 49, limestone quarry and kiln on the right; to the left, an easy pack road which, by way of the Ambatcan outpost, the plain of Sabub and the Ambalacle Valley, climbs to the Uabblo basin, elev. 800-900 m, and to the highland of Agametta (3 hours by mule, page 185). The valley widens, then narrows between Mounts Ambatocan and Ombetnego, elev. 811 m, turning to the Southwest, km 57, Barresa, elev. 600 m, in a small green basin. The station is decorated with poincianas, which in the hot months are covered with huge scarlett flowers. From Barresa to Saganeiti, page 287.

The line continues to the West in the narrow Valley of Barresa, which it leaves for a brief stretch, traveling first in the little parallel valley of Muderto and then in the one near Falghinda, which is crossed by another viaduct (beautiful view to the left toward the lower valley, blocked to the South by the forested slopes that climb from Mount Cube, elev. 1850 m, to Mount Bizen, elev. 2840 m), returning after the Martini Tunnel to the principal valley. Although limited, the view of the river bed is quite beautiful, with the water surfacing on a long stretch shaded by sycamores and tamarinds; a not infrequent spectacle is troops of Hamadryas baboons and Geunon monkeys playing in the trees. The tortuous course of the river bed, here somewhat closed in, obliges the train to cross it many times; then the valley widens, revealing to the left the wooded slope that descends from Mount Bizen.

Following at first the base of the Dongollo Slope, to the right, then climbing, amid sisal plantations, the hill on which the De Rossi concession rises, the line reaches, km 70, Ghinda, elev. 890 m, pop. 1250 (shop; post office, telegraph, telephone at the station), the station being shaded by large specimens of poinciana and bougainvilla. The town, seat of the [V. Residenza], is on the road approx. 2 km to the West, page 194.

From Ghinda the railway assumes the character of a mountain line, climbing more than 1500 m in approximately 50 km, with a continuous grade of 35 per thousand and curves of minimum radius of 70 meters; numerous tunnels and viaducts with interesting manmade outcroppings along the steep slopes offer ever new panoramas, particularly grand when the winter fog hovers on the plain and in the valleys, revealing only the highest peaks and the uppermost rim of the highland. The line crosses the Barresa River, which here has the name Ghinda, and, with long switchbacks on the North slopes of Mt. Debra Halib, elev. 1216 m, ascends rapidly with a view of the pleasant basin. Shortly thereafter, it reaches the highway on the right, which it follows for a couple of kilometers then crosses by an overpass; the railway climbs in wide curves through two small secondary valleys and, in a tight switchback, turns on itself (tunnel), overlooking the cultivated plateau that descends toward the Zabarit Valley, to arrive in a deep cut at, km 82, Embatcalla, elev. 1273 m (shops; lodging at the Morellini concession, about 1 km from the station, on the highway), in a small solitary basin, on the far North side of the Sarsaruf slope, which splits off to the Northwest from the Bizen range. The area is covered with beautiful forests of wild olive; the blooming vegetation that enjoys the summer showers of the highlands and the winter rains of the lowlands, the always mild climate, and easy access make it particularly suitable for summer vacations.

EXCURSION TO ARGHESANA private road (6 km), about 3 m wide, to be traveled with care, especially the very difficult stretch that runs through the principal valley, cut vertically in rocky cliff to a great height along the river bed. Make arrangements with the management of the establishment to avoid meeting carraiges of the Deceauville. Km 4, at the bridge over the Nabaret River Bed, an establishment for the manufacture of tiles and concrete castings. Then level road that travels to mid slope along the left side of the Arghesana Valley and the right side of the Ghinda Valley. Km 6 quarry and kilns of Arghesana.

EXCURSION TO BIZEN MONASTERY. By pack road that splits off from the large road immediately at the hill of the Morellini concession and which follows in reverse the itinerary described below, passing near Mts. Addeleito elev. 1751 m and Ualid elev. 2132 and reaching the convent by the North slope.

With a long turn around the spur that separates the Zabarit Valley from the Nabaret Valley (3 tunnels; between the 2nd and 3rd, view of the large Arghesana Valley), the line continues on into the principal valley (view of the high Nabaret Valley, between the escarpment of Mt. Bizen to the left and the face of Mt. Lessa, that culminates to the right in the bifurcated Arbaroba peak elev. 2343 m; in the background, below the hill, Nefasit), reaching the highway about 86 km further on. It crosses it at a grade crossing and climbs away above, amid thick vegetation of wild olives intermixed with ueiba, with its characteristic bunches of fruit the color of red wine, and the glossy foliage of various combrataceae. The banks of the river bed are covered by dense spiny acacias and above, among the granite cliffs, junipers soar to the sky, accentuating the alpine character of the area. Short tunnel.

Km 95 Nefasit elev. 1648 m (bar, shops with restaurant; post office, telegraph, telephone), a settlement in rapid development because of its position at the intersection of the roads to Asmara and Decamere, also popular as a vacation spot for its modest altitude, more tolerable than that of Asmara by those with heart conditions, and milder climate. Except to the North where the Nabaret Valley opens, the area is dominated by high mountains, among the most imposing of which, to the left, is the massif of Mt. Bizen; on its peak, almost directly above the town, the Monastery of the Vision can be seen.

EXCURSION TO BIZEN MONASTERY, 1 hr 45 min up, and 1 hr 30 min back, very interesting tour by mediocre pack road (mules in Nefasit; in the first stretch of the return, descend by mule; entry by women is strictly prohibited). One follows the road to Asmara to the last cottage and turns immediately to the left, ascending at once the forested massif. It soon opens onto the South slope, in the direction of Mai Habar; view to the right of the mountains of the Acchele Guzal and the Serae. In an hour and 30 min. one reaches a small shelf with a wooden cross: female mules, mares and all female animals must be left here. In another 10 min., on a level path, one reaches the esplanade of the Monastery of the Vision, elev. 2450 m, a picturesque group of buildings on the summit of Mt. Bizen. The monestery was founded around the middle of the 14th century by the monk Filepos, disciple of the founder of Debri Mariam, who brought it to great wealth and power (900 monks at the time of his death). It later joined in defense of the reign of Eustatius, who permitted certain Judaic practices, such as the observation of Saturday. Filepos was a layman, as was his successor, so that at Bizen, as in almost all similar monasteries, the abbott and monks are not ordained and do not recognize the right of intervention by the Abyssinian bishopry, serving themselves as secular priests for ceremonies. After long struggles, Bizen succeeded in making its own ideas prevail, it enriched itself through feuds and royal donations, and, since the 16th century, its abbott has been considered the supreme head of the Eustatians. The monastery escaped the horrors of the Moslem invasion by Gran and, if the growth of the Shewan Debra Libanos somewhat diminished its power, it has always enjoyed the greatest authority, so much so that in the treaty of Ucciali Menelik safeguarded its interests before the Italian government. To the left, on the cliffs, houses of the monks and the Tomb of Filepos (the founder); ahead the large round church and, further along, the guest quarters; to the right, the kitchens and storehouses (interesting). On request, the monks permit one to see part of the rich library (huge gospel on parchment, which is said to be a mule load by itself). From the guest quarters, perched on a cliff that drops vertically a few hundred meters, a marvelous view, from the highlands to the sea, of the coast to the North and South of Massawa, the Dahlak Islands, the Buri peninsula with the Gulf of Zula, and the mountains of the Acchele Guzai; to the West the view is blocked by the steep escarpment of the highlands, on which the switchbacks of the road and the railroad are seen.

The railway climbs the headlands of the Nabaret Valley in a very pronounced curve, a little under Nefasit hill, elev. 1720m. After a long tunnel, across the slope of Mt. Lessa, the line begins a series of inclines, interspersed with tunnels, around the massif that culminates in Arbaroba Peak, elev. 2343 m. From the flat stretch halfway between the Nefasit and Arbaroba stations, view of the Lessa and Nabaret Valleys and the Bizen range. The wild olives are replaced bit by bit by candelabra euphorbia and a few thin junipers. Another long tunnel leads to the Ghinda Valley, which is crossed at great height on the steep slopes of Arbaroba Peak that descend to the North.

Km 105 Arbaroba (Arba Ruba) elev. 2064 m; the station esplanade, shaded by cypruses and cassuaries, was carved in a narrow saddle West of the peak of the same name and continues up the hill, where the the road arrives from the South. In August and September the renowned Indian figs mature in the area. The railway continues South on the left slope of the Mai Henzi Valley, closely following the road to just under the Arballo saddle, which it reaches and crosses by tunnel after a long incline in a lateral valley, then travels much higher in the headlands of the Macalo Valley.

It is one of the most interesting points of the line, overlooking a ravine that descends steeply for hundreds of meters, between the ridgeline of Mt. Longo and the highland escarpment, and continuing North toward the Dorfu Valley, at the bottom of which is seen the cultivation of the Rizzi concession, page 195, dominated by Mt. Corumba, elev. 2347 m.

At the Devil’s Doorway, elev. 2300 m, where the railway is crossed by the highway overpass, it returns to the Mai Henzi Valley. The line continues steeply; crosses on a high viaduct the ravine that descends from the heights of Bet Ghirgis, crosses in a short tunnel a spur of red Mt. Debrazie, elev. 2458 m, and reaches (km 113) the highest point of the line, elev. 2411.95 m. The trees have left the area to thickets of rumex, covered with red bunches of flowers; the mountain curves into grassy knolls. After a short level stretch, the line descends rapidly toward Asmara, which sprawls ahead in its vast basin. Km 120 Asmara, elev. 2340 m, page 197.
 

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