Matara, Eritrea
Encyclopedia
Matara is an archaeological site
in Eritrea
. Situated a few kilometers south of Senafe
, it was a major city in the Dʿmt and Aksumite kingdoms. Since Eritrean independence, the National Museum of Eritrea
has petitioned the Ethiopian government to return artifacts removed from the site. However, they have thus far been rebuffed.
, just past Senafe on the road leading south to the border with Tigray
. The archaeological site already has yielded evidence of several levels of habitation, including at least two different major cities, covering more than 1000 years. The topmost levels are Aksumite, roughly dating from the fourth to the eighth centuries. This city was allied with or part of the powerful trading empire centered in the capital city, Aksum, to the southwest. It appears that Matara was one of a string of cities along the trade route that ran from Aksum to its port city, Adulis
, whose extensive ruins, surveyed but largely excavated, are in the vicinity of Zula
, southeast of Massawa
on the Red Sea
coast.
Hawulti
(an Aksumite era Obelisk
) is located there.
Archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...
in Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
. Situated a few kilometers south of Senafe
Senafe
Senafe is a market town in southern Eritrea, on the edge of the Ethiopian highlands. The surrounding area is inhabited by the Saho people and the Tigrinya people....
, it was a major city in the Dʿmt and Aksumite kingdoms. Since Eritrean independence, the National Museum of Eritrea
National Museum of Eritrea
The National Museum of Eritrea was inaugurated in 1992 by Woldeab Woldemariam. The Museum was originally located in the former Governor's Palace until it was moved in 1997. It has since been moved to the former Comboni Sisters School for Women....
has petitioned the Ethiopian government to return artifacts removed from the site. However, they have thus far been rebuffed.
History
Matara is the name both of a small village and of a supremely important Eritrean archaeological site, located some 136 kilometers southeast of AsmaraAsmara
Asmara is the capital city and largest settlement in Eritrea, home to a population of around 579,000 people...
, just past Senafe on the road leading south to the border with Tigray
Tigray Region
Tigray Region is the northernmost of the nine ethnic regions of Ethiopia containing the homeland of the Tigray people. It was formerly known as Region 1...
. The archaeological site already has yielded evidence of several levels of habitation, including at least two different major cities, covering more than 1000 years. The topmost levels are Aksumite, roughly dating from the fourth to the eighth centuries. This city was allied with or part of the powerful trading empire centered in the capital city, Aksum, to the southwest. It appears that Matara was one of a string of cities along the trade route that ran from Aksum to its port city, Adulis
Adulis
Adulis or Aduli is an archeological site in the Northern Red Sea region of Eritrea, about 30 miles south of Massawa. It was the port of the Kingdom of Aksum, located on the coast of the Red Sea. Adulis Bay is named after the port...
, whose extensive ruins, surveyed but largely excavated, are in the vicinity of Zula
Zula
Zula is a small town in central Eritrea. It is situated near the head of Annesley Bay , on the Red Sea coast...
, southeast of Massawa
Massawa
Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa (Ge'ez ምጽዋዕ , formerly ባጽዕ is a city on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea. An important port for many centuries, it was ruled by a succession of polities, including the Axumite Empire, the Umayyad Caliphate,...
on the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
coast.
Hawulti
Hawulti (monument)
The Hawulti is an Aksumite era obelisk located in Matara, Eritrea. It bears what has been described as the oldest known example of the old Ge'ez script .- Description :...
(an Aksumite era Obelisk
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
) is located there.