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Asmara (Asmera)
Agordat (Akordat)
Assab (Asseb)
Barentu
Dahlak islands
Dekemhare (Decemhare)
Ghinda (Ginda)
Keren (Cheren)
Massawa (Massauwa)
Mendefera (Adi Ugri)
Nakfa (Nacfa)
Semenawi Bahri (Filfil)
Tessenei (Teseney)

   

 

Keren Eritrea

 

The mountain city Keren is the largest of the five major secondary towns in Eritrea with a population of 120,000 and the regional capital of the Anseba Region. The majority of the population are Muslim. There is a distinctly Muslim feel to the town.

Keren is a beautiful town and is often visited by those wanting a change of scene from Asmara or Massawa. The name Keren means highland. The sun rises over one set of peaks in the east and sets over another set in the west. Depending on where you stay, rising for the dawn does not present a problem as the muezzin is likely to act as your early morning call.

Keren is one of the major agricultural centers of Eritrea, particularly for fruits and vegetables. To the west the region is known for its banana plantations. In addition its dairy herds supply fresh milk, butter and the cheese factory produces provolone and other cheeses.

There is a town market, where silver items may be purchased, and a wood market, where camels gather on the dry river bed. On Mondays there is a livestock market in a walled compound on the hillside along the road leading south from town. Cattle, sheep and goats, camels and donkeys are bought and sold.

Keren hosts many examples of Italian and Ethiopian colonial heritage. Overlooked by a seemingly impregnable Egyptian 19th century fortress (Tigu), which still bristles with Ethiopian army cannon, Keren boasts stylish public buildings and a Romanesque Catholic church. There are good views from the top of the fort (1460m). At its foot lie the ruins of the old Imperial Palace, which were destroyed during the Struggle in 1977.

At one time Keren boasted not one but two railway stations. One of them now serves as the local bus station, both for the buses to Asmara, Nacfa and Barentu and for the yellow Toyota taxi buses that intersect Keren. The speed of life is best exemplified by the fact that camels and donkeys still outnumber cars.

 

Resume of hotel accommodation in Keren
Name PO Box Number
of rooms
Phone
number
Fax
number
Distance
 from center
Rating
Awet Hotel --- 5 401176   0,0 km - - - Very small and very basic hotel in the center of Keren.
City Hotel --- 12 401487   0,5 km o New (2006) budget hotel close to the center of Keren. Rooms around a courtyard.
Central Hotel --- 10 401496   0,5 km - Very basic budget hotel close to the Keren bus station. Cozy but noisy garden cafe.
Costina Hotel (recommended) 110 60 400303 400311 0,5 km ++++ This new top class hotel opened in May 2009 and is located close to the center on the road to Afabet.
Dighe Hotel --- 33 402961   2,0 km ++ New (2007) upper class hotel on the road to Agordat. Unfriendly service.
Eritrea Hotel 200 14 401298   0,5 km - - Noisy budget hotel close to the center of Keren
Hollywood Hotel --- 4 401621   3,0 km - Very small hotel on the road to Agordat. Smelling sanitation
Keren Hotel 76 16 401014 401411 0,0 km + 1977 hotel in the centel of Keren in need of renovation. Roof tower and terrace for views over the town. Good restaurant.
Red Sea Hotel 130 12 401031   0,0 km o Small budget hotel in the center of Keren. nice terrace facing Giro  Fiori
Sarina Hotel (recommended) 467 48 400230 402685 2,5 km +++ New (2005) top class hotel on the road to Asmara just outside Keren
Senhit Hotel Victory Square 6 401042   0,0 km o Budget hotel oposite to the Keren hotel in the center of Keren.
Sheghe Hotel (recommended) 308 24 401971   2,0 km ++ New (2005) upper range hotel on the road to Agordat. Recomended (Good price, service and accomodation, inner garden)
Sicillia Pension (recommended) 27 17 401059   0,5 km + Cozy budget hotel near the center of Keren with rooms around a pleasant courtyard. Recommended (Good price, very friendly and exellent service in good English, cozy atmosphere)
Wedeb Hotel 756 14 401620   2,0 km + Good budget hotel on the road to Agordat facing the Sheghe hotel.
Yohannes Hotel 87 34 401422   0,5 km o One of the three largest hotels in Keren. Modest hotel between the center and the bus station.

 

 

New Costina Hotel (2009) on the road to Afabet.
P.O. Box 110 - Keren Eritrea. Tel. 002911 400303
Fax 400311. Reservations: costinahotel@yahoo.com

Monument of liberation - Giro Fiori town circle Keren

Monument of liberation - Giro Fiori town circle Keren

Wall painting (celebrating liberation) Keren - Eritrea

Wall painting (celebrating liberation) Keren

Mosque in Keren - Eritrea

Grande mosque in the center Keren

Wall painting in Keren - Eritrea

Wall painting in Keren

Little bar in Keren - Eritrea

"Knowledge makes One Laugh, But Wealth Makes One Dance."
Philosophical waitress in a small bar in the center of Keren Eritrea..

Wall paintings in Keren - Eritrea

Wall paintings in Keren.

View over Keren (from the roof the Keren Hotel)

View over Keren (from the roof the Keren Hotel).

Blooming tree in the center of Keren (Senhit Hotel).

Blooming tree in front of the Senhit Hotel.

The Keren hotel in Keren - Eritrea

The Keren hotel - center of Keren

 

more pictures of Keren Eritrea > > >

The friends of Eritrea - UK
Appeal on behalf of Keren Public Library
As part of the reconstruction and modernization process, the Municipality of Keren has initiated a project to construct and run a modern public library. The Municipality is calling upon the Eritrean Diaspora and all friends of Eritrea for help.

The Friends of Eritrea in the United Kingdom

The friends of Eritrea - UK

 

 
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