Kassala

Kassala كسلا
Town
Kassala Location in Sudan
Coordinates: 15°27′N 36°24′E / 15.450°N 36.400°E / 15.450; 36.400
Country	Sudan
State	Kassala State
Population  (2008)
• Total	419,030

Kassala (Arabic: كسلا‎) is the capital of the state of Kassala in eastern Sudan. Its 2008 population was recorded to be 419,030.^[1] Built on the banks of the Gash River, it is a market town and is famous for its fruit gardens.

Many of its inhabitants are from the Hadendawa origin in addition to a small group of Rashaida nomads and Beni-Amer group, with others being of , Tigre, and Bilen who migrated from Eritrea in the last three decades.

The town was formerly a railroad hub, however, as of 2006 there was no operational railway station in Kassala and much of the track leading to and from the town has been salvaged or fallen into disrepair. Kassala's location along the main Khartoum-Port Sudan highway makes it an important trade center.

History[]

Kassala locals photographed during Walter Mittelholzer's visit in February 1934. His Swissair Fokker F.VIIb-3 m (CH-192) is in the background.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the town was a key node in the west–east trade route, linking the coastal ports of Massawa and Suakin with the Sudan and farther west.^[2] The town was conquered by Ottoman soldiers of Egyptian viceroy Muhammad Ali in 1840 during his military offensive into Sudan. In 1885, Kassala was subsequently captured by the Mahdists. In 1894, after the Battle of Kassala the Italians captured the city from the Mahdists. In 1897, the Kingdom of Italy returned Kassala to the Kingdom of Egypt under British leadership,^[3] in order to get international recognition of the Italian colony of Eritrea. In 1899, Kassala fell under the purview of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan until Sudanese independence in 1956.

In July 1940, during the East African Campaign, Italian forces advancing from Italian East Africa forced the local British garrison to withdraw from Kassala. The Italians then occupied the city with brigade-sized units:^[4] indeed on July 4, 1940 the Italians started their offensive with 2,500 men (and one brigade of cavalry) supported by 24 tanks, while to defend Kassala for Britain there were 1,300 colonial soldiers with their British officers who -after some initial heavy fighting- were easily defeated. The Italians later appointed as mayor of Kassala the future hero of Eritrean independence, Hamid Idris Awate. In mid-January 1941, the Italians withdrew from the city and a British garrison returned.

Climate[]

Kassala has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh).

Current status[]

The

Mukram suburb

The Kassala region had a child mortality rate of 62 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2014, slightly higher than the national average of 52 child deaths per 1,000.^[7]

The , build in 1840 by the Ottomans and damaged during the Mahdist War, is the city's most important cultural site. It is an important site for the Sufi Khatmiyya order.

The Eastern side of Kassala

Education[]

The city is home to Kassala University, a public university established in 1990 to replace the East University, and an important institution for development in the east of Sudan.^[8] Including Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Faculty of Education,Faculty of Economic and Administration, Faculty of Computer science and IT and more.

Notable people[]

• Bushara Abdel-Nadief (Footballer)
• Aisha Musa Ahmad (Singer)
• Hassan Al-Turabi (Politician)
• Muhannad El Tahir (Footballer)
• Nizar Hamid (Footballer)
• Noor Uthman Muhammed
• Dua Saleh (Singer)

See also[]

• 2007 Sudan floods
• Railway stations in Sudan

References[]

External links[]

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Kassala.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kassala.

• Kassala program, Ockenden International

Coordinates: 15°27′N 36°24′E / 15.450°N 36.400°E / 15.450; 36.400