Mendefera (
Tigrinya: መንደፈራ), formerly Adi Ugri, is an ancient town which is now the capital city of the
Southern Region or
Zoba Debub of
Eritrea
Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...
.
[One World-Nations Online, All countries of the world, Map of Eritrea] The town's name derives from the high hill in the center of the city and it means that "who dared it" (in English) or "መን ደፈራ"( in Tigrinya) as it was a jungle and is a source of pride to Eritreans. The city is a reminder of the local anti-colonial movement.
History
The area around Mendefera evolved into an important region in the
Aksumite civilisation. Though satisfactory excavations have not yet been made, a graveyard dating back to the 2nd century BCE has been found. It contained skeletons, pottery, necklace and bronze bracelets. Numerous buildings have been excavated since 1959, with both
cross
A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...
es and local and
Roman coins found. Many areas, including
tomb
A tomb ( ''tumbos'') or sepulchre () is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called '' immurement'', alth ...
s, have yet to be explored.
[Dr.Federica, Crivellellero. " Archeologists in Eritrea target unfunded ' rescue excavations, Sudan Tribun Dec 5, 2004]
The modern town of Mendefera was built during the Italian era. The town is now bustling market town in a fertile region of Eritrea. It is a place where small and large scale factories produce different products.
Mendefera is famous for its anticolonial movement during the Italian colonial administration and is a great fighter contributor of the
Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) as it is home to one of the oldest schools in Eritrea,
San Giorgio School.
Climate
Mendefera has a borderline climate that borders both on a
cool semi-arid climate (''BSk'') and a
subtropical highland climate (''Cwb''). Except during the humid wet season of July and August when heavy cloud cover depresses temperatures by around , daytime temperatures are very warm to hot; however, the thin, dry air means that mornings are pleasantly cool throughout the year.
See also
*
Mendefera District
References
Mendefera
Aksumite cities
Southern region (Eritrea)
Regional capitals in Eritrea
Populated places in Eritrea
{{Eritrea-geo-stub