Kassala

關於Kassala

Kassala (Arabic: كسلا, Tigrinya: ከሰላ) is the capital of the state of Kassala in eastern Sudan. In 2003 its population was recorded to be 530,950. Built on the banks of the Gash River, it is a market city and is famous for its fruit gardens. Many of its inhabitants are from the Hadendawa sub-tribe of the Beja ethnic group.

The city 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 city has been salvaged or fallen into disrepair. Kassala's location along the main Khartoum-Port Sudan highway makes it an important trade center.

In 1834, the Egyptian Army established Kassala as a garrison town following its conquest of Sudan in 1821. When the Mahdist state was established, the Egyptian garrison in Kassala found itself besieged by Mahdist forces. Under the terms of the 1884 Hewett Treaty, Abyssinian forces led by Ras Alula attempted to rescue the Egyptians. Although Ras Alula successfully defeated the Mahdists at the Battle of Kufit, he was unable to breach Kassala’s defenses and liberate the Egyptians. In 1886, after prolonged resistance, the Egyptian garrison finally surrendered...

Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.