Keren

Keren was originally a trading settlement on the Ethiopian frontier, laying on an arid highland plain between the Ansaba and Barka rivers. The settlement owned its importance to its position on the trade route between Massawa and Sudan. The market was largely dominated by traders from Arkiko, whose grain was transported for purchase on the camels of the local Hedareb tribe. Goods sold at Keren also included cotton cloth from Sennar and Egypt, as well as ivory, skins, ostrich feathers and maize from Tigre and Amhara. Much of these goods were purchased by traders travelling up from Massawa. In the middle of the 19th century, Keren was estimated to be a settlement of 350 huts and around 2,000 inhabitants. Two Lazarist missionaries, Giuseppe Sapeto and Giovanni Stella, undertook a missionary tour of the locality in 1851. …

Keren has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh), with two main seasons. There is a short monsoonal wet season from June to September and a length dry season covering the rest of the year. Compared to most hot semi-arid climates in northern Africa like those of Niamey or N'Djamena, Keren's climate is much less extreme due to the city's higher altitude. Nonetheless, in the period between March and mid-June immediately before the wet season begins, afternoon temperatures still average over 33.1 °C (91.6 °F) for around four months. Following the wet season, temperatures remain very warm to hot during the day, but the mornings become comfortably cool.

Attractions in the city include the nineteenth century Tigu fort, the St Maryam Deari chapel, lying in a baobab tree, the 1920s former railway station, the old mosque, Sayed Bakri Mausoleum, British Army and Italian Army cemeteries and local markets. The nearby sixth century Debre Sina monastery is also known for its cave dwellings.