Kassala Travel Guide
Capital of Kassala State
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Kassala is the capital city of Kassala State on the Ethiopian border of northeast Sudan. It is also a main transit town lying on the Khartoum-Port Sudan Highway and with the railway running through.
With the stunning Taka Mountains rising from the flat surroundings as a backdrop, the city is home to a very mixed population of colourful tribes, together with many soldiers and armed police who are in the area due its border location.
Originally the town grew as a military camp for Ottoman soldiers from the Egyptian viceroy Muammad Ali in 1840. It has since been captured by both the Mahdists (1885) and Italians (1897). The town was returned by the Italians in 1897 and ruled by Anglo-Egyptian Sudan until independence.
The town has become a centre for refugees fleeing from neighbouring Ethiopia and Eritrea, together with Sudanese displaced from internal fighting in the Nuba Mountains.
Attractions in Kassala
The souk of Kassala is one of the most interesting in the whole country selling everything from souvenirs, daggers and jewellery to food, firewood and clothing.
Visit the villages in the foothills of the Taka Mountains looming over the city, Khatmiyah Village is home to the Khatmiyah Mosque an important centre for the sufi Tariqa. Non-Muslims are able to visit the mosque.
Activities in Kassala
Sudanese Camel Racing is a popular sport in the area with local tribes staging them in celebration of weddings and local festivals.
Relaxing
Watch sunset from the foothills of the Taka Mountains.
Getting Around
Kassala has a domestic airport 5 km from the centre of town, buses leave from the Souq es-Shabi, taxis and minibuses are plentiful for local journeys.
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