Re: Can anyone explain the history of this rock in ጉራዕ (Eritrea)
Good question, because these days the worst subject to study in Eritrea is history. The "history" they teach in Eritrean schools is all lies that glories and white washes the Islamic Arab and Egyptian occupation, Arab slavery on the Red Sea, the savage conversion of the Tigre, Bilen and Nara to Islam, the savagery of the Ottoman Turks on the Red Sea coast and the evil Fascist Italian apartheid system, to name a few, that young Eritreans are deprived of their own true history.
To come to your question, Gura has a long history, however to focus on the last 200 years only: it is land where the savage Arab Muslim Egyptians were defeated and buried by the gallant Habesha forces. It was also the land where the largest industrial auto and aviation garage was based in the Horn of Africa before the Fascist Italian invasion of Ethiopia. In fact, the large part of the nerve gas that was used against the heroic Ethiopian people was stored in Gura, Mai Habar and Dekemhare. The other place was somewhere in Somalia.
During the second world war, the Americans in cooperation with the British used it to repair air-crafts, as they also used the fine and well maintained dry-docks of Massawa to repair their naval ships. At its height, Gura and Dekemhare had about 3000 Americans.
At that time, Dekemhare had too many redlight districts, full of Italian women, Mulattoes, Habesha women from Eritrea, Tigray, Gonder and Wello selling themselves. Poverty was then everywhere, and lots women were single mothers who lost their husbands.
After 1944, as they did in Ethiopia, the British dismantled everything the Italians left and took it to Burma, Ceylon or Sri Lanka, Singapore and India.
You may also read some in Wikipedia:
To come to your question, Gura has a long history, however to focus on the last 200 years only: it is land where the savage Arab Muslim Egyptians were defeated and buried by the gallant Habesha forces. It was also the land where the largest industrial auto and aviation garage was based in the Horn of Africa before the Fascist Italian invasion of Ethiopia. In fact, the large part of the nerve gas that was used against the heroic Ethiopian people was stored in Gura, Mai Habar and Dekemhare. The other place was somewhere in Somalia.
During the second world war, the Americans in cooperation with the British used it to repair air-crafts, as they also used the fine and well maintained dry-docks of Massawa to repair their naval ships. At its height, Gura and Dekemhare had about 3000 Americans.
At that time, Dekemhare had too many redlight districts, full of Italian women, Mulattoes, Habesha women from Eritrea, Tigray, Gonder and Wello selling themselves. Poverty was then everywhere, and lots women were single mothers who lost their husbands.
After 1944, as they did in Ethiopia, the British dismantled everything the Italians left and took it to Burma, Ceylon or Sri Lanka, Singapore and India.
You may also read some in Wikipedia:
20th century
Under the Italian protectorate, Gura was left undeveloped until Benito Mussolini began to build up the Italian military presence in preparation for the second Italian invasion of Ethiopia. Much of the former town was removed to establish a military base, which served as the main airfield for the northern front of the war.[1] As such, the base was heavily involved in the Italian use of airborne chemical weapons such as mustard gas during the conflict.
During the first months of WW2, the airfield was used by the Italians to successfully attack the British Sudan and to occupy Kassala.
Once captured by Allied forces during World War II's East African Campaign, it hosted a Royal Air Force (RAF) support base and an Australian field hospital. As an adjunct to the Lend-Lease Act, a secret expansion of the base —Project 19— was established with the US government.
Italian bombing mission in 1943
In 1943, two SM.75 GA aircraft undertook a bombing mission, the only one made by an SM.75, intended to destroy American bombers stored at an airbase in Gura. To reach the objective, which was over 3,000 kilometers (1,900 mi) away, the two S.75 GAs—with civil registration I-BUBA and I-TAMO, but renominated with serial numbers MM.60539 and MM.60543, respectively, for military use—were laden heavily with 11,000 kilograms (24,000 pounds) of fuel, and modified by fitting a "Jozza" bomb-aiming system and a bomb bay capable of carrying 1,200 kilograms (2,600 pounds) of bombs. The most experienced crews were selected for the mission, led by officers named Villa and Peroli.
Re: Can anyone explain the history of this rock in ጉራዕ (Eritrea)
Good question, because these days the worst subject to study in Eritrea is history. The "history" they teach in Eritrean schools is all lies that glorifies and white washes the Islamic Arab and Egyptian occupation, Arab slavery on the Red Sea, the savage conversion of the Tigre, Bilen and Nara to Islam, the savagery of the Ottoman Turks on the Red Sea coast and the evil Fascist Italian apartheid system, to name a few, that young Eritreans are deprived of their own true and factual history.
To come to your question, Gura has a long history, however to focus on the last 200 years only: it is land where the savage Arab Muslim Egyptians were defeated and buried by the gallant Habesha forces. It was also the land where the largest industrial auto and aviation garage was based in the Horn of Africa before the Fascist Italian invasion of Ethiopia. In fact, the large part of the nerve gas that was used against the heroic Ethiopian people was stored in Gura, Mai Habar and Dekemhare. The other place was somewhere in Somalia.
During the second world war, the Americans in cooperation with the British used it to repair air-crafts, as they also used the fine and well maintained dry-docks of Massawa to repair their naval ships. At its height, Gura and Dekemhare had about 3000 Americans.
At that time, Dekemhare had too many redlight districts, full of Italian women, Mulattoes, Habesha women from Eritrea, Tigray, Gonder and Wello selling themselves. Poverty was then everywhere, and lots women were single mothers who lost their husbands.
After 1944, as they did in Ethiopia, the British dismantled everything the Italians left and took it to Burma, Ceylon or Sri Lanka, Singapore and India.
You may also read other more details in Wikipedia:
To come to your question, Gura has a long history, however to focus on the last 200 years only: it is land where the savage Arab Muslim Egyptians were defeated and buried by the gallant Habesha forces. It was also the land where the largest industrial auto and aviation garage was based in the Horn of Africa before the Fascist Italian invasion of Ethiopia. In fact, the large part of the nerve gas that was used against the heroic Ethiopian people was stored in Gura, Mai Habar and Dekemhare. The other place was somewhere in Somalia.
During the second world war, the Americans in cooperation with the British used it to repair air-crafts, as they also used the fine and well maintained dry-docks of Massawa to repair their naval ships. At its height, Gura and Dekemhare had about 3000 Americans.
At that time, Dekemhare had too many redlight districts, full of Italian women, Mulattoes, Habesha women from Eritrea, Tigray, Gonder and Wello selling themselves. Poverty was then everywhere, and lots women were single mothers who lost their husbands.
After 1944, as they did in Ethiopia, the British dismantled everything the Italians left and took it to Burma, Ceylon or Sri Lanka, Singapore and India.
You may also read other more details in Wikipedia:
Re: Can anyone explain the history of this rock in ጉራዕ (Eritrea)
I have never seen it before either and that is the reason of my curiosity. Nevertheless very nice art I must say and it should be preserved better and should not be left on the open. Considering erosion and other natural destruction that can happen I mean.
I wish you knew what history means. For tigrainas history is just as everything else a bargain political tool to influence the feeling or opinions of their targeted audience. Nothing more and nothing less. That should be enough response to you if you have anything else to add. My response ይርዳእካ።
Re: Can anyone explain the history of this rock in ጉራዕ (Eritrea)
The Battle of Gura was fought on 7–10 March 1876 between the Ethiopian Empire and the Khedivate of Egypt near the town of Gura in Eritrea. It was the second and decisive major battle of the Ethiopian–Egyptian War.
Background
The Egyptian army invaded the Ethiopian Empire from its coastal possessions in what is now Eritrea, and met that of Emperor Yohannes at Gundet on the morning of 16 November 1875.
After the defeat at Gundet, the Egyptians sent a much larger, well-armed force to attempt a second invasion. This army moved to Gura plain, and made two forts there: "Gura" fort and "Khaya Khor" fort. Gura fort was garrisoned by 7,500 men led by Rateb Pasha and ex Confederate general William Wing Loring and Khaya Khor fort was garrisoned by 5,500 men led by Uthman Rifqi. Yohannes soon arrived in the area with a huge army of over 50,000 men mobilized from the provinces of Tigray, Gojjam and Wollo.[7][8]
Taking advantage of the lack of Egyptian reconnaissance, the Ethiopians positioned themselves on the Godolfelassie road, Yohannes could now strike Gura, Khaya Khor or Keren. Fearing an attack on the supply depots, Rateb Pasha decided to send 5,000 out of his 7,500 strong force to attack the Ethiopian army, believing that dug-in Egyptian forces were unbeatable by enemies who did not possess artillery, such as the Abyssinians. The 5,000 strong Egyptian infantry of Gura fort sortied out early on March 7. Little did they know, Ethiopian scouts had spotted their movements and prepared to attack the heavily outnumbered Egyptians.[9]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gura
Background
The Egyptian army invaded the Ethiopian Empire from its coastal possessions in what is now Eritrea, and met that of Emperor Yohannes at Gundet on the morning of 16 November 1875.
After the defeat at Gundet, the Egyptians sent a much larger, well-armed force to attempt a second invasion. This army moved to Gura plain, and made two forts there: "Gura" fort and "Khaya Khor" fort. Gura fort was garrisoned by 7,500 men led by Rateb Pasha and ex Confederate general William Wing Loring and Khaya Khor fort was garrisoned by 5,500 men led by Uthman Rifqi. Yohannes soon arrived in the area with a huge army of over 50,000 men mobilized from the provinces of Tigray, Gojjam and Wollo.[7][8]
Taking advantage of the lack of Egyptian reconnaissance, the Ethiopians positioned themselves on the Godolfelassie road, Yohannes could now strike Gura, Khaya Khor or Keren. Fearing an attack on the supply depots, Rateb Pasha decided to send 5,000 out of his 7,500 strong force to attack the Ethiopian army, believing that dug-in Egyptian forces were unbeatable by enemies who did not possess artillery, such as the Abyssinians. The 5,000 strong Egyptian infantry of Gura fort sortied out early on March 7. Little did they know, Ethiopian scouts had spotted their movements and prepared to attack the heavily outnumbered Egyptians.[9]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gura