Kassala
Kassala
كسلا | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 | |
  Kassala Location in Sudan | |
| Coordinates:15°27′N36°24′E/ 15.450°N 36.400°E | |
| Country |  Sudan |
| State | Kassala State |
| Population (2002) | |
| • Total | 957,000[1] |
Kassala(Arabic:كسلا) is the capital of the state ofKassalain easternSudan.In 2002 its population was recorded to be 957,000.[1]Built on the banks of theGash River,it is a market town and is famous for its fruit gardens. Many of its inhabitants are from theHadendawasub-tribe of theBejaethnic group.
The town 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 town has been salvaged or fallen into disrepair. Kassala's location along the mainKhartoum-Port Sudanhighway makes it an important trade center.
History[edit]
Neolithic[edit]
The ancient settlement ofMahal Teglinosflourished here during the EarlyGash Groupphase (ca. 2800–2500 BC). Egyptian jars dating from this period have been found here.[2]At that time, the inhabitants at Mahal Teglinos were already trading withEgypt,Nubia,and the southernArabian Peninsula.[3]
Mahal Teglinos settlement continued after that, and also flourished during the late Gash Group phase (ca. 1900–1700 BC).[3]
Modern[edit]
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the town was a key node in the west–east trade route, linking the coastal ports ofMassawaandSuakinwith the Sudan and farther west.[4]The town was conquered byOttomansoldiers ofEgyptianviceroyMuhammad Aliin 1840 during his military offensive into Sudan. In 1885, Kassala was subsequently captured by theMahdists.In 1894, after theBattle of KassalatheItalianscaptured the city from the Mahdists. In 1897, the Kingdom of Italy returned Kassala to theKingdom of Egyptin order to get international recognition of the Italian colony ofEritrea.In 1899, Kassala fell under the purview ofAnglo-Egyptian Sudanuntil Sudanese independence in 1956.
In July 1940, during theEast African Campaign,Italian forces advancing fromItalian East Africaforced the local British garrison to withdraw from Kassala. The Italians then occupied the city with brigade-sized units:[5]on July 4, 1940 the Italians started their offensive with 2,500 men (and one brigade of cavalry) supported by 24 tanks, while to defend Kassala for Britain there were 1,300 colonial soldiers with their British officers who -after some initial heavy fighting- were easily defeated. The Italians later appointed as mayor of Kassala the future hero of Eritrean independence,Hamid Idris Awate.In mid-January 1941, the Italians withdrew from the city and a British garrison returned.
Climate[edit]
Kassala has ahot desert climate(Köppen climate classificationBWh) characterized by high temperatures, low precipitation, and abundant sunshine. April through June marks the hottest period of the year, followed by thewet seasonfrom July through September, marked by higher humidity levels and intermittent rainfall. The rest of the year is very dry, with nearly no precipitation from November to March.[6]
| Climate data for Kassala (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1901–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 41.7 (107.1) |
44.5 (112.1) |
45.5 (113.9) |
46.5 (115.7) |
47 (117) |
47.6 (117.7) |
43 (109) |
41.6 (106.9) |
43 (109) |
47 (117) |
42.7 (108.9) |
40.5 (104.9) |
47.6 (117.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 33.9 (93.0) |
36.0 (96.8) |
38.6 (101.5) |
41.0 (105.8) |
41.7 (107.1) |
40.0 (104.0) |
36.6 (97.9) |
34.6 (94.3) |
36.9 (98.4) |
38.9 (102.0) |
37.5 (99.5) |
35.1 (95.2) |
37.6 (99.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 25.7 (78.3) |
27.4 (81.3) |
29.9 (85.8) |
32.8 (91.0) |
34.2 (93.6) |
33.2 (91.8) |
30.4 (86.7) |
28.9 (84.0) |
30.6 (87.1) |
31.9 (89.4) |
30.0 (86.0) |
27.1 (80.8) |
30.2 (86.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 17.4 (63.3) |
18.8 (65.8) |
21.1 (70.0) |
24.5 (76.1) |
26.7 (80.1) |
26.3 (79.3) |
24.2 (75.6) |
23.3 (73.9) |
24.3 (75.7) |
24.9 (76.8) |
22.4 (72.3) |
19.1 (66.4) |
22.7 (72.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 5.0 (41.0) |
5 (41) |
8.9 (48.0) |
11.1 (52.0) |
16.2 (61.2) |
18.5 (65.3) |
17 (63) |
17.2 (63.0) |
17.5 (63.5) |
15.7 (60.3) |
11.1 (52.0) |
6.4 (43.5) |
5 (41) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.00) |
2.1 (0.08) |
12.9 (0.51) |
19.2 (0.76) |
68.6 (2.70) |
88.0 (3.46) |
42.4 (1.67) |
5.4 (0.21) |
0.2 (0.01) |
0.0 (0.0) |
238.9 (9.41) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 5.4 | 7.0 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 21.4 |
| Averagerelative humidity(%) | 42 | 38 | 29 | 26 | 29 | 37 | 53 | 61 | 52 | 40 | 38 | 43 | 41 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 310.0 | 285.6 | 306.9 | 297.0 | 297.6 | 276.0 | 241.8 | 238.7 | 276.0 | 303.8 | 303.0 | 313.1 | 3,449.5 |
| Source 1:NOAA[6][7] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)[8] | |||||||||||||
Current status[edit]
The Kassala region had a child mortality rate of 62 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2014, slightly higher than the national average of 52 child deaths per 1,000.[9]
TheKhatmiyya Mosque,built in 1840 by the Ottomans and damaged during theMahdist War,is the city's most important cultural site. It is an important site for theSufiKhatmiyya order.
Education[edit]
The city is home toKassala University,a public university established in 1990 to replace the East University, and an important institution for development in the east of Sudan.[10] Including Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Faculty of Education,Faculty of Economic and Administration, Faculty of Computer science and IT and more.
Notable people[edit]
- Bushara Abdel-Nadief(footballer)
- Aisha Musa Ahmad(singer)
- Hassan Al-Turabi(politician)
- Muhannad El Tahir(footballer)
- Nizar Hamid(footballer)
- Noor Uthman Muhammed
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ab"GeoHive".Archived fromthe originalon 2006-10-21.Retrieved2007-02-08.
- ^Manzo, A. (2017). Eastern Sudan in its setting: The archaeology of a region far from the Nile Valley. Oxford: Cambridge Monographs in African Archaeology, p. 35
- ^abWinchell, Frank; Brass, Michael; Manzo, Andrea; Beldados, Alemseged; Perna, Valentina; Murphy, Charlene; Stevens, Chris; Fuller, Dorian Q. (2018-11-10)."On the Origins and Dissemination of Domesticated Sorghum and Pearl Millet across Africa and into India: a View from the Butana Group of the Far Eastern Sahel".African Archaeological Review.35(4). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 483–505.doi:10.1007/s10437-018-9314-2.ISSN0263-0338.PMC6394749.PMID30880862.
- ^Miran, Jonathan. "Red Sea Citizens." Indiana University Press, 2009. Page, 87
- ^Map showing in detail the Kassala occupation by Italians (within a green line)
- ^ab"World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Kassala".National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.RetrievedJanuary 21,2024.
- ^"Kassala Climate Normals 1961-1990".National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.RetrievedJanuary 18,2016.
- ^ "Station Kassala"(in French). Meteo Climat.Retrieved22 October2016.
- ^"MICS survey – Table CM.2".
- ^"Kassala University".Sudan Daily Vision.Archived fromthe originalon 2011-09-28.Retrieved2011-09-17.
External links[edit]
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| National | |
