1890 Gervasio Bird's-Eye View of Massawa, Eritrea

This is a c. 1890 Giovanni Gervasio lithograph bird's-eye view of Massawa, Eritrea, and the surrounding region. The view followed the 1890 declaration of Eritrea as an Italian Colony. It details several Italian military forts and Eritrea's first railroad.

A Closer Look

The view looks on Massawa from the south, with the Abd el Kader Peninsula in the background. The Massawa-Saati railroad runs from the peninsula toward the foreground. It passes the Otumlo Fort, the village of Otumlo, and the Monkullo Fort, which appears on the left border. Numerous ships navigate the coast, with the highest concentration between Massawa and the mainland. Twelve locations are numerically labeled and identified in a key below the border. These include a total of 5 Italian military forts, the palace of the Commander-in-Chief, and an Italian military encampment.

The Massawa-Saati Railroad

The Massawa-Saati Railroad was the first railroad in Eritrea. It was built by the Italian military between 1887 and 1888, two years after the Italians seized the region. It was a narrow-gauge railroad that ran from the Abd el Kader Peninsula through the village of Otumlo (illustrated in this view) to the Monkullo Fort (also in this view). From the Monkullo Fort, the railroad followed several waterways and through a handful of villages until it reached Saati, 27 kilometers away.

Dating This Piece

We used the presence of the railway running from the Abd el Kader Peninsula to date this view. Since the railroad was completed to Saati in 1888, we used c. 1890 as the earliest possible date for this view. Moreover, Italy announced the Colony of Eritrea in 1890, so this view was likely created to help celebrate that event.

Publication History and Census

This view was lithographed by Pagnotta in Naples and published by Giovanni Gervasio c. 1890. This is the only known cataloged example.