Kassala | |
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City | |
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  Kassala Location in Sudan | |
| Coordinates:15°27′N36°24′E / 15.450°N 36.400°E /15.450; 36.400 | |
| Country |  Sudan |
| State | Kassala State |
| Population (2025) | |
• Total | 411,574[1] |
Kassala (Arabic:كسلا,Tigrinya:ከሰላ) is the capital of the state ofKassala in easternSudan. In 2003 its population was recorded to be 530,950.[2] Built on the banks of theGash River, it is a market city and is famous for its fruit gardens. Many of its inhabitants are from theHadendawa sub-tribe of theBeja ethnic group.
The city 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 city has been salvaged or fallen into disrepair. Kassala's location along the mainKhartoum-Port Sudan highway makes it an important trade center.
In 1834, theEgyptian Army established Kassala as a garrison town following its conquest of Sudan in 1821. When theMahdist state was established, the Egyptian garrison in Kassala found itself besieged by Mahdist forces. Under the terms of the 1884Hewett Treaty, Abyssinian forces led byRas Alula attempted to rescue the Egyptians. Although Ras Alula successfully defeated the Mahdists at theBattle of Kufit, he was unable to breach Kassala’s defenses and liberate the Egyptians. In 1886, after prolonged resistance, the Egyptian garrison finally surrendered to the Mahdists underOsman Digna.[3]
On July 17, 1894, Italy annexed Kassala toItalian Eritrea. The Italians fortified the town and brought stability to the region by pacifying theBeja, the dominant local population. However, Italy's defeat at theBattle of Adwa in 1896 changed Kassala's fate. Italy was forced to evacuate the town after failing to hold it until the arrival of advancing Anglo-Egyptian forces, who re-occupied Kassala and incorporated it intoAnglo-Egyptian Sudan.[4]
In the early 1900s, a railway was constructed, first linking Kassala to the Red Sea port ofPort Sudan—built in 1906 to replaceSuakin—and later, in 1929, extending toSennar on the southern frontiers of the Gezira Cotton Scheme. When the Anglo-Egyptian forces re-established control over Sudan, Kassala developed into a thriving trade center serving the Ethiopian hinterlands. Horticulture was introduced in the fertile lands near the Gash and Barka rivers, and the British later introduced cotton cultivation. The Kassala Cotton Company, a subsidiary of the Sudan Plantations Syndicate, played a role in these developments.[5]
In July 1940, during theEast African Campaign, Italian forces advancing fromItalian East Africa forced the local British garrison to withdraw from Kassala. The Italians then occupied the city with brigade-sized units:[6] 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.[7]
In 2003, Kassala's population was estimated at 530,950 inhabitants. The town is ethnically diverse, comprising groups such as theBeja,Beni-Amer,Amarar,Bishari,Rashaida, and Halanga, as well as significant immigrant communities from northern and western Sudan, including theFula andNuba peoples. TheEthiopian-Eritrean War (1998–2000) displaced an estimated 110,000 Eritreans refugees to the Kassala area, particularly from the border towns ofBarentu andTeseney, which were overrun by theEthiopian Army.[8]
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 season from 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.[9]
| 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) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (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[9][10] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)[11] | |||||||||||||
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.[12]
TheKhatmiyya Mosque, built in 1840 by the Egyptians and damaged during theMahdist War, is the city's most important cultural site. It is an important site for theSufiKhatmiyya order.
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.[13]Including Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Faculty of Education,Faculty of Economic and Administration, Faculty of Computer science and IT and more.
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