# Matara, Eritrea > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Matara%2C_Eritrea > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Matara%2C_Eritrea.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matara%2C_Eritrea > Source revision: 1350150461 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Not to be confused with [Matara, Sri Lanka](/source/Matara%2C_Sri_Lanka). Human settlement in Eritrea Matara Ruins in Matara Eritrea[1] The archaeological site already has yielded evidence of several levels of habitation, including at least two different major cities, covering more than 1000 years. The topmost layers are associated with the Aksumite Empire and date from the fourth to the eighth centuries. This city was allied with or part of the powerful trading empire centered in the capital, Aksum, to the southwest Location of Matara in Eritrea 14°40′29″N 39°25′29″E / 14.674722°N 39.424722°E / 14.674722; 39.424722 Type Settlement Location Debub Region, Eritrea Region Horn of Africa Part of Dʿmt, Aksum History Built Approximately fifth millennium BC **Metera** (መጠራ, **𐩣𐩷𐩧**), also known as **Balaw Kalaw**, is a small [town](/source/Town) and important [archeological site](/source/Archeological_site) located in the [Debub Region](/source/Southern_Region_(Eritrea)) of [Eritrea](/source/Eritrea). Situated a few kilometers south of [Senafe](/source/Senafe) (ሰንዓፈ), it was a major city in the [Dʿmt](/source/D%CA%BFmt) (**𐩵𐩲𐩣𐩩**) and [Aksumite](/source/Kingdom_of_Aksum) kingdoms. The town has the oldest example of [Ge’ez](/source/Ge%CA%BDez), which is a pre-Aksumite Obelisk, [Hawulti (monument)](/source/Hawulti_(monument)). Since Eritrean independence, the [National Museum of Eritrea](/source/National_Museum_of_Eritrea) has petitioned the Ethiopian government to return [artifacts](/source/Artifact_(archaeology)) removed from the site. However, the efforts have thus far been rebuffed.[2] ## History Bronze oil lamp excavated at Matara, dating from the D’MT Kingdom Matara is the name of both a small village and an important archaeological site in Eritrea. The latter is located some 136 kilometers southeast of the capital [Asmara](/source/Asmara), just past Senafe on the road leading south to the border with the northern [Tigray Region](/source/Tigray_Region) of [Ethiopia](/source/Ethiopia). The archaeological site already has yielded evidence of several levels of habitation, including at least two different major cities, covering more than 1,000 years. The topmost layers are associated with the Aksumite Empire and date from the fourth to the eighth centuries. This city was allied with or part of the powerful trading empire centered in the capital, [Aksum](/source/Aksum), to the southwest. It appears that Matara was one of a string of cities along the trade route that ran from Aksum to its port city, [Adulis](/source/Adulis), whose extensive ruins, surveyed but largely unexcavated, are in the vicinity of [Zula](/source/Zula), southeast of [Massawa](/source/Massawa) on the [Red Sea](/source/Red_Sea) coast. [Keskese](/source/Keskese) is located 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) north of Matara.[3] [Hawulti](/source/Hawulti_(monument)), a pre-Aksumite or early Aksumite era [obelisk](/source/Obelisk), is situated here. ## See also - [Adulis](/source/Adulis) - [Keskese](/source/Keskese) - [Nakfa](/source/Nakfa%2C_Eritrea) - [Qohaito](/source/Qohaito) - [Sembel](/source/Sembel) - [Mendefera](/source/Mendefera) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Clay Gilliland (2016-05-28), [*Matara Eritrea*](https://www.flickr.com/photos/26781577@N07/33628113490/), retrieved 2024-06-26 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Eritrea wants artefacts back"](https://web.archive.org/web/20060620005055/http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0%2C%2C2-11-1447_1660407%2C00.html). 2005-10-02. Archived from [the original](http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_1660407,00.html) on 2006-06-20. Retrieved 2007-02-05. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Schmidt2006_3-0)** Schmidt, Peter Ridgway (2006). [*Historical Archaeology in Africa: Representation, Social Memory, And Oral Traditions*](https://books.google.com/books?id=hXAZnnkFJDoC&pg=PA266). Rowman Altamira. p. 266. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-7591-0965-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-7591-0965-0). Retrieved 30 May 2012. ## External links - [Matara](https://web.archive.org/web/20160102110515/http://hometown.aol.com/_ht_a/atobrukh/archaeology/matara/matara.html) This Eritrea location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Eritrea-geo-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3AEritrea-geo-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Eritrea-geo-stub) This African archaeology article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Africa-archaeology-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3AAfrica-archaeology-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Africa-archaeology-stub) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Matara, Eritrea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matara%2C_Eritrea) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matara%2C_Eritrea?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.