A small village that existed on the site of this city since the XII century, was turned into a modern city of the Western type during the Italian rule from the end of the XIX century, and especially in 1935-1941, when Eritrea became a springboard for the capture of Ethiopia by Italians. As a result, the world's largest solid ensemble of buildings from this period emerged. Along with the "classical" modernism, buildings in the Art Deco and Novecento styles can be seen in Asmara. At the time of its creation, the city was in line with the notions of modern living standards: for example, it had more traffic lights than Rome in the late 1930s.
Asmara was called “little Rome” not only because of its “metropolitan” appearance, but also because of the typical Italian layout elements - numerous squares with cafes and shops.
Later, after the departure of the Italians, Asmara became known as a "frozen city": in the poor province of Ethiopia, torn apart by civil war, then turned into an equally poor independent country, there is a beautiful city with parks and wide avenues, in which there are no slums, and which makes an impression scenery from a 1940s American film.
Now UNESCO is considering the possibility of awarding the entire city as a whole of the status of a World Heritage Site.
