Adi Tekelezan

Infobox Settlement
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pushpin_mapsize = 300
pushpin_map_caption =Location in Eritrea
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = Region
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subdivision_name1 = Anseba
subdivision_type2 = District
subdivision_name2 = Adi Tekelezan District
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population_total = 4,000
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latd=15|latm=34|lats=02|latNS=N
longd=38|longm=46|longs=43|longEW=E
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Adi Tekelezan (in Tigrinya, Ad Tekelezan in Tigre and Arabic) is a small town in the Anseba region of Eritrea. It is located on the route between Asmara and Keren. It is a thriving commercial center in Eritrea with a population estimated at 4,000.

History

The town was a stop on the ancient Christian pilgrimage to holy sites. The area was first inhabatited by the Tigre but Tigrinya people immigrated to the region.

In the 1920s the Italians constructed the Asmara-Keren highway through the town of Adi Tekelezan. Because of this it was also a very popular rest stop and a marketplace grew up in the town. The town was also the location of the Italian effort to defend Asmara against the oncoming British forces during World War II. [cite book| last=Killion | first=Tom | title=Historical Dictionary of Eritrea |id= ISBN 0-8108-3437-5 | publisher=The Scarecrow Press | year=1998]

During the time of cooperation between the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) and Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) jointly garrisoned the town but were forced to withdraw after the Soviet Union began to assist Ethiopia's war effort.

References