Massawa, also known as Mitsiwa or Massaoua is a port city on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea, important for many centuries, it has been colonised by Egypt, the turkish Ottoman Empire, Italy, England and was finally part of Ethiopia until the independence of Eritrea in 1991 after a long war, the old town is still full of old houses, but many are in ruins, as heavy fights took place between eritrean and ethiopian armies; Massawa is the place to reach the Dalhak archipelago © Eric Lafforgue www.ericlafforgue.com