Enda Mariam Cathedral

Enda Mariam is the Orthodox Tewahedo cathedral of Asmara, rebuilt in the 1930s in a design that puts Italian rationalist massing together with the stepped monkey-head wall construction of Aksumite tradition, so the building reads as both at once. Mosaic panels face the towers. It is one of the major religious buildings the UNESCO inscription cites as marking the city's skyline. The monkey-head construction it borrows from is the technique of projecting timber beam ends through stone walls, used in Aksumite building and visible on the towers here. The cathedral is the seat of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church.

What to look for

• The mixed idiom - Italian rationalist form with Aksumite wall construction.
• The towers - the flanking structures faced with mosaic panels.
• The Orthodox interior - the working cathedral of the Eritrean church.
• The skyline role - one of the religious buildings cited in the inscription.

When to go

Year round. Services take priority and the interior is busiest then. Dress code applies at all times.

Practical notes

It is a working cathedral and access depends on services. Photography inside is generally not permitted and restrictions across Asmara are enforced. Shoes are removed at the entrance.

Nearby

Medebar market is east, and Harnet Avenue is south.

Key facts