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Kassala

كسلا (Arabic)
ከሰላ (Tigrinya)
Kassala كسلا (Arabic); ከሰላ (Tigrinya)
City
	Kassala Location in Sudan
	Coordinates: 15°27′N 36°24′E / 15.450°N 36.400°E
Country	Sudan
State	Kassala State
Population (2002)
• Total	957,000

Kassala (Arabic: كسلا, Tigrinya: ከሰላ) is the capital of the state of Kassala in eastern Sudan. In 2002 its population was recorded to be 957,000.^[1] Built on the banks of the Gash River, it is a market city and is famous for its fruit gardens. Many of its inhabitants are from the Hadendawa sub-tribe of the Beja ethnic group.

The city was formerly a railroad hub, however, as of 2006 there was no operational railway station in Kassala and much of the track leading to and from the city has been salvaged or fallen into disrepair. Kassala's location along the main Khartoum-Port Sudan highway makes it an important trade center.

History

Neolithic

The ancient settlement of Mahal Teglinos flourished here during the Early Gash Group phase (ca. 2800–2500 BC). Egyptian jars dating from this period have been found here.^[2] At that time, the inhabitants at Mahal Teglinos were already trading with Egypt, Nubia, and the southern Arabian Peninsula.^[3]

Mahal Teglinos settlement continued after that, and also flourished during the late Gash Group phase (ca. 1900–1700 BC).^[3]

Modern

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the city was a key node in the west–east trade route, linking the coastal ports of Massawa and Suakin with the Sudan and farther west.^[4] The city was conquered by Ottoman soldiers of Egyptian viceroy Muhammad Ali in 1840 during his military offensive into Sudan. In 1885, Kassala was subsequently captured by the Mahdists. In 1894, after the Battle of Kassala the Italians captured the city from the Mahdists. In 1897, the Kingdom of Italy returned Kassala to the Kingdom of Egypt in order to get international recognition of the Italian colony of Eritrea. In 1899, Kassala fell under the purview of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan until Sudanese independence in 1956.

In July 1940, during the East African Campaign, Italian forces advancing from Italian East Africa forced the local British garrison to withdraw from Kassala. The Italians then occupied the city with brigade-sized units:^[5] on July 4, 1940 the Italians started their offensive with 2,500 men (and one brigade of cavalry) supported by 24 tanks, while to defend Kassala for Britain there were 1,300 colonial soldiers with their British officers who -after some initial heavy fighting- were easily defeated. The Italians later appointed as mayor of Kassala the future hero of Eritrean independence, Hamid Idris Awate. In mid-January 1941, the Italians withdrew from the city and a British garrison returned.

Climate

Kassala has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh) characterized by high temperatures, low precipitation, and abundant sunshine. April through June marks the hottest period of the year, followed by the wet season from July through September, marked by higher humidity levels and intermittent rainfall. The rest of the year is very dry, with nearly no precipitation from November to March.^[6]

Climate data for Kassala (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1901–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	41.7 (107.1)	44.5 (112.1)	45.5 (113.9)	46.5 (115.7)	47 (117)	47.6 (117.7)	43 (109)	41.6 (106.9)	43 (109)	47 (117)	42.7 (108.9)	40.5 (104.9)	47.6 (117.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	33.9 (93.0)	36.0 (96.8)	38.6 (101.5)	41.0 (105.8)	41.7 (107.1)	40.0 (104.0)	36.6 (97.9)	34.6 (94.3)	36.9 (98.4)	38.9 (102.0)	37.5 (99.5)	35.1 (95.2)	37.6 (99.7)
Daily mean °C (°F)	25.7 (78.3)	27.4 (81.3)	29.9 (85.8)	32.8 (91.0)	34.2 (93.6)	33.2 (91.8)	30.4 (86.7)	28.9 (84.0)	30.6 (87.1)	31.9 (89.4)	30.0 (86.0)	27.1 (80.8)	30.2 (86.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	17.4 (63.3)	18.8 (65.8)	21.1 (70.0)	24.5 (76.1)	26.7 (80.1)	26.3 (79.3)	24.2 (75.6)	23.3 (73.9)	24.3 (75.7)	24.9 (76.8)	22.4 (72.3)	19.1 (66.4)	22.7 (72.9)
Record low °C (°F)	5.0 (41.0)	5 (41)	8.9 (48.0)	11.1 (52.0)	16.2 (61.2)	18.5 (65.3)	17 (63)	17.2 (63.0)	17.5 (63.5)	15.7 (60.3)	11.1 (52.0)	6.4 (43.5)	5 (41)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.1 (0.00)	2.1 (0.08)	12.9 (0.51)	19.2 (0.76)	68.6 (2.70)	88.0 (3.46)	42.4 (1.67)	5.4 (0.21)	0.2 (0.01)	0.0 (0.0)	238.9 (9.41)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.6	2.0	1.9	5.4	7.0	3.3	1.0	0.1	0.0	21.4
Average relative humidity (%)	42	38	29	26	29	37	53	61	52	40	38	43	41
Mean monthly sunshine hours	310.0	285.6	306.9	297.0	297.6	276.0	241.8	238.7	276.0	303.8	303.0	313.1	3,449.5
Source 1: NOAA^[6]^[7]
Source 2: Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)^[8]

Current status

The Kassala region had a child mortality rate of 62 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2014, slightly higher than the national average of 52 child deaths per 1,000.^[9]

The Khatmiyya Mosque, built in 1840 by the Ottomans and damaged during the Mahdist War, is the city's most important cultural site. It is an important site for the Sufi Khatmiyya order.

Education

The city is home to Kassala University, a public university established in 1990 to replace the East University, and an important institution for development in the east of Sudan.^[10] Including Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Faculty of Education,Faculty of Economic and Administration, Faculty of Computer science and IT and more.