Agordat, ኣቑርደት (also spelled Akordat or Ak'ordat) is a city in Gash-Barka, Eritrea. It was the capital of the former Barka Province, which was situated between the present-day Gash-Barka and Anseba regions.

History

Excavations in Agordat uncovered pottery related to the C-Group (Temehu) pastoral culture, which inhabited the Nile Valley between 2500 and 1500 BC. Sherds akin to those of the Kerma culture, another community that flourished in the Nile Valley around the same period, were also found at other local archaeological sites in the Barka valley belonging to the Gash Group.

Agordat was the last major town along the Eritrean Railway to Massawa through Asmara. The line continued on through to Bishia, its terminus. The local economy is reliant on passing traders moving between Asmara and Kessela in Sudan.

Overview

Agordat lies in the western part of the country on the Barka River. An important market town and it also home to a large mosque. Agordat has many restaurants, as well as a hospital built during the colonial period in Italian Eritrea. A considerable amount of Eritrea's fruit and vegetables, particularly bananas and oranges, are transported through the town. Additionally, the Akat fruit is grown locally.

Climate

Ak'ordat has a hot arid climate (Köppen BWh) with hot to sweltering temperatures throughout the year and a short wet season from mid-June to mid-September due to the northward extension of the West African Monsoon and the African Easterly Jet.

See also

• History of Eritrea
• Battle of Agordat (1941)
• First Battle of Agordat
• Second Battle of Agordat
• Italian cruiser Agordat