Kassala

{{Infobox settlement

| official_name = Kassala

| native_name = {{lang|ar|كسلا}} (Arabic)
{{lang|ti|ከሰላ}} (Tigrinya)

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| settlement_type = City

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| image_skyline = Kassala center Totil.jpg

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| pushpin_map = Sudan

| pushpin_label_position = left

| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Sudan

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = 25px Sudan

| subdivision_type1 = State

| subdivision_name1 = Kassala State

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| population_as_of = 2025

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| population_total = 411,574{{cite web |title=Wad Medani Population 2025 |url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/cities/sudan/wad-medani#:~:text=Wad%20Medani's%202025%20population%20is,the%20UN%20World%20Urbanization%20Prospects. |website=worldpopulationreview.com}}

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| coordinates = {{coord|15|27|N|36|24|E|region:SD|display=inline}}

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Kassala ({{langx|ar|كسلا}}, {{langx|ti|ከሰላ}}) is the capital of the state of Kassala in eastern Sudan. In 2003 its population was recorded to be 530,950.{{cite web |url=http://www.geohive.com/cntry/sudan.aspx?sub=y&diacrit=1 |access-date=2007-02-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061021022644/http://www.geohive.com/cntry/sudan.aspx?sub=y&diacrit=1 |archive-date=2006-10-21 |title=GeoHive |url-status=dead }} 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

File:ETH-BIB-Volksstamm der Fasi-Wadi vor Fokker in Kassala-Abessinienflug 1934-LBS MH02-22-0158.tif's visit in February 1934. His Swissair Fokker F.VIIb-3 m (CH-192) is in the background.]]

In 1834, the Egyptian Army established Kassala as a garrison town following its conquest of Sudan in 1821. When the Mahdist state was established, the Egyptian garrison in Kassala found itself besieged by Mahdist forces. Under the terms of the 1884 Hewett Treaty, Abyssinian forces led by Ras Alula attempted to rescue the Egyptians. Although Ras Alula successfully defeated the Mahdists at the Battle of Kufit, he was unable to breach Kassala’s defenses and liberate the Egyptians. In 1886, after prolonged resistance, the Egyptian garrison finally surrendered to the Mahdists under Osman Digna.{{cite book |last1=Uhlig |first1=Siegbert |title=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: Volume 3: He-N |date=2003 |pages=354}}

On July 17, 1894, Italy annexed Kassala to Italian Eritrea. The Italians fortified the town and brought stability to the region by pacifying the Beja, the dominant local population. However, Italy's defeat at the Battle of Adwa in 1896 changed Kassala's fate. Italy was forced to evacuate the town after failing to hold it until the arrival of advancing Anglo-Egyptian forces, who re-occupied Kassala and incorporated it into Anglo-Egyptian Sudan.{{cite book |last1=Uhlig |first1=Siegbert |title=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: Volume 3: He-N |date=2003 |pages=354}}

In the early 1900s, a railway was constructed, first linking Kassala to the Red Sea port of Port Sudan—built in 1906 to replace Suakin—and later, in 1929, extending to Sennar on the southern frontiers of the Gezira Cotton Scheme. When the Anglo-Egyptian forces re-established control over Sudan, Kassala developed into a thriving trade center serving the Ethiopian hinterlands. Horticulture was introduced in the fertile lands near the Gash and Barka rivers, and the British later introduced cotton cultivation. The Kassala Cotton Company, a subsidiary of the Sudan Plantations Syndicate, played a role in these developments.{{cite book |last1=Uhlig |first1=Siegbert |title=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: Volume 3: He-N |date=2003 |pages=354}}

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:{{Cite web |url=http://www.centrorsi.it/notizie/images/stories/casssa/cassa%20nastro%20azzurro117.jpg |title=Map showing in detail the Kassala occupation by Italians (within a green line) |access-date=2017-06-11 |archive-date=2021-12-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208214619/http://www.centrorsi.it/notizie/images/stories/casssa/cassa%20nastro%20azzurro117.jpg |url-status=dead }} 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.{{cite book |last1=Uhlig |first1=Siegbert |title=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: Volume 3: He-N |date=2003 |pages=354}}

In 2003, Kassala's population was estimated at 530,950 inhabitants. The town is ethnically diverse, comprising groups such as the Beja, Beni-Amer, Amarar, Bishari, Rashaida, and Halanga, as well as significant immigrant communities from northern and western Sudan, including the Fula and Nuba peoples. The Ethiopian-Eritrean War (1998–2000) displaced an estimated 110,000 Eritreans refugees to the Kassala area, particularly from the border towns of Barentu and Teseney, which were overrun by the Ethiopian Army.{{cite book |last1=Uhlig |first1=Siegbert |title=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: Volume 3: He-N |date=2003 |pages=354}}

Climate

File:نهاية الخريف في كسلا - السودان.jpg

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.

{{Weather box

| width = auto

| collapsed = yes

| metric first = yes

| single line = yes

| location = Kassala (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1901–present)

| Jan record high C = 41.7

| Feb record high C = 44.5

| Mar record high C = 45.5

| Apr record high C = 46.5

| May record high C = 47

| Jun record high C = 47.6

| Jul record high C = 43

| Aug record high C = 41.6

| Sep record high C = 43

| Oct record high C = 47

| Nov record high C = 42.7

| Dec record high C = 40.5

| year record high C =

| Jan high C = 33.9

| Feb high C = 36.0

| Mar high C = 38.6

| Apr high C = 41.0

| May high C = 41.7

| Jun high C = 40.0

| Jul high C = 36.6

| Aug high C = 34.6

| Sep high C = 36.9

| Oct high C = 38.9

| Nov high C = 37.5

| Dec high C = 35.1

| year high C = 37.6

| Jan mean C = 25.7

| Feb mean C = 27.4

| Mar mean C = 29.9

| Apr mean C = 32.8

| May mean C = 34.2

| Jun mean C = 33.2

| Jul mean C = 30.4

| Aug mean C = 28.9

| Sep mean C = 30.6

| Oct mean C = 31.9

| Nov mean C = 30.0

| Dec mean C = 27.1

| year mean C = 30.2

| Jan low C = 17.4

| Feb low C = 18.8

| Mar low C = 21.1

| Apr low C = 24.5

| May low C = 26.7

| Jun low C = 26.3

| Jul low C = 24.2

| Aug low C = 23.3

| Sep low C = 24.3

| Oct low C = 24.9

| Nov low C = 22.4

| Dec low C = 19.1

| year low C = 22.7

| Jan record low C = 5.0

| Feb record low C = 5

| Mar record low C = 8.9

| Apr record low C = 11.1

| May record low C = 16.2

| Jun record low C = 18.5

| Jul record low C = 17

| Aug record low C = 17.2

| Sep record low C = 17.5

| Oct record low C = 15.7

| Nov record low C = 11.1

| Dec record low C = 6.4

| year record low C = 5

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation mm = 0.0

| Feb precipitation mm = 0.0

| Mar precipitation mm = 0.1

| Apr precipitation mm = 2.1

| May precipitation mm = 12.9

| Jun precipitation mm = 19.2

| Jul precipitation mm = 68.6

| Aug precipitation mm = 88.0

| Sep precipitation mm = 42.4

| Oct precipitation mm = 5.4

| Nov precipitation mm = 0.2

| Dec precipitation mm = 0.0

| year precipitation mm = 238.9

| unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

| Jan precipitation days = 0.0

| Feb precipitation days = 0.0

| Mar precipitation days = 0.0

| Apr precipitation days = 0.6

| May precipitation days = 2.0

| Jun precipitation days = 1.9

| Jul precipitation days = 5.4

| Aug precipitation days = 7.0

| Sep precipitation days = 3.3

| Oct precipitation days = 1.0

| Nov precipitation days = 0.1

| Dec precipitation days = 0.0

| year precipitation days = 21.4

| Jan humidity = 42

| Feb humidity = 38

| Mar humidity = 29

| Apr humidity = 26

| May humidity = 29

| Jun humidity = 37

| Jul humidity = 53

| Aug humidity = 61

| Sep humidity = 52

| Oct humidity = 40

| Nov humidity = 38

| Dec humidity = 43

| year humidity = 41

| Jan sun = 310.0

| Feb sun = 285.6

| Mar sun = 306.9

| Apr sun = 297.0

| May sun = 297.6

| Jun sun = 276.0

| Jul sun = 241.8

| Aug sun = 238.7

| Sep sun = 276.0

| Oct sun = 303.8

| Nov sun = 303.0

| Dec sun = 313.1

| year sun = 3449.5

| source 1 = NOAA{{cite web

|url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-1-WMO-Normals-9120/Sudan/CSV/Kassala_62730.csv

|title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Kassala

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|access-date = January 21, 2024}}{{cite web

| url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/RA-I/SU/62730.TXT

| title = Kassala Climate Normals 1961-1990

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| access-date = January 18, 2016}}

|source 2 = Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)

{{cite web

| url = http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/index.php?page=stati&id=1839

| title = Station Kassala

| publisher = Meteo Climat

|language = fr

| access-date = 22 October 2016}}

}}

Current status

File:Khatmiyya Hasan tomb.jpg]]

File:Kassala,Mukram suburb.jpg

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.{{Cite web|url=http://mics.unicef.org/files?job=W1siZiIsIjIwMTYvMDUvMTgvMjEvNTkvNTEvODg3L1N1ZGFuXzIwMTRfTUlDU19FbmdsaXNoLnBkZiJdXQ&sha=32907fc39e6e2e6e|title=MICS survey – Table CM.2|access-date=2019-03-24|archive-date=2019-07-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190706102152/http://mics.unicef.org/files?job=W1siZiIsIjIwMTYvMDUvMTgvMjEvNTkvNTEvODg3L1N1ZGFuXzIwMTRfTUlDU19FbmdsaXNoLnBkZiJdXQ&sha=32907fc39e6e2e6e|url-status=dead}}

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

File: Kassala city 2029.jpg

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.{{cite web

|url=http://www.sudanvisiondaily.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=17521

|title=Kassala University

|work=Sudan Daily Vision

|access-date=2011-09-17

|archive-date=2011-09-28

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928195143/http://www.sudanvisiondaily.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=17521

|url-status=dead

}}

Including Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Faculty of Education,Faculty of Economic and Administration, Faculty of Computer science and IT and more.