The Greeks of Eritrea in the 1880s

The Greeks of Eritrea in the 1880s

(Excerpt from the book ‘The Greeks in the horn of Africa’)


The first Greeks settled in Masawa of Eritrea in 1875, when the city was under the Egyptian rule. On 21/4/1886, 6,000 people lived in Masawa. Apart from the Somalis, the Arabs and the Ethiopians, there were also several hundred Greeks who controlled the commercial activity of the harbour, exporting mainly ivory. Climate conditions were very difficult due to the heat and humidity. There was only one hotel in the city that belonged to a Greek.

The Greek community of Burundi in the 1940s.

The Greek community of Burundi in the 1940s.

Members of the Greek community of Vila Pery in Mozambique in 1915.

Members of the Greek community of Vila Pery in Mozambique in 1915.

The Greek traders in Sudan of 1896

The Greek traders in Sudan of 1896


(Excerpt from the book ‘The Greek community of Sudan’)


In 1896, the army of Kitchener departed from Egypt and moved southwards. It was followed by some Greeks who provided the army with food and water. At that time, Wadi Halfa, on the border between Egypt and Sudan, was the end of the railway line that started from Cairo. Since the British wanted to construct a railway up to Khartoum, a distance of 910 km in the middle of the desert, a dozen of Greeks signed a contract with the British Army. Their responsibility was to provide the railway workers with water and food.

Τhe Greeks in Djibouti in 1900

Τhe Greeks in Djibouti in 1900

(Excerpt from the book ‘The Greek presence in the Horn of Africa’)

Apart from the railway workers, who were the majority of the Greek community in Djibouti, in 1900, several traders settled down. Most of them worked as representatives of international European companies or as ship chandlers. In the following years to come, as the Djibouti port evolved into the most important commercial hub of the entire Red Sea, more Greeks settled in the city.