Edd is a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in the
Southern Red Sea region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
of
Eritrea
Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...
. It is situated on the main highway that connects
Asseb, the former province of
Denkalia
The provinces of Eritrea existed since pre-Axumite times and became administrative provinces from Eritrea's incorporation as a colony of Italy until the conversion of the provinces into administrative regions. Many of the provinces had their own lo ...
, and
Massawa
Massawa or Mitsiwa ( ) is a port city in the Northern Red Sea Region, Northern Red Sea region of Eritrea, located on the Red Sea at the northern end of the Gulf of Zula beside the Dahlak Archipelago. It has been a historically important port for ...
. The majority of the townspeople belong to the
Afar ethnic group.
Overview
Edd was the first port that the
French attempted to take possession of; their presence in the town proved ephemeral. A contract for the settlement's purchase dated 12 September 1840 between Sheikh Mahmud Hasan of Edd and Badri Ali on the one side, and representatives of the
Compagnie Nanto-Bordelaise on the other, survives.
[Text and translation in Sven Rubenson, et al., ''Acta Aethiopica: Correspondence and Treaties, 1800-1854'' (Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 1987), pp. 46f.]
Notes
Populated places in Eritrea
{{Eritrea-geo-stub