Om Hajar Subregion ( ar, ام حجر) is a

subregion A subregion is a part of a larger region or continent and is usually based on location. Cardinal directions, such as south are commonly used to define a subregion. United Nations subregions The United Nations Statistics Division, Statistics ...

in the western

Gash-Barka Gash-Barka ( ti, ጋሽ-ባርካ, it, Regione di Gasc-Barca) is an Regions of Eritrea, administrative region of Eritrea. It is situated in the south-west of the country, bordering the Anseba region to the north, and the Maekel Region, Maekel (C ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

(Zoba Gash-Barka) of

Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...

. Its capital lies at Om Hajar. The area has a patented history with the Italians and the struggle between the Eritreans and Ethiopians.

Overview

Gash-Setit Gash-Setit is a designated national wildlife reserve and historical area of western Eritrea where its considered to be the northern most point of Africa for elephant habitat. It is located in much of Omhajer District and Haykota District betwee ...

and Om Hajar District is often referred to as "the breadbasket of Eritrea" because the area is agriculturally rich and more fertile than most of Eritrea. Crops such as

sorghum ''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals for human consumption and some in pastures for animals. One species is grown for grain, while many othe ...

millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...

legumes A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock fo ...

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

and

sesame Sesame ( or ; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a flowering plant in the genus ''Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cu ...

are produced in the area. The high agricultural potential of the area was recognized by the Italians during the occupation and in 1928 they established the

Ali Ghider ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...

cotton plantation in the area which provided cotton for the Barattolo Textile Factory in

Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The ...

.Naty, Alexander (ph.D.), ''Potential Conflicts in the Former Gash-Setit Region, Western Eritrea:Threats to Security and Peace''

Citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Lemon, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and lim ...

fruits and

bananas A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...

were also produced in the Gash-Setit but many of the plantations were destroyed during the

Eritrean War of Independence The Eritrean War of Independence was a war for independence which Eritrean independence fighters waged against successive Ethiopian governments from 1 September 1961 to 24 May 1991. Eritrea was an Italian colony from the 1880s until the d ...

in the 1960s or by the Ethiopian army during the 2000 conflict.

Towns and villages

Arcugi Arcugi ( ar, أركوجي) is a village in western Eritrea. It is located in Omhajer District in the Gash-Barka region. It lies inside the Gash-Setit wildlife reserve 6 kilometres south-west of Giamal Biscia. As the name may suggest, the village ...

Giamal Biscia Giamal Biscia ( ar, جمل بيشا) is a village in western Eritrea. It is located in the Omhajer Subregion of the Gash-Barka region. It lies inside the Gash-Setit wildlife reserve 6 kilometres north-east of Arcugi Arcugi ( ar, أركوجي) is ...

Notes

References

Awate.com: Martyr Statistics
Subregions of Eritrea {{eritrea-geo-stub