Editing Assab (section)

===19th century===
Assab had limited contact with the hinterland, and until the middle of the 19th century it was nothing more than a tiny [[Afar people|Afar]] fishing village with a population of only 100 people and twenty huts. It gained considerable attention on 15 November 1869 when the port of Assab was bought by the Italian missionary [[Giuseppe Sapeto]] on behalf of the [[Società di Navigazione Rubattino|Rubattino Shipping Company]].<ref>''The Ethiopians: An Introduction to Country and People'', second edition (London: Oxford University Press, 1965), p.&nbsp;90. {{ISBN|0-19-285061-X}}.</ref> Upon reaching Assab, Sapeto found two sultans, the brothers Hasan ibn Ahmed and Ibrahim ibn Ahmed, who were both willing to sell the port for 6,000 Maria Theresa dollars. Sapeto justified his purchase by claiming that the port was ideally situated for Italy due to its proximity to the [[Bab-el-Mandeb]] and he also argued that the port, though nominally under the vassalage of the sultan of [[Sultanate of Aussa|Aussa]], was in fact its own independent polity. Nevertheless, the purchase received considerable controversy in Italy where it was opposed by both the press and the parliament but also attracted strong condemnation by the Egyptians who declared the sale to be illegal.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pankhurst |first=Richard |year=1982 |title=History of Ethiopian towns from the mid 19th century to 1935 |page=295 |publisher=Steiner }}</ref>

The Italian government, impressed by the possibility of developing the port for access to Ethiopia further inland, seized control of the area in 1882 and took steps to open up the route inland to [[Shewa]]. Count {{Interlanguage link|Pietro Antonelli|it}}, the Italian envoy to [[Menelik II]], signed a contract with the Ethiopian ruler, agreeing to supply him with 2,000 Remington rifles which were imported via Assab. Antonelli also visited [[Sultanate of Aussa|Aussa]] in 1883 where he was able to befriend the Afar sultan, Muhammad Hanfari and he convinced him to sign a treaty of commerce with the Italian government. As a result, the trade between Assab and Shewa soon expanded and by the end of the following year Antonelli was able to bring in 50,000 rifles and 10 million cartridges in exchange for 600 camels bearing gold, ivory and civet.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pankhurst |first=Richard |year=1982 |title=History of Ethiopian towns from the mid 19th century to 1935 |page=296 |publisher=Steiner }}</ref>

In 1884, the port was visited by the Italian traveler G.B Licata who estimated the population to be 111 [[Afar people|Afar]]s, 140 [[Arabs]], 43 Italians, 12 [[Abyssinian people|Abyssinians]] and 10 [[Somalis]]. Despite still being a small settlement, Assab was regarded as a place of promise, Licata described it emotionally in 1884 as the beginning of "great things to come. Beautiful for what it will be when Italy will have made it in truth a colony; it is pleasing in fact because it is a young thing, and touching as an Italian thing."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pankhurst |first=Richard |year=1982 |title=History of Ethiopian towns from the mid 19th century to 1935 |page=298 |publisher=Steiner }}</ref>

Following the occupation of [[Massawa]] in 1885, the settlement inevitably declined. The occupation of the more northernly town provided the Italians with a much larger port that gave them easier access to Ethiopia. The port's firearm trade with [[Shewa]] also broke down due to the outbreak of hostilities with [[Menelik II]]. After the disastrous [[Battle of Adwa]], Assab was largely forgotten and the Italians concentrated their interest on Massawa.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pankhurst |first=Richard |year=1982 |title=History of Ethiopian towns from the mid 19th century to 1935 |page=299 |publisher=Steiner }}</ref>