Keren

Keren, Eritrea — a highland market town ringed by granite outcrops, known for its Friday camel market and a laid-back Italian-colonial townscape a world apart from Asmara.

The weekly camel and livestock market draws traders from across the highlands — arrive early for the busiest, most photogenic hours. Keren's old railway station and Art Deco cinema echo the same Italian-colonial period as Asmara, and the hilltop Our Lady of Sorrows shrine, built around a giant baobab tree, is a short walk from the center.