Bar Zilli

Bar Zilli (ባር ዚሊ)
Bar Zilli
Restaurant information
Established	1930; 95 years ago (1930)
Food type	Eritrean cuisine
Street address	Sematat St. & Beirut
City	Asmara
Country	Eritrea

Bar Zilli is a building located in central Asmara, Eritrea.[1] Currently, it operates as a restaurant and it serves as a commonly identifiable landmark to Asmara residents.

History

Bar Zilli was built during the late stages of Italian colonial rule[2] and was architecturally modeled according to the art style of Art Deco.

Architecture

Bar Zilli is an easily-recognizable building that was featured in a Fodor's Architectural publication. The architecture is described as featuring a "curved façade with a mix of central vertical windows and small horizontal strips at the corners are the reasons why experts have called this structure “idiosyncratic” and “distinctive.”[3]

According to a New York Times article written in 2017," The Bar Zilli building looks like an old-fashioned radio set, with windows like tuning buttons."[4]

Bar Zilli Gallery

• 
  Bar Zilli stands as a symbol of Asmara's distinctive city design. As recognized by UNESCOWorld Heritage Site.[5]
• 
  Side profile of Bar Zilli.

References

1. "Bar-Zili".
2. "Bar Zilli | Asmara, Eritrea Nightlife". Lonely Planet.
3. Siegel, Suzi (August 26, 2019). "The Beautiful Architecture of Eritrea". Fodors Travel Guide.
4. Freytas-Tamura, Kimiko de (July 10, 2017). "Art Deco Buildings Make Asmara, Eritrea, a Unesco Heritage Site (Published 2017)". The New York Times.
5. "Asmara: a Modernist City of Africa". U.S. Embassy in Eritrea. July 10, 2017.