Medeber, in the dusty quarters east of the main mosque, is a recycling market run on the principle that nothing is rubbish if you have a hammer. Hundreds of workshops sit cheek by jowl around a sprawling courtyard, hammering, welding, and cutting scrap into useful tools, kitchenware, lamps, and furniture.
Visitors are welcome but it is a working market — wear closed shoes, watch for sparks, and ask before photographing people. The smiths are mostly happy to chat in a mixture of Tigrinya, Italian, and English. A morning walk through Medeber is one of the best ways to understand what Asmara is really about: making do, beautifully.