Dahlak Kebir, one of the more than 360 islands in the Red Sea of Eritrea, is one of the important historical and archeological sites in Eritrea. Dahlak Kebir is historical place for it holds Arab calligraphic writings, which are artistically and marvelously engraved at tomb stones, about 360 wells dug at hard coral rocks, and natural beauty.

Dahlak Island with its strategic position in the Red Sea was used as a harbor for trade transactions between the Arabian Peninsula, the Far East and part of the African mainland after the fall of Adulis in the 17th to 18th c. AD.

According to history books, beginning from the second millennium the Red Sea was the main trade route connecting the Horn of Africa, the Mediterranean Sea and India.