Long ago, Suakin was a busy trading port where merchants from Arabia, Persia, India and Africa all came to swap goods. Ships carried spices, gold, ivory and cloth through its harbour. The city grew wealthy, and its builders used a very special local material: blocks of coral stone, quarried from the shallow reef around the island. Coral stone is light, easy to carve, and stays cool inside even on hot days.
The buildings of Suakin were famous for their beautiful carved wooden screens and decorated doorways. Craftsmen cut elaborate patterns into the wood - flowers, geometric shapes and verses - so that sea breezes could blow through without letting in the fierce sun. Many of the doorways were taller than a double-decker bus and covered in delicate carvings.
The Red Sea around Suakin is still full of life. The coral reefs that once provided building stone are now home to parrotfish, clownfish, moray eels and sea turtles. Dugongs - gentle sea mammals that may have inspired mermaid legends - feed on the sea grass nearby. Efforts are being made to restore some of Suakin's old buildings so that future visitors can see what the coral city looked like in its grandest days.