Shops & Apartments, Asmara

This is an interesting building in Harnet Avenue, Asmara.

A row of shops occupy the ground floor while the upper floors contain apartments accessed from stairs in the central tower.

The Total signage on the front of the building indicates a garage or service station but there is no evidence of petrol pumps on the street and the central doorway doesn't look wide enough to fit a car.

My favourite detail is the support for the thin flagpole on the central column. Usually these decorative elements follow the rule of three but here we see the rule of four.

Four metal bands supporting the flagpole tapering towards the base.