Dr. Alexander Naty, the former head of University of Asmara’s Department of Archeology and Anthropology, died today due to complications caused by cerebral malaria.

Dr. Alexander Naty earned his Ph.D. in anthropology from Stanford University in 1992 and conducted his post-doctorate studies at Yale University.  In 1994, he moved to Eritrea and was instrumental in setting up the University of Asmara’s Department of Archeology and Anthropology, where he served as Department Chair and lecturer.  Well known for his studies of the Kunama culture as well as various Eritrean languages, he is widely published and respected and has served as a visiting scholar in many institutions of higher learning.

As reported by Gedab News on October 22, Dr. Alexander Naty, along with his colleague Dr. Abdulkader Saleh, were briefly detained and then fired from their jobs after they returned from an “unauthorized” conference they attended in Germany.

Dr. Alexander Naty, who was 44 years old, is survived by his parents, his wife, Aster, and his daughter, Amaale, which means “surprise” in his native language, Kunama.

A distraught family friend described Dr. Alexander Naty's death as a "huge loss for Eritrea."