Akkele Guzay was a province in the interior of Eritrea until 1996, when the newly independent national government consolidated all provinces into six regions. The province's population predominantly consisted of followers of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church. Traditionally a part of the Kebessa (Eritrean Highlands), it is the locality of the town of Dekemhare. The province is now mostly part of the Northern Red Sea and Debub (Southern) regions.