If you ever make it to Omdurman, Sudan (across the river from Khartoum) be sure to check out the Omdurman camel market. Or, you can just read my blog… Most of the animals are brought in (on foot – like the old days of the American cowboy) from Darfur and South Sudan since these areas … Continue reading »
With all of this talk of nomadic watering holes, I realized I should discuss the nomads themselves some more. The nomads in Sudan were very interesting to me. I’d first encountered nomads in Afghanistan and have been fascinated by them ever since. Perhaps it is the simplistic beauty of their minimalist lifestyle or the fact … Continue reading »
Our first night out of Khartoum was spent camping in Old Dongala. Old Dongola is situated on the east bank of the Nile opposite the Wadi Al-Malik. Originally founded as a fortress, Old Dongola soon grew into a town. With the arrival of Christianity, it became the capital of the Kingdom of Makuria until the … Continue reading »
Heading out from Old Dongola, Sudan we drove for hours across the desert… …Until arriving at a small town near the Nile (as all towns in Sudan are). The “town” consisted of just a few homes, but Ramadan, our guide and driver, knew one of the families and so we stopped for a visit: The … Continue reading »
I’ve discussed these nomadic wells before, but given that their existence is absolutely essential to the nomadic community, it is worth describing another one. Ramadan spotted this one as we were driving back to Khartoum: The depths of the well… Unlike the last well I described, the water was drawn out of this one by … Continue reading »
Jebel Barkal (also known as Gebel Barkal) was the capital and spiritual center of the ancient black kingdoms of the Nile for nearly a millenium. Around 1450 BC, the Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III extended his empire to that region and considered Jebel Barkal its southern limit. Pharaoh Ramses II constructed a temple to the Theban … Continue reading »
The focus here is on the temple of the ram god Amun in Naga, which is approximately 100 meters in length. After approaching the Temple of Amun by a major ramp from the west, one passes through an alley of ram statues placed on plinths which is followed by the so-called kiosk, a kind of … Continue reading »
