Sudan Things to Do Tips by grets Top 5 Page for this destination

Meroe

One of my main reasons for coming to the Sudan, was seeing the ancinet Kush city of Meroe. In the 4th century BC, Meroe was such a powerful civilisation, it did in fact rule over Egypt for some time.

The pyramids of Meroe are slowly being restored, but it is hard to know whether the ravages of encroaching sand will get to it before there is enough money to complete the restoration project.

Forr more information, see my Meroe page.

Desert

Much of Sudan is covered by desert, so unless you spend all your time in Khartoum, you cannot avoid seeing desert.

I once read that the desert is so featureless that it induces sensory deprivation. I can see where that could easily be the case, as there are miles and miles and miles and miles of flat, monotanous, mind-numbing sandy landscape punctuated only by the odd acacia tree. It's enough to drive anyone insane.

Libyan Souk

One of the most lively markets in Sudan is found in Omdurman - the Libyan Souk. Unfortunately, when we visited it was the second day of Eid and many of the stalls were closed.

You can find all sorts of good for sale here, or just soak up the atmosphere by wandering around taking it all in.

Mahdi's Tomb

Mahdi [Arab.,=he who is divinely guided], in Sunni Islam, the restorer of the faith.

The best known Mahdi was Muhammad Ahmad (1844–1885), a Muslim religious leader who declared himself in 1881.

Having started his career as a boat builder, he began to hear voices telling him to worship his god. He joined the resistance against the Turks (in 1880s Sudan was part of the Ottoman Empire) and led a war of liberation, dying soon after capturing Khartoum.

On his death in 1885, his body was entombed in a silver-domed mosque in Omdurman. After being completely destroyed by Kitchener in 1898, burning the Mahdi's body and throwing his ashes into the river, the Mahdi's son had the mosque and tomb rebuilt in 1947.

The Mahdi's followers, known as Mahdists, for a time made pilgrimages to his tomb at Omdurman and even now it is considered the holiest site in Sudan.

Malik

Kitchener's last gunboat, Malik was brought to the Sudan for the Omdurman Campaign in 1897 in sections on train and camel-back.

In 1898 Kitchener became a national hero when he successfully led the British Army in the fight to win back the Sudan. As a result of his victory at Omdurman he was granted the title Lord Kitchener.

Directions: At the Blue Nile Sailing Club

The Niles

At Khartoum, the confluence of the White Nile and the Blue Nile occurs.

The White Nile is the name used for the 2300 mile long section of the Nile from Khartoum to its origins in Lake Victoria. The Blue Nile rises from Lake Tana in Ethiopia and flows for about 1000 miles before joining the White Nile at Khartoum to become the Nile on its journey to the Mediterranean.

National Museum

The museum is an interesting chronology of Sudan’s history and contains prehistoric artefacts, axes, caste of bushman’s skull, arrowheads, clay pots, copies of rock paintings from 2500 BC, ivory figures, pottery, alabaster jewellery, swords, knives, scarabs, sarcophagi, stone carvings, cartouches, stelae, large wall pictures from historical sites and computer generated images. One of the most fascinating exhibits for me, was a mummy from 800 BC complete with hair and teeth. Many explanations are in English. Entrance fee. Photography not allowed inside the building, but is permitted in the grounds and in Buhin Temple. The museum is open daily from 8.30 to 18.30.

Address: El Neel Avenue, Khartoum

Phone: 249 (11) 70 680

Buhen Temple

This temple was originally built by the Egyptian queen Hatshepsut who reigned about the year 1500 BC. Parts of it was rebuilt by Tuthmosis III who cut out the queen’s name and replaced by his own in many places. The majority of the scenes on the walls show the king making offerings to the gods.

The ancient town of Buhen was on the west bank of the Nile 25km south of Aksha. It was one of the military colonies. Founded in Nubia by the pahaoes of the Twelfth Dynasty (1991-118 BC), it was a rectangular walled town built as a trading station and to guard the southern end of the trade route to Europe.

The temple was moved to its current position in the National Museum in Khartoum in the 1960s as a result of the building of the Aswan Dam.

Directions: In the National Museum, Khartoum

The boat yard

When our guide said we were going to visit a boat yard, I was expecting a large scale industrial site, not just a few wooden planks at the side fo the road. It was, however, very interesting to see how wooden boats are built in the traditional way, using acacia wood.