Kerma

I’m sorry I haven’t written in awhile but I have been busy with school work and some other things. But there is still more to tell about my trip to Dongola. After the Eid, we still had a full day in Mashu before heading back to Khartoum and Amar’s uncle mentioned to me that there were some ancient ruins nearby. Being a history buff, I am always interested in historical sites so we set off for the ancient city of Kerma. The ruins are outside of a town on the other side of the Nile from Mashu so the journey itself was pretty cool. Amar’s uncle, Abubeida, has lived in Mashu his whole life and he was our tour guide for the day. He first showed me some old buildings in Mashu that were really neat. We saw the remains of the first mosque ever built in Mashu and some very old houses. The houses were built out of mud and they had these huge doors that were ornately decorated and very beautiful. We also walked through an old cemetery and saw an old burial mound. Abubeida pointed out the bones and even pulled out a tooth from the mound. Although it might sound weird, I kept the tooth and it’s now sitting on my bedside table. An interesting souvenir, for sure. We then made our way down to the river and caught a ferry to a big island in the Nile across from Mashu. When I say ferry, I mean an old, beat up, flat-bottom boat with a little outboard engine. Although it was a short trip, maybe 250 meters, it was very pleasant and I couldn’t help but think about all the people throughout history that have ridden boats across the Nile River. We then walked across the island which was very cool. The island is covered in what are essentially date palm forests with small houses tucked in among the trees. It was very beautiful and the people living on the island obviously live a very simple life. There are no cars on the island either so it was very quiet and peaceful. We took our time walking across the island, enjoying the shade of the palm trees the whole way, and eventually came out on the other side. There we caught another “ferry” to Al Borgaig, a fairly big town on the other side of the Nile. And this was where the real exercise began. Kerma is outside of Al Borgaig, away from the river, so we had to walk across town and then through a bunch of agricultural fields to get there. I would estimate it was about 2 miles, which isn’t that bad, except there was no shade and in the middle of the day, that African sun really beats down pretty hard. Although I put on some sunscreen before we left Mashu, I ended up getting pretty burnt, but life goes on.

Anyways, we finally got to Kerma and it was quite an impressive site. Kerma was an important city throughout different periods of ancient Sudanese history. The history of Sudan is closely linked with the history of Egypt due to the close proximity of the two countries and the fact that the Nile flows through them both. In ancient times, there was an ebb and flow to their relations as one kingdom would conquer the other and vice versa depending on which empire was stronger at a given time. So there was a significant Egyptian influence in Kerma. Anyways, Kerma was a big city for its time and the buildings were constructed around a massive temple. The remains of the temple are the main attraction today and it is an imposing site. Northern Sudan is a very flat part of the world so while the temple remains are only about 5 or 6 stories tall, it is striking to see something that high in such a flat land. First, we checked out the museum which provided a great overview of Kerma through the different periods of history. It also had some different artifacts found during the excavations. The most impressive pieces were some old statues of Nubian kings found around Kerma. These statues, 6 or 7 in all, had been meticulously pieced together and were very cool. Unfortunately they didn’t allow pictures and a guard basically followed us around so I’ll just have to keep the picture in my mind. After walking through the museum, we made our way outside to the temple. Although it would have been possible and probably pretty fun to climb up the side of the temple, there were some steps and we figured that would be the better route to the top. The views from the top of the temple were very nice and provided an excellent view of the excavated remains of the city. All that’s left of the city buildings are the foundations but you can still get a good idea of the layout. After about 10 or 15 minutes, we decided it was about time to head back to Mashu. We went back the same way that we came and I was absolutely exhausted by the time we got back to Mashu. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Kerma. From taking a ferry across the Nile to walking across the island to seeing some old ruins, it was another experience that I will never forget.

Although I wrote previously that this would conclude the three-part entry about my trip to Dongola, I realized that there is another fascinating experience I had that I must share with you all. The last night I was in Mashu we went to a Sudanese wedding and this experience deserves its own entry so hopefully I will write that soon. As for now, I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season and I wish everyone the best.

The amazing people and simple life of Mashu

As I have written before, the Sudanese are generally very generous and hospitable to foreigners. While this is certainly the case in Khartoum, the people of Mashu and the surrounding villages took this sense of hospitality to a new level. While Dongola is one of the tourist destinations in Sudan, I don’t think too many foreigners make their way to Mashu and I kind of felt like a celebrity. When we first arrived in Mashu, Amar told me that I would be treated like a king, and he was right. It almost became a competition amongst the villagers and everyone wanted me to come to their home for tea or a meal. As I wrote in the previous entry, each meal during the Eid was at a different house and after every meal the host would shake my hand with a big smile and say, “Thank you so much for coming to my home.” It would often be in broken English or through Amar but the sentiment was quite clear. On the last day of Eid, we went to the house of one of Amar’s good friends for breakfast. When we arrived, he greeted me with a big hug and said, through Amar, “Jeremy! We have been waiting all morning for you to get here!” He seemed so proud to show me his house, simple though it may have been. Unfortunately we had to turn down several invitations because there were more invites than there were meals. One day, we were walking through another village to a house for lunch. There was a group of men sitting on the side of the road and when they saw me coming, they called me over and insisted I had a cup of coffee. One of the men then brought out his whole family to meet me and basically begged me to stay for lunch. Keep in mind this was a total stranger, even to Amar and his cousins. It took them some time to convince the man that we had to go to another house for lunch. Although he was disappointed that we couldn’t stay, he thanked me for drinking his coffee and I was just shocked by this man’s generosity. As we walked away and I marveled to Amar about the kindness of the people, he beamed with pride.

There were also many times where I was surrounded by people, usually kids or teenagers, who just wanted to hear me talk. It was obvious that my general appearance and language were hilarious to them because there were several times that they would say things in Arabic and then burst out laughing. It didn’t bother me because I have no idea what they were saying and laughter is always a good thing, even if they were laughing at me. It really made me wish that I knew Arabic because everyone wanted to speak to me but their English was rudimentary at best. However, there were a few locals who spoke English and I had several very interesting conversations. They always wanted to know my thoughts about Sudan and how my experiences contrasted with what we hear about Sudan in the western media. The Sudanese are very aware that their country isn’t painted in the best light in the west and I was happy to tell them how appreciative I was of the Sudanese hospitality and generosity. Many people that I met live in different parts of Sudan and I now have several standing offers to visit different cities and towns around the country.

As you might imagine, life is very simple in these small villages. Agriculture is the primary industry in the area and the Nile River definitely sustains the entire region. The main crops are wheat, beans, and greens that they feed the animals. Dongola is famous throughout Sudan for its dates and there are date palms everywhere. Whenever we walked around, we would throw rocks in the trees to knock down some dates, clean them, and eat them on the spot. Every house had huge sacks filled with dates. The dates were so tasty and I brought two big bags back with me to Khartoum. Many people live a rather primitive lifestyle. There is no indoor plumbing so the bathrooms are basically four walls built around a hole in the ground. They don’t have toilet paper, just a jug of water, so I’ll let you use your imagination to figure out how you clean yourself. Let’s just say there’s a reason why you only eat with your right hand. The “shower” is just an enclosed area with a bucket of water and a bar of soap. The area only got electricity about a year ago when a large dam was built nearby on the Nile. Even without all the so-called modern comforts, the people there have a joy for life. I have had similar experiences in other developing countries that I have visited and it never ceases to amaze me. It just proves that happiness does not come from our material possessions, but rather from human interaction with friends and family. The bonds between the people I met were very strong and everyone seemed to truly care for one another.

Even after only a few days, I honestly felt like part of the community. Everyone I met was so incredibly friendly; they seemed genuinely honored to welcome a foreigner into their village. Everywhere I went, people were telling me that I had to come back and visit them again. I will close with another story that really made me smile. One night after dinner in a nearby village, we were riding back to our house on a donkey cart (a pretty cool experience in itself). A truck drove by and the driver slowed down to say hello. As they drove by, I heard someone in the passenger seat say, “It’s Jeremy!” I have no idea who it was but it just typifies how welcoming the people were throughout my stay. I will never forget the incredible people of Mashu.

The Eid Holiday in Mashu

As I wrote in my last entry, I had a short break from school for the Eid holiday and had the opportunity to travel with my Sudanese friend Amar to his family’s village in Northern Sudan. Let me start by saying that this trip was one of the most incredible experiences of my life and one that I will never forget. I’ve been trying to think of creative ways to organize these blog entries about the trip but nothing has come to me so I am just going to start writing and see where it goes.

The bus ride itself was quite an experience. The drive from Khartoum to Dongola is about six hours of nothing but desert. At first there were some shrubs but after awhile it was nothing but sand. I’ve never seen desert like that before and it was really quite beautiful. There were some small groups of mud huts along the way and God only knows how the people living there survive. We stopped at a kind of rest area with some tents set up and people selling tea and snacks. I asked Amar if there was a restroom and he laughed and pointed to the desert. So I walked out behind the tent a little ways and I must admit it was pretty cool to look out over the desert while I was peeing. Another exciting event was when the bus broke down. We all got out while the driver and some other men tried to fix it and I was having visions of being stranded out in the middle of the desert. Fortunately the problem was fixed after only 15 minutes or so and we made our way to Dongola. Dongola is a state in Northern Sudan and the capital of the state takes the same name. We then took another van to Mashu, Amar’s village, about an hour north of Dongola. The van was packed to the brim and in true African style a couple of guys rode on the roof. There was a beautiful sunset over the desert and after a painful, bumpy ride (no paved roads outside of the capital) we finally arrived. I think word spread quickly that a khawaje (white person) was in town and many people came to see and say hello. After a traditional Sudanese meal of bread and fuul (a bean dish cooked with oil and spices), I got a call from my family back in the States (it was Thanksgiving), which was nice. After a long day of travelling, I was happy to go to bed early and get some much needed rest.

The next day was the start of Eid and the real festivities. Eid is a celebration of when Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac but God gave him a ram instead. In remembrance of this event, Muslims around the world sacrifice sheep. The holiday lasts for three days and is like an extended Thanksgiving. Many Sudanese people return to their villages and then different households sacrifice sheep for a specific meal so each meal is eaten at a different house. In Sudan, breakfast is served around 11, lunch is around 5, and dinner is around 10. The house at which I was staying was responsible for breakfast on the first day of Eid so after everybody went to the mosque to pray in the morning, it was time for the sacrifice. While three people held the sheep down, the man with the knife said Bismila (In the name of God) and cut the throat. And when I say cut the throat, I mean he sawed through the windpipe and everything. There wasn’t as much blood as I expected but the sounds that the sheep made as the life went out of it were not exactly pleasant. But one sheep wasn’t enough for this meal so while two men started to skin the first sheep, another was brought out into the courtyard. As they brought the second sheep out, two people held up a sheet over the first sheep so the second one wouldn’t see his buddy lying there with his throat cut and freak out. After repeating the process with sheep number two, the serious work of cleaning and cutting the meat began. This was a group project and there were probably ten men working together. It was quite an impressive operation and after about thirty minutes all the meat was cut and ready to go.

While watching sheep get slaughtered was pretty cool, the real treat was the meal itself. Meat obviously doesn’t get any fresher than that and it was the best lamb I have ever had. There were four main lamb dishes: cubed meat that was spiced and grilled, meat on the bone that I’m not sure how they cooked, some kind of lamb stew, and grilled liver, which was surprisingly pretty good. Add some bread and a bowl of fuul and you’ve got yourself an Eid feast. All of this food was brought out on huge metal platters and everyone sat around them on the floor and dug in with their hands. When I say hands I mean hand because you only eat with your right hand. This was a little tricky for me seeing as I’m left handed but I managed okay. Also, my mother and sister will love this, the men and women eat separately. And every meal is followed by a delicious cup of tea. Although some households would add another dish, this same basic meal was served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for three days straight. While I never thought I could get sick of lamb, I have to admit that after about the 6th or 7th meal I was ready for something different. But I certainly wasn’t going to complain.

I think that’s enough for one entry and as I’ve been writing, I think I have formulated a way to organize these blog entries about my trip to Dongola. This entry describes the Eid holiday, then I think I will write one about life in Mashu and the people I met there, and finally a description of my visit to the ancient site of Karma. This could certainly change but it sounds good to me now. So hopefully that’s a good teaser and I will try to write those other posts soon.