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.