Sudan - Kingdom of the Black Pharaohs

Dossier

Our Kingdom of the Black Pharaohs tour offers you the chance to visit the amazing sites of northern Sudan in comfort, staying in comfortable hotels and tented camps, and so is ideal for those who would prefer not to camp. On this short trip we visit some the key sites of the incredible ancient civilisations of Sudan, spending time at the ancient monuments and pyramids around Jebel Barkal, visiting the stunning Royal Necropolis at Meroe and the impressive sites of Naqa and Musawwarat. We cross foreboding desert landscapes, and hope to meet families of local nomads en route, as well as stopping at Nubian villages to meet friendly inhabitants. This is an ideal trip for those wishing to visit some of Sudan’s key highlights in a short space of time.

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Day 1 - Khartoum
Arrive in Khartoum and transfer to the hotel. The rest of the day is free to relax or explore. Overnight Grand Holiday Villa hotel or similar.

Khartoum
Strategically situated at the confluence of the Blue and White branches of the Nile, Khartoum has a relatively short history. It was first established as a military outpost of Egypt in 1821, and then grew rapidly in prosperity due to the slave trade, becoming as important in the trade as Zanzibar. In 1834 it became the capital of the Sudan, with many European expeditions into the ‘interior’ using it as a base. Khartoum achieved notoriety in Victorian Britain in the 1880s. A Mahdist rebellion to the west was gathering pace, and General Gordon was despatched to Khartoum to assist the beleaguered Egyptian forces. Gordon refused to evacuate the capital, and a long siege led to it eventually being overrun by rebels, with Gordon’s head being severed and presented to the Mahdi. Later, Kitchener reclaimed Khartoum for Britain and Egypt and began the rebuilding of the city, using the shape of the British flag to design its streets, believing that this would make it easier to defend. Today Khartoum is a quiet, unremarkable city. It has peaceful, tree-lined streets, and in some ways still bears the unmistakable mark of an outpost of the British Empire.

Day 2 - Khartoum – Karima
We visit the Archaeological Museum that, besides many beautiful objects, contains two full temples rescued by UNESCO and moved from the Lake Nasser area, when it was flooded following the construction of the Aswan Dam. After lunch, we begin the journey northward through the Western desert, reaching the Nile and the small town of Merowe from where we cross the river to reach the Nubian Rest House, located at the foot of the Jebel Barkal. Dinner and overnight at the rest house. (BLD)

Desert journey
We travel through the flat desert before reaching Wadi Muqaddam with its many acacia trees. This is an ‘inhabited’ desert; near the water wells we can meet small groups of Bishariyyin nomads who bring their animals here for water. These nomads live in tents formed by a frame made of branches and covered with a big length of camelhair cloth. You can tell the difference among the various sub-tribes from their tattoos and stripping of flesh on their cheeks and foreheads. Meeting these nomads is always a pleasure; they show a high sense of hospitality. We will stop en route at the ‘chai houses’, literally teahouses, which are a sort of very spartan motorway service area, in the desert where the local truck drivers usually stop.

Day 3 - Karima, Jebel Barkal and the Necropolis of El Kurru
Visit the ancient monuments around Jebel Barkal, including its pyramids and temples, before heading towards the royal cemetery at El Kurru. We then head into the desert to an area that contains numerous fossils, before heading back to Karima. Overnight at the rest house. (BLD)

Jebel Barkal and El Kurru
A landmark in the Nubian Desert, Jebel Barkal (‘Jebel’ means mountain in Arabic), can be seen from dozens of kilometres away. At the foot of this wonderful, isolated red sandstone mountain, considered holy since the ancient times, there is a large temple, dedicated to the Pharaohs of the New Reign and to their patron Amun. Besides the ruins of the temple there are several sculptured granite rams that supposedly formed a border along an avenue that led to a pier on the Nile. We visit the Royal Necropolis of the ancient city of Napata, the Nubian capital (from 800 to 400 BC) before the Meroitic period. It has a large number of pyramids in three different locations: a few hundred metres north of Jebel Barkal, at El Kurru, south from the mountain and at Nuri, which is located on the other bank of the Nile. At the village of El Kurru lies one of the necropolises of the ancient capital Napata. Here we visit two tombs, which are excavated in the rock under pyramids, partially collapsed and are fully decorated with images of the Pharaoh, of the gods and with multicolour hieroglyphic inscriptions.

Day 4 - Karima - the Nubian Desert and to the 4th Cataract 
This morning we make a short visit to the market in Karima, an ideal opportunity to meet the Sudanese people. We then head north, travelling into the Nubian Desert. It is an almost sterile area, where little vegetation survives. We then reach the beautiful granite rocky formations of the 4th Cataract, with its many rapids. Among the rocks are some villages whose inhabitants cultivate small fields on the edge of the desert. The sense of hospitality of these people is very high and they often invite travellers into their houses to drink a cup of ‘chai’, usually made with spices. Later we return to Karima. Overnight at the rest house. (BLD)

Nubian people
Ancient Nubia, stretching through northern Sudan and southern Egypt, was the home of Africa's earliest black civilization with a history which can be traced back to 2000 BC, through monuments, artefacts and written records from Egypt and Rome. In antiquity, Nubia was a land of great natural wealth, of gold mines, ebony, ivory and incense which was always prized by her neighbours. Nubia’s location frequently brought it into conflict with its neighbour to the north, Egypt, and throughout ancient history there were periods when Nubian rulers held sway over Egypt, and vice versa. The traditional homeland of the Nubians was hugely disrupted with Nasser’s building of the Aswan Dam in southern Egypt, a project that flooded Nubian villages and monuments and caused the local population to have to relocate. Nubians today have their own language and are divided into three main groups – the Mahas, the Danaqla and the Sikurta, each speaking slightly different dialects.

Day 5 - Karima – Meroe
Cross the Nile by local ferry, giving us a great opportunity to meet local people and to experience some of their kindness and hospitality. After the river crossing we enter the Bayuda desert, an area bounded by the loop formed by the Nile between the 4th and the 6th Cataracts. We then reach the pyramids of the Royal Necropolis of Meroe standing on a hill, with more than 40 pyramids, some of them in perfectly preserved condition. Finally we arrive at our tented camp, where we spend the night. (BLD)

Bayuda Desert
The Bayuda Desert is characterised by sharp black basalt mountains, most of them volcanic and typically cone-shaped. They alternate with level pebble stretches and large valleys with dry wadis passing through areas where only a little vegetation can be seen, together with some gazelles. It is very likely we will meet an isolated camel and donkey caravan of the Bishariyyin nomads. They live in family groups in small huts made of intertwined branches close to the rare water wells, in areas where surviving seems almost impossible.

Day 6 - Meroe
We spend today visiting the Necropolis and the Royal City of Meroe, giving us a fascinating insight into a culture and civilisation long since passed. The Royal Necropolis of Meroe is located about 3 kms from the Nile on some hills covered with yellow sand dunes. More than 40 pyramids stand out with their sharp shapes against the clear sky, most of them in a perfect condition. We then move along the Nile to visit the ruins of the Royal City. Overnight at the tented camp. (BLD)

Meroe
Meroe was the capital of the kingdom of Kush, becoming more important when the Royal Cemetery was moved there from its previous position at Napata. Its significance and power within the region was based on the skill of its metalworkers, iron being a product that was in great demand in the ancient world, and it was also an important trading power with links to both India and China. During its prominence, from around the 8th century BC to the 3rd century AD, the Kushite or Meroitic empire held sway over large swathes of the surrounding area, including as far away as Lake Chad. Its rich civilisation has left numerous pyramids, very different from their better known cousins in Egypt and with far fewer tourists, making them an absolute pleasure to explore. Each one has its own funerary chapel with the walls fully decorated with bas-reliefs depicting numerous scenes. In the afternoon we move along the Nile to visit the ruins of the royal city. The excavations confirm that the town of Meroe used to cover a large area and the royal city was located in a central position, surrounded by suburbs and a boundary wall. Most of the area where the city is located, formed by many small hills covered by red clay fragments, has still to be excavated by the archaeologists.

Day 7 - Meroe - the Naqa and Musawwarat Temples
We spend the morning visiting the impressive archaeological sites of Naqa and Musawwarat. After a picnic lunch we then return towards the Nile and stop at the town of Shendi to visit the market, once famous for its slaves. In the afternoon return to the camp at Meroe where we will spend the night. (BLD)

Naqa and Musawwarat
The site of Naqa is located about 30 km to the east of the Nile and is one of best preserved relics of the kingdom of Kush. In Naqa, a typical Saharan environment with rocks and sand, there is the Apedemak Temple (1st century AD): a wonderful building with bas-relief decorations and containing images of the Kushite lion-headed god Apedemak, of the Pharaoh and of noblemen. Nearby is a small construction with arches and columns, known as the ‘Kiosk’, in which we can clearly see the Egyptian, Roman and the Greek styles. Not far away is another temple dedicated to Amun with many statues of rams and a beautiful temple entrance decorated with bas-reliefs. In Musawwarat, a short distance from Naqa, a settlement was located in a valley crowned by hills. Today the ruins of a very large temple, which once played an important role, are visible. A large number of elephants can be seen on the walls, which indicate that this animal used to have an important role in this area. Beyond the large wadi there is another temple - recently restored by a German archaeological mission, dedicated to the Apedemak God.

Day 8 - Meroe – Omdurman – Khartoum
After breakfast we drive south and after about 50 km, we enter a desert area covered with huge round granite boulders; these are the last offshoots of the rocky formations of the 6th Cataract. A detour off the asphalt road leads us near the Nile where these formations are even more impressive. Late morning arrival to Omdurman, ancient capital of Sudan. Visit the interesting souk, where it is possible to buy some typical local handicrafts. We transfer to Khartoum and our hotel where day rooms are provided until departure. Later transfer to the airport for your flight home. (BL)

Omdurman Omdurman is today effectively part of Khartoum, but was once a small village on the banks of the Nile which the Mahdi made his base during his campaign against the British in the late 19th century. With the massacre of British forces and the death of Gordon, the Mahdi’s successor moved the capital from Khartoum to Omdurman. This was only in place for a short while however, until the Battle of Omdurman in 1898, when the Khalifa was killed along with 10,000 of his men and General Kitchener re-established Khartoum as the capital of Sudan. Today it contains the tomb of the Mahdi, seen by some as the first African anti-colonialist, the house of the Khalifa, and the souq, the largest market in Sudan selling just about everything you can imagine. A walk through here is to experience the very essence of the country, and a quintessential Sudanese experience.

Please note that on occasion this trip may be run in the reverse direction.

Tour style: Pioneer

Inclusions:

Arrival and departure transfers
All accommodation on twin share basis
Services of English speaking guide / tour leader
Meals as listed (B – Breakfast, L – Lunch, D – Dinner)
Entrance fees for sites listed as part of the itinerary

Excluded:

International flights
Any airport taxes
Travel Insurance
Visas
Drinks

Please note that this tour is operated and sold in conjunction with our local partner, and so you may be travelling with people of different nationalities.

Please note that you should also read the Country Notes in association with this itinerary for practical information about your trip and the destination you will be visiting.

The itinerary and supplementary information has been compiled with care and provided in good faith. However it may be subject to change, and does not form part of a contract between the client and Undiscovered Destinations.