Silk in Ancient Nubia: One Road, Many Sources
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Evolution and Changes in the Morphologies of Sudanese Cities Mohamed Babiker Ibrahima* and Omer Abdalla Omerb
Urban Geography, 2014 Vol. 35, No. 5, 735–756, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02723638.2014.919798 Evolution and changes in the morphologies of Sudanese cities Mohamed Babiker Ibrahima* and Omer Abdalla Omerb aDepartment of Geography, Hunter College of the City University of New York, New York, NY 10065, USA; bDepartment of Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Hospitality, and Tourism, The University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27412, USA (Received 20 March 2013; accepted 17 March 2014) This article investigates the morphological evolution of Sudanese cities. The study of morphology or urban morphology involves consideration of town planning, building form, and the pattern of land and building utilization. Sudan has a long history of urbanization that contributed to the establishment of an early Sudanese civilization and European-style urban centers that have shaped the morphology of today’s cities. We identify three broad morphologies: indigenous, African-Islamic, and European style (colonial). The ongoing, rapid urbanization of African cities in general and Sudanese cities in particular points to a need to understand the structure of this urbanization. The morphology of cities includes not only physical structure, but the cultural heritage, economic, and historical values on which it is based. Therefore, preservation, redeve- lopment, and urban policy underlying future urban expansion must be based on the nature of cities’ morphologies and development. Keywords: urban morphology; indigenous cities; African-Islamic cities; European- style cities; Sudan Introduction The objective of this study is to investigate the evolving urban morphology of several Sudanese cities. Sudan has a long history of urbanization, beginning at the time of the Meroitic kingdom that flourished in the central part of the country from approximately 300 BCE to 350 CE (Adams, 1977; Shinnie, 1967). -
Africans: the HISTORY of a CONTINENT, Second Edition
P1: RNK 0521864381pre CUNY780B-African 978 0 521 68297 8 May 15, 2007 19:34 This page intentionally left blank ii P1: RNK 0521864381pre CUNY780B-African 978 0 521 68297 8 May 15, 2007 19:34 africans, second edition Inavast and all-embracing study of Africa, from the origins of mankind to the AIDS epidemic, John Iliffe refocuses its history on the peopling of an environmentally hostilecontinent.Africanshavebeenpioneersstrugglingagainstdiseaseandnature, and their social, economic, and political institutions have been designed to ensure their survival. In the context of medical progress and other twentieth-century innovations, however, the same institutions have bred the most rapid population growth the world has ever seen. The history of the continent is thus a single story binding living Africans to their earliest human ancestors. John Iliffe was Professor of African History at the University of Cambridge and is a Fellow of St. John’s College. He is the author of several books on Africa, including Amodern history of Tanganyika and The African poor: A history,which was awarded the Herskovits Prize of the African Studies Association of the United States. Both books were published by Cambridge University Press. i P1: RNK 0521864381pre CUNY780B-African 978 0 521 68297 8 May 15, 2007 19:34 ii P1: RNK 0521864381pre CUNY780B-African 978 0 521 68297 8 May 15, 2007 19:34 african studies The African Studies Series,founded in 1968 in collaboration with the African Studies Centre of the University of Cambridge, is a prestigious series of monographs and general studies on Africa covering history, anthropology, economics, sociology, and political science. -
SOBA, the Capital City of the Medieval Nubian Kingdom of ‘ALWA
(CE:2141b-2142a) SOBA, the capital city of the medieval Nubian kingdom of ‘ALWA. It was situated on the east bank of the Blue Nile, a short distance upstream from the confluence with the White Nile. The city is not mentioned by name in any text before the early Middle Ages, but it must have been founded at a much earlier date, for various Meroitic antiquities have been found there. Soba is probably to be identified with the "city of ‘Alwa," conquest of which is claimed by the Axumite emperor Aezana (see AXUM) on a stela of 350. This text gives the impression that Soba was the principal city of the NOBA people, who overran much of the territory of the empire of KUSH in the fourth century. The earliest mention of Soba by name is in the Tarikh (History) of al-Ya‘qubi (fl. 872-891). This merely states that ‘Alwa is a large kingdom to the south of MAKOURIA, and that Soba is its capital. More detailed information is given a century later by IBN SALIM AL-ASWANI: "In the town are fine buildings, spacious houses, churches with much gold, and gardens. There is a quarter in it inhabited by the Muslims" (Burckhardt, 1819, p. 500). ABU SALIH THE ARMENIAN repeats much the same information, adding: "All its inhabitants are Jacobite Christians. Around [the town] there are monasteries, some at a distance from the stream and some upon its banks. In the town there is a very large and spacious church, skillfully planned and constructed, and larger than all the other churches in the country; it is called the church of Manbali" (p. -
Varieties and Sources of Sandstone Used in Ancient Egyptian Temples
The Journal of Ancient Egyptian Architecture vol. 1, 2016 Varieties and sources of sandstone used in Ancient Egyptian temples James A. Harrell Cite this article: J. A. Harrell, ‘Varieties and sources of sandstone used in Ancient Egyptian temples’, JAEA 1, 2016, pp. 11-37. JAEA www.egyptian-architecture.com ISSN 2472-999X Published under Creative Commons CC-BY-NC 2.0 JAEA 1, 2016, pp. 11-37. www.egyptian-architecture.com Varieties and sources of sandstone used in Ancient Egyptian temples J. A. Harrell1 From Early Dynastic times onward, limestone was the construction material of choice for An- cient Egyptian temples, pyramids, and mastabas wherever limestone bedrock occurred, that is, along the Mediterranean coast, in the northern parts of the Western and Eastern Deserts, and in the Nile Valley between Cairo and Esna (fig. 1). Sandstone bedrock is present in the Nile Valley from Esna south into Sudan as well as in the adjacent deserts, and within this region it was the only building stone employed.2 Sandstone was also imported into the Nile Valley’s limestone region as far north as el-‘Sheikh Ibada and nearby el-‘Amarna, where it was used for New Kingdom tem- ples. There are sandstone temples further north in the Bahariya and Faiyum depressions, but these were built with local materials. The first large-scale use of sandstone occurred near Edfu in Upper Egypt, where it was employed for interior pavement and wall veneer in an Early Dynastic tomb at Hierakonpolis3 and also for a small 3rd Dynasty pyramid at Naga el-Goneima.4 Apart from this latter structure, the earliest use of sandstone in monumental architecture was for Middle Kingdom temples in the Abydos-Thebes region with the outstanding example the 11th Dynasty mortuary temple of Mentuhotep II (Nebhepetre) at Deir el-Bahri. -
Old Dongola Sudan
OLD DONGOLA SUDAN OLD DONGOLA KOM A (ACROPOLIS), 2005 W³odzimierz Godlewski Excavations of site SWN on the citadel of Old Dongola were continued in the winter season of 2005 (January 27-March 3) by a PCMA expedition headed by Prof. Dr. W³odzimierz Godlewski.1 The main objectives of work in the southwestern part of the citadel [Fig. 1]2 included establishing the extent of Palace B.I, especially to the northeast, and determining the nature of the occupation of the ground-floor rooms in the southwestern part of the complex. The trench of 2003 was extended to the south and east of Building B.III. In the end effect, three main stages of development were distinguished for palace B.I and the post-Makurian phase of architecture in the eastern part of the palace was examined more thoroughly. Investigations inside B.III were also completed. To the south of the structure, the northwestern corner of yet another monumental building was uncovered (B.V). The southern part of B.II, a fortified enclosure erected to protect B.I and B.III on the river side, was further explored. The pottery deposit discovered in room B.I.15 in the previous two seasons was documented and a study was completed of the amphorae, both local and imported from Egypt and Palestine, excavated on the citadel.3 The conservation effort included repairs on the roof shelter constructed over Building B.III in 20034 and damaged during recent high winds [cf. Fig. 7]. Inside Building B.V, the wall tops were protected. -
Of Qasr Ibrim William Y
The Kentucky Review Volume 1 | Number 1 Article 2 Fall 1979 The "Library" of Qasr Ibrim William Y. Adams University of Kentucky Follow this and additional works at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/kentucky-review Part of the Anthropology Commons Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits you. Recommended Citation Adams, William Y. (1979) "The "Library" of Qasr Ibrim," The Kentucky Review: Vol. 1 : No. 1 , Article 2. Available at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/kentucky-review/vol1/iss1/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the University of Kentucky Libraries at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Kentucky Review by an authorized editor of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The "Library" of Qasr !brim By William Y. Adams In the south of Egypt, far up the Nile from the storied cities of antiquity, the visitor may see a twentieth century monument as impressive in its way as anything built by the Pharaohs. It is the recently completed Aswan High Dam, two hundred feet high, three miles long, and nearly a mile thick at its base. Behind it the impounded waters of Lake Nasser stretch away for more than three hundred miles across the very heart of the Sahara. Lake Nasser is not only the largest but surely the most desolate body of water created by man. Except for a few fishermen's shanties, its thousand-mile shoreline is broken nowhere by trees, by houses, or by any sign of life at all . -
Digital Reconstruction of the Archaeological Landscape in the Concession Area of the Scandinavian Joint Expedition to Sudanese Nubia (1961–1964)
Digital Reconstruction of the Archaeological Landscape in the Concession Area of the Scandinavian Joint Expedition to Sudanese Nubia (1961–1964) Lake Nasser, Lower Nubia: photography by the author Degree project in Egyptology/Examensarbete i Egyptologi Carolin Johansson February 2014 Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Uppsala University Examinator: Dr. Sami Uljas Supervisors: Prof. Irmgard Hein & Dr. Daniel Löwenborg Author: Carolin Johansson, 2014 Svensk titel: Digital rekonstruktion av det arkeologiska landskapet i koncessionsområdet tillhörande den Samnordiska Expeditionen till Sudanska Nubien (1960–1964) English title: Digital Reconstruction of the Archaeological Landscape in the Concession Area of the Scandinavian Joint Expedition to Sudanese Nubia (1961–1964) A Magister thesis in Egyptology, Uppsala University Keywords: Nubia, Geographical Information System (GIS), Scandinavian Joint Expedition to Sudanese Nubia (SJE), digitalisation, digital elevation model. Carolin Johansson, Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Uppsala University, Box 626 SE-75126 Uppsala, Sweden. Abstract The Scandinavian Joint Expedition to Sudanese Nubia (SJE) was one of the substantial contributions of crucial salvage archaeology within the International Nubian Campaign which was pursued in conjunction with the building of the High Dam at Aswan in the early 1960’s. A large quantity of archaeological data was collected by the SJE in a continuous area of northernmost Sudan and published during the subsequent decades. The present study aimed at transferring the geographical aspects of that data into a digital format thus enabling spatial enquires on the archaeological information to be performed in a computerised manner within a geographical information system (GIS). The landscape of the concession area, which is now completely submerged by the water masses of Lake Nasser, was digitally reconstructed in order to approximate the physical environment which the human societies of ancient Nubia inhabited. -
The Impact of the Arab Conquest on Late Roman Settlementin Egypt
Pýý.ý577 THE IMPACT OF THE ARAB CONQUEST ON LATE ROMAN SETTLEMENTIN EGYPT VOLUME I: TEXT UNIVERSITY LIBRARY CAMBRIDGE This dissertation is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the University of Cambridge, March 2002 ALISON GASCOIGNE DARWIN COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE For my parents with love and thanks Abstract The Impact of the Arab Conquest on Late Roman Settlement in Egypt Alison Gascoigne, Darwin College The Arab conquest of Egypt in 642 AD affected the development of Egyptian towns in various ways. The actual military struggle, the subsequent settling of Arab tribes and changes in administration are discussed in chapter 1, with reference to specific sites and using local archaeological sequences. Chapter 2 assesseswhether our understanding of the archaeological record of the seventh century is detailed enough to allow the accurate dating of settlement changes. The site of Zawyet al-Sultan in Middle Egypt was apparently abandoned and partly burned around the time of the Arab conquest. Analysis of surface remains at this site confirmed the difficulty of accurately dating this event on the basis of current information. Chapters3 and 4 analysethe effect of two mechanismsof Arab colonisation on Egyptian towns. First, an investigation of the occupationby soldiers of threatened frontier towns (ribats) is based on the site of Tinnis. Examination of the archaeological remains indicates a significant expansion of Tinnis in the eighth and ninth centuries, which is confirmed by references in the historical sources to building programmes funded by the central government. Second, the practice of murtaba ` al- jund, the seasonal exploitation of the town and its hinterland for the grazing of animals by specific tribal groups is examined with reference to Kharibta in the western Delta. -
Application: 307131
Reg. No: 2015/19/P/HS3/02100; Principal Investigator: dr Magdalena Maria Wozniak Nubia is the region located immediately south of Egypt, between the First and the Sixth Cataract of the Nile. In Late Antiquity, while Egyptians started praise Christ and Virgin Mary, Nubian pilgrims still visited the great temple of Isis in Aswan. It was not before the middle of the 6th century that Byzantine missions came to Nubia to convert its rulers to Christian faith. At that time, the territory was divided from north to south into three kingdoms: Nobadia, Makuria and Alodia. In 651/652 a great battle took place at Dongola, the capital of the kingdom of Makuria, where Nubians stopped the progression of Egyptians, recently converted to Islam. A non-aggression treaty named Baqt was concluded between both parts. The treaty was also enriched by some economic obligations, but most of all, it granted the Christian kingdoms independence from the Muslim conquest. Between the end of the 7th century and the beginning of the 8th century, Nobadia and Makuria merged into one great kingdom of Makuria, which probably extended from the First to the south of the Fifth Cataract of the Nile. Its capital was Dongola. The kingdom remained independent and powerful for five centuries before declining, mined by succession quarrels and frequent Egyptian intervention in state affairs. The last document to mention the kingdom of Makuria is dated to the beginning of the 15th century. In the paintings discovered in Nubian churches, kings and dignitaries, both lay and ecclesiastic, appear dressed in richly decorated robes. -
In Muslim Sudan
Downloaded from Nile Basin Research Programme www.nile.uib.no through Bergen Open Research Archive http://bora.uib.no Trade and Wadis System(s) in Muslim Sudan Intisar Soghayroun Elzein Soghayroun FOUNTAIN PUBLISHERS Kampala Fountain Publishers P. O. Box 488 Kampala - Uganda E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] Website: www.fountainpublishers.co.ug © Intisar Soghayroun Elzein Soghayroun 2010 First published 2010 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher. ISBN: 978-9970-25-005-9 Dedication This book is dedicated to my father: Soghayroun Elzein Soghayroun, with a tremendous debt of gratitude. iii Contents Dedication..................................................................................................... iiv List.of .Maps..................................................................................................vi List.of .plates..................................................................................................vii Preface.......................................................................................................... viii Acknowledgement.........................................................................................xiii 1 The Land, its People and History ...................................... 1 The Physiographic Features of the Country ......................................1 -
Makurian Defensive System in the Southern Dongola Reach (6Th–14Th Century) 356 BOGDAN ŻURAWSKI
CENTRE D’ARCHÉOLOGIE MÉDITERRANÉENNE DE L’ACADÉMIE POLONAISE DES SCIENCES ÉTUDES et TRAVAUX XIX 2001 BOGDAN ¯URAWSKI Makurian Defensive System in the Southern Dongola Reach (6th–14th century) 356 BOGDAN ¯URAWSKI In 1997, forty years after Prof. Kazimierz Micha³owski completed his pioneering prospection du terrain in Lower Nubia (the first Polish archaeological engagement in Nubia), the Polish Archaeological Joint Expedition to the Middle Nile took to the field with an aim of conducting an archaeological survey in Upper Nubia. Between 1997–2000 it reconnoitred the right bank of the Nile between Old Dongola and Ez-Zuma at a highly intense level. This endeavour, otherwise known as The Southern Dongola Reach Survey,1 was aimed at recording and assessing the significance of all archaeological and historical sites along a two km wide strip of the right bank, as well as reconstructing variations in settlement pattern within this from Middle Paleolithic to quite recent times.2 Historic sites, with the walls either preserved or recognisable, as a rule were photographed from a re- mote-controlled camera suspended from a kite. All aerial photographs presented below are the result of computer scanning and assemblage of these photographs. Among the 900 sites recorded and documented by the SDRS on the right bank of the river there are imposing strongholds dated to the Christian period, as well as lightly forti- fied enclosures, monasteries, forts and watch-towers. Together they constituted a part of the defensive system of the Kingdom of Dongola. The right bank chain of strongholds is paralleled by a similar system on the left bank. -
Before the Turco-Egyptian Conquest
M01_HOLT4458_06_SE_C01.QXD 12/17/10 8:44 AM Page 11 PART ONE Before the Turco-Egyptian Conquest At Bujarâs [Faras], the capital of the province of Al-Marîs, which is a well-populated city, there is the dwelling-place of Jausâr, who wore the turban and the two horns and the golden bracelet. Abu Salih, History (early thirteenth century), translated B.T.A. Evetts The Sultan of the Muslims, the Caliph of the Lord of the Worlds; who undertakes the affairs of the world and the Faith; who is raised up for the interests of the Muslims; who supports the Holy Law of the Lord of the Prophets; who spreads the banner of justice and grace over all the worlds; he by whom God corrects His servants and gives light to the land; the repressor of the race of unbelief and deception and rebellion, and the race of oppression and corruption; the mercy of God (praised and exalted be He!) to the townsman and the nomad; he who trusts in the King, the Guide: the sultan, son of the sultan, the victorious, the divinely aided Sultan Badi, son of the deceased Dakin, son of the Sultan Badi. May God, the Compassionate, the Merciful, grant him victory by the influence of the great Qur’an and the noble Prophet. Amen. Amen. O Lord of the Worlds. From a charter of Sultan Badi VI (1791) M01_HOLT4458_06_SE_C01.QXD 12/17/10 8:44 AM Page 12 M01_HOLT4458_06_SE_C01.QXD 12/17/10 8:44 AM Page 13 CHAPTER ONE The Eastern Bilad al-Sudan in the Middle Ages At the time of the coming of Islam in the early seventh century, there were three territories on the main Nile, south of the Byzantine province of Egypt.