Sudan Kingdom of the Nubian Pharaohs January 8 to 23, 2019 “Stanford Travel/Study changed our ‘travel lives.’ We have great memories of the many places we have been and people with whom we have traveled.” —Julia Vandermade, MBA ’79, The Nile, 2018 HE ENDLESS SANDS OF SUDAN HAVE SECRETS TO TELL IN VOICES worn weary by the T passage of time. Known by the Greeks as Aithiopia (Ethiopia) and by the Egyptians as Kush, this arid desert region was a flourishing center of trade and culture for centuries, made livable by the coursing of the mighty Nile River. From the confluence of the Blue Nile and the White Nile to the mystical peaks of Jebel Barkal, the source of kingship for ancient royalty, we will delve into its rich past. We’ll stand in awe of the pyramids at Napata and Meroë, wander the bones of a once-great medieval city in the north and view the roiling power of the Nile from the top of an Ottoman fort. Join us on this incredible journey, stepping farther back in time with every footprint left in the Sudanese sand! STANFORD TRAVEL/STUDY 650 725 1093 [email protected] Faculty Leader SCOTT PEARSON, who has studied economic change in developing countries for four decades, taught economic development and international trade at the Food Research Institute at Stanford for some 34 years. He’s coauthored a dozen books, won several awards for his research and teaching, and advised governments on food and agricultural policy. He has also traveled and worked abroad in Africa, Asia and Europe and led more than 60 previous trips for Travel/Study. During our trip, Scott's talks will focus on Sudan's incredibly diverse political and economic history: Nubia and Dynastic Egyptian Wealth (3000–2000 B.C.E.); Kush and Dynastic Egyptian Decline (8th–7th centuries B.C.E.); Christian, Arabic, and Anglo-Egyptian Sudan (7th century C.E.–1956); and Independent Sudan (1956–present). Professor of agricultural economics, Stanford University, 1968–2002 Director, Food Research Institute, Stanford University, 1991–1996 Dean’s Award for Teaching, Stanford's School of Humanities and Sciences, 1978 MA, international relations, Johns Hopkins University PhD, economics, Harvard University “Scott Pearson was passionate and amazingly well-prepared with a wealth of information above and beyond our expectations.” —Elsee, MBA ’75, and Thomas McEachin, Portugal and Galicia Food and Wine, 2016 Itinerary Tuesday to Thursday, January 8 to 10 U.S. / Khartoum, Sudan Board planes for overnight flights to Khartoum via Addis Ababa or Dubai, arriving in Khartoum on Thursday and transferring to our hotel. After checking in, relax a bit before joining fellow travelers for a welcome reception and dinner. CORINTHIA HOTEL (1/10: D) Friday, January 11 Khartoum / Omdurman This morning head out on a tour to discover Khartoum, situated right at the confluence of the Blue and White Nile rivers. Pass by the Khalifa House Museum, the former residence of its native rulers, post- independence from the British, and view the exterior of the nearby silver-domed Mahdi’s Tomb. El Mahdi was a religious leader of the Samaniyya order in Sudan who, on June 29, 1881, proclaimed himself the Mahdi, the messianic redeemer of the Islamic faith. Next, cross from Khartoum to the west bank of the Nile to explore nearby Omdurman, Sudan’s capital during the Mahdist War (1881–1899). Spend some time at the vast Omdurman souq, the largest and most famous market in all of Sudan, perusing its colorful displays of Sudanese fruits, vegetables, glassware, pottery, leather and hand-crafted STANFORD TRAVEL/STUDY 650 725 1093 [email protected] jewelry. At sunset, attend a ceremony performed by Whirling Dervishes near the tomb of Ahmed Al Nil before returning to Khartoum for dinner. CORINTHIA HOTEL (B,L,D) Saturday, January 12 Khartoum Spend this morning at the National Museum of Sudan, the largest and most important archaeological collection in the country. The museum includes artifacts from the ancient Kush kingdom and Nubia’s Christian period and relics of the Al Saltan Al-Zarqa era (known as the Black Sultanate). Also view two temples built by Queen Hatshepsut and Pharaoh Thutmose III that were rescued by UNESCO, which moved them from the Lake Nasser submergence area after a destructive flood. In the afternoon, drive north of Khartoum to watch Nuba wrestling, a sport typical of the Kordofan region that has developed into a unique mixture of traditional culture and modern sport. CORINTHIA HOTEL (B,L,D) Sunday, January 13 Khartoum / Western Desert / Karima After a leisurely breakfast, head into the expanse of the Western Desert, taking in ageless, straight-out- of-the bible, 360° vistas on our way to Wadi Muqaddam with its distinctive acacia trees and where we stop at an authentic chai house (tea house). In the late afternoon, we arrive at Karima on the bank of the Nile and not far from Jebel Barkal, an isolated monolith believed to be the source of kingship for Nubian and Egyptian rulers. Check in to our charming lodgings. NUBIAN REST HOUSE KARIMA (B,L,D) Monday, January 14 Karima / Old Dongola / Tombos Our first stop today is the archaeological site of Old Dongola, the capital of the medieval Christian kingdom of Makuria. This city thrived in the medieval era and is filled with ruins, including Coptic churches and arabesque columns. Enjoy lunch at the home of a local Nubian family, where we have the chance to engage with locals in a way few tourists do. Continue on to Tombos with its ancient granite quarries and the remains of a statue of King Taharqa before arriving at our rustic tented camp, our comfortable home for the next two nights. PRESET CAMP (B,L,D) Tuesday, January 15 Tombos / Third Cataract / Sabu-Jaddi / Soleb Today we travel to a nearby Ottoman fort high atop a hill for a stunning view of the legendary Third Cataract of the Nile. Our next stop is the amazing rock art site of Sabu-Jaddi, where hundreds of images, ranging from prehistoric to Egyptian times, remain immortalized in the rock. Continue further north to the Temple of Soleb, the most beautiful Egyptian temple of all of Sudan and rich with hieroglyphic inscriptions, bas-relief figures and elegant columns. PRESET CAMP (B,L,D) Wednesday, January 16 Tombos / Kerma / Karima Journey back in time as we set foot in nearby Kerma, home to an early civilization that flourished from approximately 2500 B.C.E. to 1500 B.C.E. in Nubia, Upper Egypt and northern Sudan. This was the first capital of the Kingdom of Kush and today home to seven remarkable statues of the Kushite Pharaohs. Time permitting, visit the Eastern Defuffa, a massive tomb structure surrounded by thousands of ancient graves. This afternoon, arrive in the Nubian town of Karima, our home for the next three nights. NUBIAN REST HOUSE - KARIMA (B,L,D) Thursday, January 17 Karima / Jebel Barkal / El-Kurru Venture out to the foot of Jebal Barkal ("holy mountain" in Arabic), a UNESCO World Heritage site and often referred to as “the Mount Olympus” of the Nubian kings. After lunch, travel to the ancient site of STANFORD TRAVEL/STUDY 650 725 1093 [email protected] El-Kurru, a vast complex of tombs and pyramids, some of which predate the 15th-century B.C.E. Kushite/Nubian city/state of Napata. All of the pharaohs of the 25th dynasty were buried here. Check out one tomb that can be entered and is decorated with images of the pharaoh and of various gods, as well as multicolored hieroglyphic inscriptions. In the late afternoon, return to Karima to relax before an evening of dinner, traditional music and dance. NUBIAN REST HOUSE - KARIMA (B,L,D) Friday, January 18 Karima / Nile Cruise/ Nuri This morning, spend some time at the Karima market to get a glimpse of the daily life of Sudanese people. Then board a small motorboat for a pleasant cruise along the Nile to take in beautiful sand stretches and cultivated islands along the river. Following a picnic lunch in the area, visit the archaeological site of Nuri. Like the necropolis at El-Kurru, the pyramids at Nuri were all part of the Napata kingdom. To date, some 82 tombs have been discovered at Nuri, with most incorporating a pyramid. NUBIAN REST HOUSE - KARIMA (B,L,D) Saturday, January 19 Karima / Bayuda Desert / Meroë Crossing the Nile this morning, we enter the Bayuda Desert, which occupies a pocket formed by a great bend in the Nile River and includes volcanic cone-shaped mountains of black basalt. The desert marks the southern half of what was once Nubia and, as such, played a crucial role in the formation of one of the world’s first civilizations. Take a pontin (ferry) on the Nile and mingle with locals aboard and their assemblage of goats, camels and donkeys as we make our way toward the Royal Necropolis of Meroë, which we begin to spot peeking above the drifting sand dunes. The Meroë necropolis encompasses more than 40 pyramids along the Nile in Sudan, some of them perfectly preserved. Head to our second tented campy for an afternoon at leisure before viewing the necropolis and its myriad pyramids in the setting sun, surrounded by only the desert and echoes of the past. MEROË CAMP (B,L,D) Sunday, January 20 Meroë / Kabushia This morning, we enter the Royal Necropolis of Meroë, its summit adorned with the stone vestiges of Kushite kings. The necropolis sits atop shifting, dune-capped hills punctuated by the piercing apexes of 40 incredibly well-preserved pyramids.