 Click on image for list of participants |
Sudan Expedition 12th - 29th March, 2022 |
In all fairness, the omens were not very good. When the trip was confirmed last October before leaving for the Ennedi, everything looked good. However the Military coup in November created a political turmoil in Sudan, and for several months it was uncertain whether the necessary tourist visas could be obtained. I was several times very close to cancelling the trip altogether, but Moez finally managed to receive firm promises from the authorities that the visas will be issued. It was another tense month before all visas were finally in hand, but by the end of February all things appeared set to go. The week-end before departure I woke up in the middle of the night to the unpleasant and rather novel sensation of a bad toothache. My appointments in the past 30 years were rather brief with the dentist sadly noting the lack of further business opportunities, so this was a rather nasty surprise just a few days before leaving. Fortunately our family dentist managed to squeeze me in for the next day, fixing the offending wisdom tooth with an encouraging better than 50/50 chance. On my enquiry what if not, she suggested with a charming smile that there better be a good pair of pliers in the toolbox... With the toothache fixed, I was busy collecting and packing the supplies when the email from Turkish Airlines arrived informing of a forecasted two day snowstorm, including the day of our flights (all but Francis decided to take the same Turkish flight to Khartoum, meeting up in Istanbul). The Zurich flight of Niggi and Sibyl was cancelled, I looked at the option of taking the flights a day earlier, but all were full due to the cancellations, so there was no option but to re-book them to a later flight with just an hour left for connecting. With the other flights still listed as operating, the rest of us kept our original bookings and hoped for the best. When with Gabor we arrived in Istanbul it was just a light snowfall, but it started becoming heavier in the afternoon. All flights were delayed, Jacques from Paris made it fine but Chris was a borderline case, and it was becoming increasingly obvious that Niggi and Sibyl will miss the connection. Fortunately we were a day early for our planned departure, so this was unpleasant but caused no major disruption to our plans. In the end Chris made it just a few minutes before boarding, but the Zurich flight was still in the air when we departed. Arrival to Khartoum was a pleasant surprise, in a very un-African fashion they have done away with the filling of the arrival forms, and the visa on arrival process was much faster than before, it did not even take an hour after landing to be outside, where a very cheerful Moez was waiting for us. The next morning Francis arrived with Emirates, and by the early evening Niggi and Sibyl also made it via Cairo after a night spent at Istanbul airport. We settled in to the Plaza Hotel (our previous haunt, the Regency was closed due to Covid) and things looked fine for a morning departure.
Day 1. - Khartum - Soleb
The four cars (3 Landcruisers and a Hi-Lux pickup) were loaded under the supervision of Moez the day before. Three of our drivers, Salah, Walid and Yasser were old friends from previous trips. The fourth was Amar, a cheerful young fellow new to the team. Departure was set for 8am, and amazingly all cars were loaded and ready a few minutes before the set time.
The rest of the day was rather uneventful, we crossed the Nile and drove around Omdurman to take the direct road towards Dongola. Everything appeared normal, there was no visible sign of any of the political turbulence in the country. As usual we stopped for lunch at the Tam-Tam resthouse, then we continued towards Dongola. Shortly before reaching the city Moez received a call from his friend in the local military to meet at the gas-station outside town. Arriving there we saw several military trucks being fueled, and Moez's friend greeted us and started a long conversation with Moez. From the body language it was clear that not everything was well. After some anxious minutes we learned from Moez that armed bandits have robbed several Sudanese and Libyan trading trucks between the Wadi Howar and Selima Oasis, the last incident just a few days before and only 15km from Selima, right on our planned route. The military were planning to launch a search operation with a number of vehicles that evening, the advice was that it is better to delay our departure to avoid unpleasant encounters with the military (or the bandits..). While naturally the story was sketchy, from some snippets of information it appeared rather likely that the bandits were from the Darfur, and in all likelihood had already made their retreat after the successful heists, not waiting for the military to catch up with them. We held a discussion and all agreed to delay our departure by a day to allow the dust to settle, and be out of the way of the military patrols. After fueling we drove to Soleb, and settled in to the resthouse for a two night stay.
Day 2. - Soleb
We planned to spend a relaxed day at Soleb, but overnight a strong Northern wind stirred, and we awoke to a rather unpleasant cold morning, with dust filling the air. The temple just a few hundred metres from the house was barely visible, so we hunkered down on the partially sheltered verandah waiting for tings to turn better. Mid-morning we decided to brave the conditions and visit the temple and the Nile, but after a short time we all retreated back to the shelter of the house.
In the mean time Moez left with one Landcruiser and the Hi-Lux to the nearby gold-mining base to top-up the jerrycans from which all the other cars were fuelled in the morning, and also to listen to the news and see whether the truck traffic is continuing or suspended, without revealing anything about our own plans. Apparently the traffic on the now well traveled piste to Uweinat was normal, there was no talk of bandits, several ore trucks arrived while they were there and others were due to depart the next morning. However the sandstorm became so bad that they could barely see each other while driving on the road, the conditions were utterly unsuitable to drive out into the desert, we would lose each other in a matter of minutes. We agreed to wait till the morning to see if the weather improves, if not we were to stay another day.
As they had little to do all day, Yasser and Walid decided to prepare a nice dinner for us (both of them are very good cooks), saving me the effort for that evening.
Day 3. Soleb
The sandstorm showed no signs of abatement, the wind was howling all night and it appeared even stronger by the morning. In addition, the fine dinner of the previous evening apparently came with some added ingredients, four out of the seven of us had a bad stomach upset. It did not take long to come to the conclusion that there will be no departure this day. I hoped to make use of our stranding to take some good photos of the temple reliefs on the east wall of the hypostyle hall, which receive a perfect contour light at midday, a time when normally we are not here. With those of our party able to abandon the horizontal position we set out again to the temple, but in the haze there were hardly any shadows, not quite the light I hoped for.
To make matters worse, the storm severed the electricity lines somewhere upstream of Soleb. While normally this would have been hardly noticed, with the increased demand on the two hole-in-the-ground toilets the 200 litre drum filled with water just outside quickly emptied, and of course the water pump was not working... This afternoon in the Soleb house will surely not be among our fondest memories. At least by the end of the day everyone started feeling a bit better, and we decided that if the weather permits, we start out the next morning.
Day 4. Soleb - Selima Sand Sheet
The weather in the morning was a bit better. There was still a fairly strong cold wind, but the sky was clearer and the visibility was good enough to venture out into the desert. We loaded the cars and set out, leaving the road at the first opportunity. As a precaution we decided not to take the regular track that passes south of Selima Oasis, but make a big loop towards the north, navigating across a patch of bad rocky country to the north of Selima, a route where we were unlikely to encounter anybody. We pressed on all day save for a brief lunch stop, and by the evening we reached a chain of barchan dunes about 60 kilometres to the west of Selima. We made camp in an unpleasant cold wind, and hunkered down in the tents after a quick dinner.
Day 5. - Selima Sand Sheet
The morning looked promising. Overnight the wind died down, there was just a gentle breeze, and while it was distinctly chilly there was a clear blue sky and finally good visibility.
We continued traversing the bad rocky country, navigating from one sandy patch to another, until we came across an old looking series of deep tracks that finally offered better going. Judging from the discarded 4 gallon petrol tins, we have stumbled upon one of the principal routes of the SDF Kufra convoys leading from Selima towards Jebel Kamil in Egypt. Rounding a bend and a low knoll, we suddenly came upon a CMP truck, clearly an abandoned convoy vehicle. Closer inspection revealed that it was a CMP Chevrolet C60L with the early Type 12 cab, the same truck that formed the bulk of the convoy shown on the photos of G. J. Mostert. It was complete with its in-line six cylinder engine, several of the dashboard switches were still in place. It appeared that the truck was mostly in the state it was in when abandoned, all the tyres (Dunlop Trak Grip 10.5-20) including the spare was still there, apparently in a brand new unworn condition. I have never seen any photos of this wreck, it appears that we have stumbled on it after 80 years without anyone else knowing about it.
This find greatly improved the mood, and we continued merrily across the ever smoother Selima Sand Sheet, stopping around mid-morning for re-fueling the cars to lighten the load of the Hi-Lux. The stop also provided an opportunity to stretch our legs, and it did not take long for Gabor to spot several Aterian tools lying on the fine gravel surface.
Soon afterwards as we continued towards the west, Salah noticed that the water temperature of the Hi-Lux was rising. At first we took it to be due to the deepening sand, the temperature immediately dropped as soon as the car was turned into the wind with the engine idling. We repeated this cycle twice, however soon after the third start, while the gauge was showing cold, the radiator blew sending off a huge puff of white steam from under the hood. An inspection revealed that half of the upper section ruptured from the steam pressure inside, while the left side (with the safety valve) was cold to the touch. One bit of luck in the misfortune was that we just passed a new half-way cafeteria that was set up recently along the truck route to the gold mines near Uweinat. Amar was a very capable mechanic, and after some inspection he was fairly confident that he can repair the radiator at the mechanic shop at the cafeteria using the available tools and some epoxy glue. They had the radiator out of the Hi-Lux in no time, and while we had our lunch, Amar and Walid disappeared with one car to the cafeteria only three kilometres away (just out of sight). After about two hours they were back, with the radiator perfectly repaired and sealed. After some wait for the epoxy to fully cure, they reinstalled the radiator, filled the system with water and checked the circulation, all seemed fine.
We only covered a few kilometres, when the same symptoms repeated themselves, the temperature was rising again. Clearly something was blocking the circulation at high power, as after a short while at idle the temperature returned to normal again. Amar decided it has to be the thermostat, which was unceremoniously taken out, and the problem appeared to have been finally fixed. Not so. After driving another few kilometres the same problem manifested itself, with temperature fluctuating, then suddenly the radiator blowing again, wrecking the fine repair made just hours earlier. It became clear that the only remaining option was that the radiator itself was blocked inside, something that we could not repair. We decided to tow the stricken car about 10 kilometres towards the north, away from the traversed route, where we made camp and started discussing our options. It was clear that the Hi-Lux is not going anywhere, and it was carrying all our reserve fuel (we just fueled all other cars only minutes before the problem appeared). With all cars fully packed with bags and supplies, the maximum extra fuel a Landcruiser could have taken was two of the 70l jerrycans (the Hi-Lux still had 18 full ones). We were just short of half-way between the Nile and Uweinat, technically it would have been possible, just, to make it there and back to the same point with that amount of fuel, but it would have left no reserves. Also leaving the Hi-Lux behind unguarded was out of the question, in all likelihood we would have found only the bare chassis on return. Leaving it at the half-way cafeteria was an option, though poor Salah was not thrilled with the idea of being stranded there for two weeks. The bigger issue was what happens if one more car breaks down. We had four cars for safety, with one out of service the margins were greatly reduced. We deliberated the pros and cons of continuing versus playing safe and returning to the Nile, and decided that rather than making any hasty decisions we will sleep on it and make a final decision in the morning.
Day 6. - Selima Sand Sheet
I'm sure none of us had a good sleep that night, both on account of the events and the bitter cold, completely out of season for mid-March. We huddled around the small charcoal fire and went through the options again. The general feeling was that with so many things having already gone against plan, it was better not to tempt fate but to play the safe option and make a return. The previous evening with Moez we have already formulated a plan B, to visit the principal Nile valley monuments then make it across the Nubian Desert to the rock art site of Bir Nurayet, a splendid site and a proper destination in its own right. With everyone agreeing that plan B. would be the best course of action, we set about to plan our retreat and the recovery of the Hi-Lux. Initially we hoped that we can ask one of the passing trucks to tow the Hi-Lux back to the Nile, but after discussing with several truck drivers it became clear that they were too heavily laden to be able to undertake the tow. We towed the Hi-Lux back to the cafeteria, and after some discussion with the owner it was agreed that he will look after the Hi-Lux (and the fuel) for four days (naturally for a hefty price and a share of the fuel). We were all to go back to Soleb, and while we continue Amar and Salah will acquire a new radiator and will hitch a ride on a truck back to the cafeteria, repair the Hi-Lux and if possible catch up with us somewhere along the way so we can make use of the substantial amount of fuel (still almost a thousand litres).
By the time all this was arranged it was midday, we set out for a short distance away from the cafeteria and the truck route for lunch, then we continued back towards the Nile following our onward tracks. Having more time, once we reached the SDF convoy tracks we stopped at one of the campsites to check out the discarded flimsies, a novelty for many in the group.
We made another stop at the abandoned Chevrolet C60L, which was now in a much better light.
Diverging from our onward track we followed the convoy route, which proved to be a much easier way across the stony ground. After a dozen or so kilometres a dark speck appeared in the distance, and on approach it became clear that it was another abandoned CMP truck, this one was a Ford F30 with type 11 cab, the V8 engine still installed. We were amazed to find the dashboard practically intact, just as it was when it was last left here (the cylinder heads were removed, probably that was the fatal problem, common to the type in the convoy conditions). The truck also had the sand mat holders bolted on to the front fenders, a modification pioneered by the LRDG, but also adapted on SDF vehicles (other LRDG mods, such as the condenser tank, were absent).
This too was a previously unreported vehicle, possibly the best preserved of all the wrecks littering the Libyan Desert. Fortunately it is far from any traveled roads or tracks, let's hope it stays this way for a long time to come. The rear platform was lying some distance from the cab and chassis, but quite clearly they belonged together. In the surrounding area we found many discarded 4 gallon flimsies, one was converted to a cooking stove in exactly the same manner as described by Bagnold in his Libyan Sands.
The truck was not the only interesting feature. It soon emerged that we stopped right in the middle of a prehistoric cemetery. The ground was covered with at least a dozen low circular stone platforms which were most likely graves.
We continued the drive back towards the east, reaching the same dunes and campsite by the late afternoon where we camped two nights before.
Day 7. - Selima Sand Sheet - Soleb
It was a rather uneventful drive back to the Nile, the only mentionable event was the finding of several camel skeletons marking the Darb el Arbain on the sand plain to the north of Selima Oasis.
We reached the Nile at Jebel Dosha, at the northern end of Soleb village. Here in pharaonic times Thotmes III constructed a small rock-cut temple, which unfortunately is now in a rather ruined state.
Further adjacent stelae were carved in Ramesside times by the Viceroy of Kush, Amenemopet, one showing king Seti I making offering to gods, the other a very finely carved scene in sunk relief showing Amenemopet himself making an offering.
The location is very picturesque, overlooking the Nile, after visiting the site we planned on having lunch here, but unfortunately the calming of the wind also brought out the millions of irritating tiny palm bees which pollinate the date palms, but also try to enter any vacant body orifice. They were so disturbing that we decided to retreat to the house which was beyond their range. We only ventured out near sunset to visit the Soleb temple again, now in perfect light, including the figures on the western entrance of the Hypostyle hall which I have no noted before. The irritating insects were still out in full force, but also included some nasty biting bugs which particularly favored the nape of the neck, mine felt like a large raspberry the next morning.
Day 8. - Soleb - Sabu - Kawa
Amar and Salah stayed behind at Soleb to wait for the ordered new radiator to make its way up the Nile from Khartoum, and were hoping to take a ride on a truck to the stranded Hi-Lux, fix it, and hopefully catch up with us in Karima. We departed for the ferry at Kokka, a little upstream of the third cataract, at present the only reliable place to cross the Nile north of the Dongola bridge (since the completion of the asphalt road leading all the way to the Egyptian border on both banks of the Nile, the Abri ferry no longer operates regularly).
Once on the east bank we quickly covered the short distance to the third cataract, where the Nile crosses a granite ridge that dams the full width of the river, creating a low waterfall.
There is a low sandstone hill overlooking the cataract, capped by a medieval fortress on which I could not find any literature whatsoever, except that it is thought to date from Ottoman times. Along the middle of the hill there is a strange layer of sandstone split into hexagonal columns (much like basalt), the like of which we have noted at Jebel Uweinat in several locations.
The village of Sabu is just upstream of the cataract, with a shallow wadi containing the largest concentration of engraved rock art in the Sudanese Nile valley. As we crossed the village, we passed a stone pyramid that turned out to be a monument built during Kitchener's campaign. Strangely other than a few years older uncaptioned photo on the web showing the marble plaque already broken but a little more complete, I could not find any mention of this memorial. The plaque once read "To the memory of British officers and men who died here ... Anglo-Egyptian Campaign". The events referred to must have happened during the 1897 Dongola campaign, however I could not find any reference to any battles or skirmishes near the third cataract.
The rock art sites are in a small wadi just upstream of Sabu village. The best known are a group of Egyptian boats, clearly dynastic in time, however as one searches the rocks further upstream there are many more, the majority cattle depictions with noticeably darker patination than the boats. The depictions are very similar to those at Bir Nurayet, probably they were made by the same broad group of people who roamed the Nubian Desert, possibly connected to the Kerma culture.
The ancient city of Kerma is located not far upstream from the third cataract, roughly opposite Dongola on the west bank. While at some time it was the capital of a major Nubian kingdom that preceded the Egyptian conquest of upper Nubia, in all fairness there is very little remaining to be seen. The site of the city is dominated by a large mudbrick structure (the "Western Defufa") the function of which is not quite clear. It may have been a temple, a part of a palace, or possibly a combination of both. Other than this imposing structure only the reconstructed outlines of ancient walls remain.
A Swiss archaeological team was the last to work at Kerma, at the end of their campaign they have built a very nice small museum right next to the site of the ancient town, probably the finest museum in Sudan. The highlight is a group of Napatan royal statues found at the site of a temple a few kilometres from the main town site. There are also some very good informative exhibits on the development of the Kerma culture and the subsequent Egyptian colonisation and Napatan-Meroitic kingdoms.
By the time we finished at Kerma it was rather late, we only had enough time till sunset to drive a few dozen kilometres to the south to Kawa, where a series of low dunes adjacent to the Nile offer a good secluded camping place.
Day 9. Kawa - El Kurru - Karima
In the morning we paid a visit to the Napatan temple of Kawa built adjacent to the Nile. Unfortunately while the site is the origin of some of the finest pieces of Napatan art, at present the only structures visible are the modern brick and concrete protective walls built on top of the crumbling ancient walls, the majority of the ancient temple and the remaining reliefs are submerged by the moving sands (the finest surviving part of the temple, the shrine of Taharqa was moved to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, while the splendid ram-headed sphinx protecting Taharqa is now at the entrance of the Khartoum Museum). The most impressive sight was the fine view from the Nile bank.
After the temple visit we continued along the asphalt road crossing the Nubian Desert and the Dongola bend to Karima. The road is just under two hundred kilometres, we were in Karima by mid-morning, settling in to a house not far from Jebel Barkal and the main monuments.
This was the first hot day of the trip, after lunch it was nice to have a little rest in the cool house before setting out to visit El Kurru, the earliest of the Napatan royal cemeteries. The site is dominated by a large ruined royal pyramid (#1) of a later date (the name of the owner is lost), the early tombs were simple small mounds and pyramids with underground chambers. The main attraction is the tomb of King Tanwetamani which has much of its original decoration remaining (above the level of the water that has flooded the tomb). We noticed a major improvement since our last visit in 2015, now there is lighting installed, and the ground is covered with gravel to avoid visitors kicking up the dust.
The other decorated tomb at El Kurru is that of Queen Qalhata, the mother of King Tanwetamani. Normally it is closed to visitors, but we were very lucky, the guards offered to open it for us as a special treat. The decorations are very similar to those in the other tomb, but even better preserved.
On the way back we stopped at the pyramids next to Jebel Barkal. With a few exceptions these are not Royal pyramids, but belong to members of the royal family, from late Napatan to mid-Meroitic times. The group contains the only completely intact Meroitic pyramid (most were damaged by European "adventurers" seeking treasure).
For sunset we climbed Jebel Barkal, overlooking the ancient temples and the modern town of Karima. The view was spectacular, the sunset less so as there was still much lingering dust in the air from the earlier sandstorm.
Day 10. Karima - Abu Hamed
Overnight the same stomach upset that struck half of the party at Soleb affected those missed the first time. As we were eating mostly packed and cooked food, the source remained a mystery, at least here in the house we had proper clean toilets. Regardless, in the morning after breakfast we ventured out to see the temples at the foot of Jebel Barkal in the morning light.
The agreed plan was for us to wait in Karima until Amar and Salah give a signal that they reached the Nile valley, then we discuss how to meet up. However there was no call in the morning, we gave them until noon to give any sign of life, otherwise we will move on. The time was spent taking a birdwatching boat ride on the Nile (I stayed behind, trying to have some sleep after being up almost all night). Since there was no news by noon, we had a quick lunch then set out on the way towards Abu Hamed.
The Karima - Abu Hamed track mostly follows the old disused railway line, a branch of the Wadi Halfa line which Almαsy followed in 1926. Every few dozen kilometres we passed one of the old abandoned stations built over a hundred years ago.
By late afternoon we were near Abu Hamed, we made camp in a sandy patch adjacent to some low granite knolls.
Day 11. Abu Hamed - Nubian Desert
Overnight the wind picked op again, and by the small hours strengthened into a full force gale. We packed camp the best we could and continued towards Abu Hamed to pick up fuel for the way to Bir Nurayet. We found an open gas station on the outskirts of the town, after fueling we set out to the desert to the east of the Nile. The sandstorm persisted for most of the day as we continued across an astonishingly disturbed landscape. There were tracks and working or abandoned gold mines everywhere, sometimes we had to make large detours to get around the impassable mounds of the mine workings. By the evening we covered about half of the distance towards Bir Nurayet, making camp in the lee of a prominent hill which however offered little protection from the wind and blowing sand. The only good news of the day was that Amar and Salah made it to the Nile valley, while they were too late to catch up with us, we agreed to meet in Atbara on our way back to Khartoum.
Day 12. Nubian Desert - Bir Nurayet
In the morning we continued towards the north east. Fortunately visibility remained good enough that we could go at proper speed, and we finally came upon a good track, by midday we have reached the Wadi Di'ib, the main watercourse passing by Bir Nurayet. We immediately noticed that it was much dryer than during our last visit in 2019, then it was lush with vegetation while now only the sturdier acacias had some green foliage.
We were still a good 80 kilometres from Bir Nurayet, and the going along the Wadi Di'ib was by no means straight forward. In several places we lost the track that was washed away by the floods, but finally by late afternoon we had Jebel Magardi, the prominent mountain marking Bir Nurayet in sight. After fixing a last flat tyre, we made camp among the low dunes at the foot of Jebel Magardi.
Day 13. Bir Nurayet
After all the driving and moving on from every campsite, we were looking forward to finally settling down for three nights at this seemingly lovely spot, but the weather again intervened. There was a strong wind all night, filling the tents with sand, and to make matters worse the wind kept changing directions, so the strategy of anchoring the tents from the direction of the prevailing wind did not work out too well. At least by dawn it calmed down a little, and we finally had a nice clear morning with deep blue skies.
We started out in the small enclosed valley designated area 10-1 by the Polish team which documented the Bir Nurayet region. This little valley contains some of the finest panels of engravings. In February 2019 we visited it in the late afternoon, however the majority of the panels face east and are most visible in the morning. In this better light we found several panels and scenes which were missed on the previous visit.
In February 2019 we started out at the southern limit of the engravings, running out of time to see any of the areas north of 10-1. This time our plan was to explore the northern area, advancing along the edge of the sandstone escarpment bordering the watercourse. We passed area 10-6, a little embayment with a fine panel of engravings, one of the few depicting groups of human figures alongside the cattle, the last site we saw on the previous visit. The humans are all carrying round objects hanging from a stick slung over the shoulders, most probably water containers of some kind, a unique depiction that does not appear elsewhere at the site.
We continued along the edge of the sandstone ridge (area 10-3), finding a number of engraved blocks, mostly cattle depictions though none that came close to the quality of the panels in area 10-1.
We followed a small rocky ravine to a series of enclosed terraces in the interior of the sandstone ridge, designated area 10-12 by the Polish team. At the foot of a large outcrop that offers good shade for most of the morning we found a large panel with both cattle and camel depictions, spanning several periods.
Further up along the interconnected terraces there were several more blocks and walls with large panels of engravings, predominantly cattle.
From our elevated position we could see the location of the actual well (Bir Nurayet) about a kilometre to the north of Jebel Magardi, with numerous camels approaching and being watered. In the valley leading west near the northern limit of the engravings, we found a series of circular tumuli, possibly a cemetery dating back to the time of the engravings.
Having thoroughly explored the terraces, we returned along the edge of the sandstone scarp (the north of area 10-3), finding many more engravings along the way, including a panel of the curious "sitting cattle", stylized cattle drawn in a very strange vertical posture.
We finished the morning at the large panel of site 10-6 which now, later in the day, was fully in the shade, a much better light than the morning when streaks of sunlight and shade made photography near impossible.
We returned to camp for lunch and some midday rest in the shade of a large tarpaulin stretched out between two cars. We waited for the midday heat to dissipate a bit before setting out again, this time to see the fine sites in area 10-2, a valley right opposite our camp with a cluster of blocks containing the largest site of Bir Nurayet. Facing west, these are best viewed in an early afternoon light.
We continued to the other panels on the blocks further upstream, some of which were also in a perfect light. We also found several scenes missed on our previous visit.
We continued exploring the valley upstream as far as the sandstones extended, finding many of the panels in a perfect light, unlike in 2019 when we had to huddle in a small shelter under leaden skies, waiting for the rain to stop. We stayed till sunset, just catching Jebel Magardi in full light on our return to camp before the sun dropped below the horizon.
Day 14. Bir Nurayet - Nubian Desert
We had another rough night with howling winds and blowing sand, however this time the wind continued into the morning. Already the previous day we agreed that if the bad weather persists, we will cut our stay at Bir Nurayet short and start back towards the Nile, to have a more relaxed time at Meroë and the other sites. Braving the blowing sand we took our group photo on the top of the highest dune, then set out to visit the southern cluster of sites while Moez and the drivers packed up camp.
Area 10-4 is the valley to the south of the one we visited the previous afternoon, with a concentration of engravings on fallen blocks along the southern side. There are only a few insignificant engravings beyond this point. The depictions on the panels are the same cattle and camels as seen elsewhere.
One panel along the southern side is an odd one out, it is not on a fallen block but high up on a sloping rock ledge, a good 20 metres above the level of the valley floor. There are several more panels on the slope immediately below it.
The entrance of this valley, like all others, is covered with a thick layer of fine silty sediments. It is not entirely clear if these sediments are the remnants of episodic floods, or perhaps at some point (likely including the time when the pastoralists were here) there was a standing body of water. One thing is certain, the sediments cover some of the rock art, demonstrated by the Polish team when excavating a large block. At some point in time the sediment accumulation appears to have ceased, as the present-day watercourse cut a deep channel into these silts, the source of the dust clouds filling the air in the wind.
The engravings at and around Bir Nurayet clearly occur in the outcrop of sandstones overlying the igneous basement. On satellite imagery it was possible to identify a number of smaller sandstone zones, one near the southern approaches to Bir Nurayet along the Wadi Di'ib. With time on our hands, we made a little detour on our way out to visit these sandstone outcrops, and immediately we found a large block with some fine cattle engravings.
Not far from the engraved block there was a cliff with a large shadow at its base, a likely spot for a shelter and more rock art. We set out to investigate, but found nothing there, only some fresh green vegetation, a sign that there have been some meager rains over the winter. Not far there was a prominent isolated block, there were a few crude engravings on it but nothing exceptional.
We also found a large rectangular stone structure, probably an ancient tomb, but there were no clues as to the age or function.
On the return journey we took a different route, rather than struggling along the Wadi Di'ib we took the piste leading from the Red Sea to the Wadi Allaqi for a while towards the west, then turned south along a series of well traveled tracks, all serving the gold mines in the area. In retrospect we did not save much, the better going was compensated by a longer distance. Given the strong wind we did not make many stops, only a brief one for lunch, and another one at a curious white hill which turned out to be pure quartz, adjacent to a mesh of basalt dykes.
We drove till close to sunset, making camp among some low granite knolls that offered a little protection from the wind.
Day 15. Nubian Desert - Atbara
The wind and sandstorm continued all day. In the morning we made a brief stop at the market town serving the gold mines to pick up fuel, then we continued on the direct route towards Berber in the south.
Given the weather, we decided to continue all the way to Atbara, regardless of how long it takes, as the nice Adel Hotel offered the prospect of shelter and a hot shower to remove all the sand and dust. We reached the huge gold-mining shantytown north of Berber just before sunset. While taking photos is not appreciated, I could do a sneak video of the amazing place from my phone. The town stretches for several kilometres in all directions in the once barren desert, mixing ore-processing mills with all the other services (yes, including brothels) needed for the mining operations, in an eerie mix of Wild Western frontier towns and a scene from Mad Max.
We reached Atbara by the early evening, and settled into the luxuries of a warm shower and dinner at a table at the Adel Hotel. We also got reunited with the very happy and relieved Salah and Amar, in the company of the apparently fixed Hi-Lux and a good quantity of fuel to be used for the remaining journey.
Day 16. Atbara - Meroë - Musawwarat es Sufra
We still had two full days to visit the principal Meroitic sites along the Nile towards Khartoum. After a breakfast in Atbara we headed out along the road south, and by mid-morning we reached the pyramids of Meroe. Here we found many changes, the old (and very suitably located) entrance was closed, and a new entrance and visitors center was built at the rear of the pyramid field, where the old campsite used to be), requiring a long walk to reach the pyramids (no doubt in the hope that the tired tourists will hitch a ride with the rather persistent cameliers. Fortunately it was still not an excessively hot day, we spent a pleasant morning visiting the pyramids and restored funerary chapels.
After lunch at the Wad Ben Naqa resthouse we drove to the temple-palace (?) complex of Musawwarat es Sufra. Here too there were changes, the German team working here made impressive progress with the cleaning and restoration work. We lingered at the site nearly till sunset, then drove to the sandy bedded wadi a short distance from the site to make camp.
Day 17. Musawwarat es Sufra - Naqa - Khartoum
In the morning after breakfast we paid a visit to the restored lion temple. The previous afternoon we have met the leader of the German team, Dr Cornelia Kleinitz, and she revealed to me the location of the king (or god) riding an elephant, originally recorded by the Lepsius expedition. I thought it to be a graffito at the temple-palace complex, but in reality it was a relief on one of the columns of the Lion Temple, now sadly half destroyed, only the head of the elephant remaining. I have also noted another detail that did not register before, two large crocodiles flanking the main entrance.
We continued to the last stop on our journey, the temples of Naqa. Being so early in the day, there was still sunlight on the north-eastern wall of the lion temple, which was invariably in the shade on previous visits.
We finished off at the restored temple of Amun, which too revealed several new details in the very different morning light.
All that remained was the drive back to Khartoum, we reached the city mid-afternoon. Moez was a bit concerned as the regular anti-military demonstrations usually start in North Khartoum around 1pm, and sometimes the bridges are closed requiring a long circuitous route to get into town, but we were lucky, we found the bridges open with just light traffic, by 3pm we were settled in to the Plaza hotel enjoying its fine facilities.
After a dinner at the Syrian restaurant next door, we said good bye to Francis (who took Emirates the next day), with the rest of us heading to the airport to catch the Turkish flight back home. In a fitting ending to the series of unfortunate mishaps and calamities, the flight was delayed and while the rest made it, with Gábor and Jacques we missed our morning connections. Jacques was luckier as there was another Paris flight just two hours later, but we had to remain at Istanbul airport till the evening to catch the next flight to Budapest.
Assuming that the conditions in Sudan remain favorable, there will be a future expedition attempting to reach Jebel Uweinat from Sudan. Please visit the Planned Expeditions page for more details, to be updated as new information becomes available (or "like" the FJ Expeditions FaceBook page to receive notices of news and updates).