The case of the Merowe Dam in Sudan

BN Village (Prof. Manu Ampim)

Two-part posting which shows exerpts from a report which is available for purchase.

In August 2007, I visited the Sudan for two weeks to conduct field research near the Merowe Dam area in the country’s northern region. My mission was a mini-research survey to record and document the archaeological sites and villages that will be flooded when the dam is completed in the upcoming months. The Merowe Dam is being constructed near the Fourth Cataract and, once completed in 2008, will inundate one of the most significant archaeological regions in the world. This area was an extension of one of the important political centers of the powerful ancient African civilization of Kush, and it was part of an extensive trading network and centralized kingship 4,500 years ago. My other goal of this Sudanese tour was to visit the major temple and pyramid sites, from the capital area of Khartoum down to the northern region of Merowe.