A team of Polish and Sudanese archeologists works in El Zuma region where the sacred mountain Gebel Barkal was located and first Christian commune Old Dongola emerged’ Mahmoud el Tayeb. Sudanese archaeologist and professor at the University of Warsaw explains the scope of the excavations. Polish Market is one of the sponsors of this archaeological mission.
‘The idea was born in late 2003. That’s when we realized at the Centre for Ancient Sudan Research that we should be interested only in the 200 years between 4th and 6th century because very little is known about Sudan in that period. It is still an unexplored mystery. This was the very early era when Christianity formed here. I excavate cemeteries between the 3rd and 4th cataract which were never studied before’ Mahmoud el Tayeb explains. The research project is conducted by the University of Warsaw and the Polish Centre for Mediterranean Archaeology. The archaeological explorations are part of a larger project – establishing a local cultural centre where the locals could observe their traditions and develop folk art. The centre is also envisaged as a tourist attraction which could boost the region’s economy. The plans are to create a tourist trail through hundreds of years Sudan’s history from Gebel Barkal surrounded with temples, the Zuma cemetery to the Christian town of Old Dongola.
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