Sudan Map

 

 

       Map of the Horn of Africa

latest picture: January 5, 2016

• click a picture to see details

001  12/9/2015: Sudan, our 185th country,

greets us in Gallabat still with a typical African

thatched hut village after leaving the Ethiopian

border of Metema. Further north Africa ends and

Arabia starts with its typical flat brick houses

002  Water is scarce in this desert country.

Nomads therefore set up camp preferentially

around a precious pond with their

huge herds of goats …..

003  ….. next to the water hole, cattle

gather around a single acacia tree that

provides them some shade from the

hot desert sun

004  A cotton field at its best. Cotton (Gossypium) is Sudan’s most important

export. Textiles were always part of

Sudan’s artisan craftwork

005  Hyacinth flowers (Hyacinthus

orientalis) sparkle at the edge of a

corn field that stretches for dozens

of miles along the road

006  Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus)

raise their heads towards the sun, giving

the bleak desert some color

007  Two thatched houses are peaking

out from a not yet harvested cornfield

008  Even in the harshest and most

remote corner we find a mosque in this

Islamic land deprived of alcohol

009  Camel herders are moving across

the desert with their animals. Breeding camels

is an important income source in Sudan

010  At the Istanbul Restaurant in Wad

Madani, directly at the shore of the Blue Nile,

a little passenger boat is crossing to the

eastern riverside

011  An oasis amid the sand: The Blue Nile –

a lifeline which comes from Tana Lake in

Ethiopia – holds back the desert and provides

a narrow strip of fertile land

012  With the paddle on the Blue Nile,

which looks rather brownish. But also

the White Nile isn’t better on

013  The ”Hamad al-Nil“ tomb in Khartoum.

Sheik Hamad al-Nil was a 19th-century Sufi

leader of the Qadiriyah order (tariqa) and his

tomb is the weekly focus for Omdurman’s

”whirling dervishes“ (Sufis). Sufis are members

of a Muslim ascetic-religious orden (tariqa) …..

014  ….. it attracts every Friday the

few tourists, local observers as well as

participants. This local fellow follows

attentively the happenings from

the men’s world …..

015  ….. while the girls have

their own viewing corner

016  After their march across the cemetery,

participants of the „whirling dervishes“

ceremony are approaching the ”Hamad al-

Nil“ tomb singing and drumming …..

017  ….. in the interior of the big

observer circle two men with cymbals

(percussion instruments) announce

the start of the ceremony …..

018  ….. the green banner of the ”tariqa“

orden is carried by a ”whirling dervishes“

into the circle and then raised. The ritual

can begin. In the background the mosque

of the ”Hamad al-Nil“ cemetery

019  A ”whirling dervishes“, dressed in

traditional green and red, moves around

the inner circle while the observers sing

and clap their hands …..

020  ….. the chunky beads around

his neck give this ”whirling dervishes“

his special look …..

021  ….. less decorative, but still wearing a

scarf with the traditional colors, this ”whirling

dervishes“ makes a break before joining the

circling, chanting, bobbing and clapping

022  At the occasion of religious festivities, the

Khalifa Mosque with its high minaret in the center

of Omdurman, the western part of the capital

Khartoum, is surrounded with rows of flags …..

023  ….. opposite of the Khalifa Square,

surrounded by lush green, is the Tomb of

Mahdi – Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah –

a religious leader of the Samaniyya order

024  A monument of the Quran,

the central religious text of Islam

Religious portraits and wall hangings adorn the Islamic festivities of Prophet Mohammed’s birthday on

December 24th, 2015, on Khalifa Square in Omdurman’s city center, the western part of the capital Khartoum.

Khartoum consists of three parts – separated by the confluence of the Blue and the White Nile:

Khartoum (2012: 2.7 m people), Omdurman (2.9 m people), Bahri [Khartoum North] (1 m people)

025

026

027

028  A teapot monument in the city center

of Omdurman. These kinds of monuments

are popular in the Arab world. They

symbolize hospitality

029  Sudanese love sweets. Its choice

at the neatly decorated shops is big. We

like the best nougat and sesam pastries

030  A mural at the biggest supermarket

in Khartoum, the “Afra Shopping Center”,

where we are blamed by the security for

taking this picture

031  Not really Emil’s favorite job: He is

arranging stuff on our roof rack in the

Youth Hostel Camping in Khartoum

032  Christmas 2015 beneath the big mango

tree on the camping of the Youth Hostel in

Khartoum. Instead of Christmas songs we

listen to an incredible concert of huge flocks

of birds that returned to their sleeping

place on the mango tree …..

033  ….. our simple, improvised

Christmas decoration as we were

not able to find a Christmas tree

in Muslim Sudan

034  Farewell from Melanie and daughter

Sophie on the Youth Hostel Camping in

Khartoum. They travel with a motorbike

with side car from East London (England)

to East London (South Africa)

035  Glorious desert sunset on our bush

camp near the Naqa ruins on New Years

evening 2016. The Naqa ruins lie about 12½

miles [20km] south of Musawwarat es-Sufra

036  Off to the desert to the Musawwarat

es-Sufra ruins (about 25 miles [40km] from

El Amaren along the main highway): As

always the desert provokes the feeling of

freedom and vastness

037  The temple complex of the Musawwarat

es-Sufra ruins covers an area of 13½ acres

[55‘000m²]. Some still standing columns

within the enclosure is all what remains

 from the former glory of this Meroitic

site of the Kingdom of Kush …..

038  ….. a well preserved column of

the largest Meroitic complex in Sudan …..

039  ….. stones and crumbling walls

040  View of the ruins of the Temple of

Amun of the Meroitic complex in Naqa,

made of sandstone - 12½ miles [20km]

more to the south …..

041  ….. a colonnade of lions at

the Temple of Amun in Naqa

042  A bedouin carries freshly cut

grass to his hut with his donkey –

a precious good in the desert

043  The pyramids of the Royal Cemetery

of Meroë in eastern Sudan are standing next to

each other on a red sandy ridge. They are all

“decapitated” because 1834 an idiot of an Italian

treasure hunter, Guiseppe Ferlini, was convinced

to be able to grab treasures on that way .....

044  ….. a group of camels is

waiting for tourists …..

045  ….. Emil is standing in front of one

of the kings burial chapels of the former

Meroitic Kingdom of Kush

in the Nubian Desert

046  From the viewpoint over the pyramids’

area our LandCruiser looks a bit lost

047  Just us and the pyramids in the

Nubian Desert! Liliana enjoys the moment.

There are said to be 200 of these ancient

tombs of the former Meroitic Kingdom

of Kush in Nubia

048  Panorama from the viewpoint: Many

pyramids are tombs of kings and queens of the

Meroitic Kushite Kingdom, who ruled the area

for more than 900 years and that spread once

up to the Mediterranean coast (700 BC)

049  Another view of a part of the

ancient Meroitic Kingdom of Kush in

Bagrawiya, where the capital of this Nubian

Kingdom is said to have been situated

050  Well preserved beautiful reliefs

on a wall of a burial chapel

051  The pyramids of Meroë are

impressive, but are definitively smaller

than those of Giza or Saqqara in Egypt

052  In the soft evening light, the

Meroë pyramids in the desert are

really captivating

053  We are driving 2 miles [3½km] through a

very scenic desert towards the Meroe Tented

Camp – a taste of luxury in the desert …..

054  ….. where camels are feeding

on the green bushes that are

growing in the stony terrain

055  Below the Meroe Tented Camp

we find a lovely bush camp behind

a red sand dune …..

056  .…. and watch from the Meroe

Tented Camp how the sun disappears

behind the Meroë pyramids .....

057  ….. despite of the sand wind it’s

a wonderful feeling being able to camp

in this beautiful silent desert

058  On our way to Port Sudan, about

47 miles [75km] after Ed Damer, we set up

our night camp far away from the main (truck)

highway in the monotonous flat desert …..

059  ….. after we had to give up

our first attempt as we almost got

stuck in softer sand …..

060  ….. apart from wild watermelons

(Citrullus lanatus), which surprisingly grow

well on the dry sandy terrain, there is hardly

any vegetation in this part of the arid desert

061  Despite that camels can travel long

distances in the desert sun without water, they

also need to drink now and then. Here a water

tanker has been dispatched to the desert

062  Bedouin tents along the road to

Port Sudan. Matching with the color of

the desert, they can hardly be seen.

Interestingly the tents show a certain similarity

to those of the Afar tribe in Djibouti

063  Very peculiar huts are

catching our attention along the

Khartoum - Port Sudan road

064  An impressive high and slim minaret

towers over the flat adobe dwellings of

Hayya – a village on the crossroad from

Port Sudan to Khartoum and Kassala

065  The special charm of Hayya lies

in the traditional adobe houses, which also

reflect the humble life of its inhabitants

066  Traditional and modern: Mud brick

houses and again the striking slim minaret

of a mosque near Sinkat

067  We are driving over the Aqaba

Pass towards the port city of Suakin.

The landscape reminds us to Oman

on the Arabian Peninsula

068  Our last desert camp in Sudan

between Port Sudan and the 19 miles

[30km] further north lying Red Sea Resort.

We drove in Sudan within 30 days

totally 1'085 miles [1’746km]

069  View from the ”Red Sea Resort“,

19 miles [30km] north of Port Sudan, situated

at the seashore. On January 8th, 2016, we

leave Sudan and with it Africa at the port of

Suakin and take the ferry to Jeddah/Saudi

Arabia with the next destination: United

Arab Emirates for the fifth time

Back to the 2nd part of the Ethiopian trip: Ethiopia Part 2 – November 27th to December 9th, 2015, from Djibouti to Sudan

Next website of our 2nd Central and North Asia trip 2016 to Russia:

Saudi Arabia – From the ferry port Jeddah in transit to United Arab Emirates border – January 9th to 12th, 2016

 

The "Greater"-Middle East trip 2012/13:

Sharjah/Dubai/1st Traveler's Festival/Emirates National Auto Museum - UAE with car Nov. 2012 to Jan. 2013 - part 1

Western UAE - Liwa - United Arab Emirates  with car in January 2013 - part 2

Oman 2013 – Part 1 - February 2013: Musandam Peninsula

Oman 2013 – Part 2 - February 2013: Sohar - Muscat - Rustaq - Nizwa

Oman 2013 – Part 3 - March 2013: Sur - East Coast - Island of Masirah - Dhofar

Oman 2013 – Part 4 - March 2013: Salalah & Surroundings (Dhofar) - Nizwa

Oman 2013 – Part 5 - March 2013: Western Hajar Mountains

Al Ain, Eastcoast & Ras al Khaima - United Arab Emirates with our car in April 2013 - part 3

Iran - part 1: Ferry Port Bandar Abbas-Shiraz-Persepolis-Pasargad (between Persepolis and Yazd) – May 2013

Iran - part 2: Pasargad (excl.)-Yazd-Esfahan – May 2013

Iran - part 3: Esfahan (excl.)-Chelgerd-Hamadan-Sanandaj-Orumiyeh – May 2013

Turkey - Esendere-Hakkari-Van-Dogubayazit-Kars-Ardahan-Hopa-Georgia Border – May/June 2013

Georgia - part 1: Ajaria-Gori-Tbilisi-Kakheti-Azerbaijan Border – June 2013

Azerbaijan: Georgia Border-Balakən-Şəki-Lahıç-Baku-Xınalıq-Quba-Laza-Baku-Gəncə-Georgia Border – June 2013

Georgia - Part 2a: Azerbaijan Border-Tbilisi-Armenia Border – June/July 2013

Armenia part 1 – July 2 to 9, 2013: Georgia Border - Akhtala - Haghpat - Dilijan - Lake Sevan - Selim - Arates - Nagorno-Karabakh

Nagorno-Karabakh: Armenia-Stepanakert-Gandzasar-Martakert-Tigranakert-Tnjri-Shoushi-Armenia – July

Armenia - Part 2: Nagorno-Karabakh-Goris-Tatev-Noravank-Khor Virap-Echmiadzin-Yerewan-Geghard-Gyumri-Georgia Border – July 2013

Georgia - Part 2b: Armenia Border-Ninotsminda-Tbilisi-Mtskheta-Kazbegi-Kutaisi-Zugdidi – July 2013

Georgia - Part 3a: Zugdidi-Swaneti-Zugdidi-Abkhazia Border – July/August 2013

Abkhazia: Georgia-Sukhumi-Tsebelda-Novyy Aton-Lake Ritsa-Gagra-Pitsunda-Georgia – August 2013

Georgia - Part 3b: Abkhazia Border-Poti-Ferry to Ilyichevsk/Ukraine – August 2013