Search

    Language Settings
    Select Website Language

    GDPR Compliance

    We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service.

    Sudanese Archaeologist Races to Protect Country’s Heritage Amid Ongoing Conflict

    1 month ago

    1

    39

    0

    👍 ❤️ 😂 😮 😢 😡

    Paris | 29 November 2025 — Yugcharan News

    In a quiet office at the French National Institute for Art History, Sudanese archaeologist Shadia Abdrabo is working against time. Studying photographs of ancient pottery dating back to nearly 7,000 B.C., she is documenting Sudan’s cultural heritage — much of which is at risk as the conflict back home continues.

    Abdrabo, a curator with Sudan’s National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums (NCAM), is currently on a yearlong research grant in France. Her mission is to create an online database of Sudan’s archaeological sites, museum collections, and historical archives — a task that has become even more urgent since the outbreak of war in April 2023.

    Soon after the conflict began, museums across Sudan were looted and damaged, leaving experts uncertain about what has gone missing. “We have already lost two museums, and we cannot afford to lose more,” Abdrabo told The Associated Press. She confirmed that regional museums in El Geneina and Nyala were nearly destroyed, while the National Museum in Khartoum — once home to around 100,000 objects — was ransacked.

    The National Museum housed invaluable artifacts from prehistoric cultures, the Kerma Kingdom, the Napatan period, and the Meroitic civilization, along with early Christian and Islamic collections. Among its rarest holdings were ancient mummies dating back to around 2,500 B.C. and royal treasures from the Kushite era.

    UNESCO has raised concerns, stating that the threat to Sudan’s cultural heritage has reached unprecedented levels.

    For Abdrabo, who hails from Nubia — a region rich in archaeological sites — the work carries deep emotional weight. When the conflict intensified, she and her family fled north through several cities before reaching Port Sudan. Even during their displacement, she and her colleagues worked to secure artifacts from Sudan’s 11 museums, some of which are recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

    However, experts say the efforts were often overtaken by events on the ground. According to Sudanese heritage advocate Ali Nour, documentation and protection efforts could not match the pace at which heritage sites were damaged or emptied.

    International institutions such as UNESCO have been assisting by training authorities to identify stolen antiquities and urging collectors to avoid acquiring cultural objects from Sudan. Yet, researchers note that the crisis has not received enough global attention, limiting international support.

    Sudan’s ancient civilizations played a crucial role in the history of Northeast Africa, influencing regions such as Egypt, the Mediterranean, and Mesopotamia. Preserving its heritage, experts say, is essential for understanding early African history.

    Abdrabo continues to catalogue items from afar, though progress is slow. She has funding until April 2026, but says completing the database within that time will be challenging. “I’ve documented just over 1,000 objects so far, but there is so much more to include — photographs, coordinates, identification numbers,” she explained.

    A small team in Khartoum is now working to clean and restore damaged pieces, which will later be compared with Abdrabo’s records to determine what has been lost.

    Despite the difficulties, she remains committed. “We are tracking what has been taken. My only goal is to save as much of Sudan’s heritage as possible,” she said. “Until the conflict ends, we don’t know what else might happen.”

     

    — Yugcharan News

    Click here to Read More
    • Share:
    Rahul Gandhi Condoles Death of Former Union Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal
    Previous Article
    Rahul Gandhi Condoles Death of Former Union Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal
    Next Article
    जेडीए में बजट घोषणाओं पर तेज का : 3000 करोड़ से अधिक के विकास कार्यों से शहर में बदल रही तस्वीर
    जेडीए में बजट घोषणाओं पर तेज का : 3000 करोड़ से अधिक के विकास कार्यों से शहर में बदल रही तस्वीर

    Related विदेश Updates:

    Are you sure? You want to delete this comment..! Remove Cancel

    Comments (0)

      Leave a comment

      Send