Sudan: Pyramids - and Peace - in Paradise

[J. Thalia Cunningham]

photo: Martchan 


Feet bare, the woman scurried across the desert and up to the jeep as we were about to depart. Smiling, proffering a sizeable plastic bag, she said something which Khalid, my guide/interpreter as well as artist and poet, translated as, “a gift for you.” The bag was filled with fankush, a Sudanese snack akin to Fritos, with far more intriguing shapes: shells, lattices, spirals. Clearly, they’d noticed I’d been gobbling them down by the handfuls as I hung out watching the women dressing in finery and macquillag-ing for last night’s wedding.

 

This was Sudan, sprouting more pyramids, albeit smaller in size, than Egypt; a land where cultural purity is still untainted by mass tourism. And a nation whose delights of travel are, sadly, obscured by stories of "Lost Boys" and Darfur. True, 2015 began with new bombings in Darfur, senior United Nations officials were kicked out of the country, and Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir — a man wanted for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity — called for the removal of all UN peacekeepers. But it’s more enlightening to learn about a country through one’s own experiences, rather than forming opinions filtered through the media. And I always keep in mind something an Iranian soldier told me during my first trip to Iran: “Please don’t judge the people of my country by our crazy politicians,” a statement with which any American embroiled in the current U.S. presidential elections would be in complete sympathy.

 

Archeological sites notwithstanding, the Sudanese people alone would be a good reason to visit. They amalgamate gracious hospitality of Arabs with the easy-going, laid-back traits of sub-Saharan Africans into an enchanting mélange. Sudan has the world’s largest Sufi Muslim community, which might influence their approach to life. Sufism, the most prominent mystical tradition in Islam, shares many characteristics with Buddhism. Sufis follow the Qur’anic prohibition against compulsion or force in religious beliefs, and everyone is free to follow his or her own path. Sudanese women cover their heads, but no one expects foreigners to do so. Sufis express spiritual devotion through music and dancing.  Lots of dancing. Make that a whole lot of dancing. March was the wedding season, and I was fortunate to be invited to a couple. Men and women dance together, celebrate together. As a woman traveling alone, I was never uncomfortable; on the contrary, the Sudanese treated me like a very welcome guest. 

photo:  Mina Fouad

Khartoum, Sudan’s capital (above), proffers western-standard hotels, a thriving market, and the site of the confluence of the Blue and White Nile. Sudan’s history stretches back 250,000 years or so, give or take a few millennia, and the National Museum of Sudan affords a not-too-overwhelming introduction to Sudan’s history and archeological sites. 

Our driver navigated our study vehicle into the Sahara and the Northern State, the heartbeat of what was once ancient Nubia. First stop was Naqa, a complex of temples colonnaded by a double phalanx of rams, and dating from the Meroitic period (350 BCE-350 AD). Musawwarat, not far from Naqa, is another temple complex of the Meroitic period, with its grand enclosure and shallowly-inclining steps so that elephants could enter. The pièce de résistance of Sudanese archeological sites are the twin groups of pyramids comprising the Royal Cemetery of Meroë. There are more than 100 pyramids in Meroë, albeit in a spectrum of preservation, jutting up from the desert sand like the bottom row of a shark’s teeth. Ruins of the Royal City of Meroë are nearby. 

Other sites abound: the UN World Heritage Site of Jebel Markal, dominated by its formidable mountain; the royal necropoli of Napata and Nuri; the tombs of El Kurru, a couple of which visitors may enter to see the wall paintings inside; the Coptic Christian ruins of Old Dongola, perched high on a hill overlooking the Nile. Equally as remarkable as the architecture, sculpture, stone carving, and painting was the fact that Khalid, my knowledgeable guide/interpreter and I were the only humans at each one. The lone exception was a German archeologist at one of the sites, who had been working there for 25 years. Circumnavigating a pyramid or entering a tomb in solitary splendor bestows upon the visitor the unique and hauntingly magical opportunity to connect with the distant past. Absent were locals urging the traveler to ride mangy camels; there were no kiosks selling refrigerator magnets, postcards, or T-shirts reading, “My buddy went to Sudan and all I got was this lousy T-shirt.” Not once was I the recipient of a near-concussion from a gaggle of tourists waving selfie sticks around and knocking me in the head.


photo: Nonlani

 

Sudan is a must-see destination, but unlike Europe or North America, it’s not the sort of place where one exits the airport baggage claim with one’s luggage (hopefully), hops a bus to the center of town, and then begins to figure out where to go and what to do. I worked with James Wilcox, founder of Untamed Borders (see contact information below). Based in Kent, U.K., James clearly has a hankering for the world’s most enticing spots combined with solid on-the ground experience, contacts, and logistical savvy. Beyond his facility with travel logistics in this part of the world, I found his approach to travel in general compelling. Before making the final selection of a tour operator, I happened across a TED talk Wilcox had given to students at Bath University. He described his motivation in travel was to enhance “knowledge and understanding of the people, their history, and culture; to break down clichés and stereotypes.”

In addition to Sudan, Wilcox has traveled extensively to some of the world’s most interesting places – Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Somalia, to name a few. And he truly understands the mindset of people in these destinations, burrowing below the veneer of western conception of their needs to their reality. In other words, he cuts through all the bullshit. As opposed to a contrived “school visit” or other effluvia of many tour operators attempting to provide clients with a “cultural” experience, Wilcox brought skiing – and skiers – to Afghanistan’s challenging mountains, working in conjunction with the Aga Khan Foundation to provide employment by training Afghans in repair of ski equipment, guiding, avalanche protection and detection, rescue, first aid, and survivor skills. His company sponsors the Marathon of Afghanistan.

 

“We believe that peace and understanding on a world scale can only come when people of different cultures meet and interact,” Wilcox believes. And his travel creed is substantiated by the nations he covers and the quality of his services.

 

Untamed Borders Ltd
www.untamedborders.com
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12 Harnet St, Sandwich, Kent, CT13 9ES
United Kingsdom