First Season Report: En

First Season Report: 2007

I. Introduction:
This is an interdisciplinary project which aims to document and study archaeological sites and all cultural aspects including cultural contact situations (Nubian-Arabic) and Islamisation. The region is a very important one since it made up one of the major cultural, economic and political regions of the Kingdom of Makuria, and the area which received the early Muslim settlers. The population of the region is mostly Danagla Nubians, but there is a noticeable presence of Darfurians and possi- bly West Africans. Also el-Khandaq, having been an impor- tant commercial centre, attracted other ethnic groups: Nubian – Mahas-Shaigyia, Sa’idi from Egypt and ‘Attiyab from Morocco. Limited archaeological work in the area has taken place since the last major survey by the Institute of Archaeology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1997, when key sites were located (Smith 1998-2002). To complete a survey of the area is increasingly urgent in the face of im- minent threats from natural and human factors. Like many areas of the Sudan, the region is undergoing a major trans- formation through the effects of development (irrigation schemes, agricultural and settlement expansion). The area has been subdivided it into four regions to make the work-programme manageable and to assist in its evaluation.
These are from south to north:
1. El-Khandaq and its environs.
2. Wad Nimeiri and its environs.
3. Magasir Island and Kabtod.
4. Hannek-Koya
The primary focus will be the in-depth study of particularly threatened sites such as el-Khandaq and Wad Nimeiri, where the castles are in a deplorable state. El-Khandaq was significant in the past as an important river port which received goods from Egypt and handled exports from the heart of western and southern Sudan. The project also aims to study all archaeological material with an emphasis on the different kinds of cemeteries, pottery, and other material culture items. Industrial archaeology is another field which has potential in the area, e.g. limestone extraction by women and its processing and application.

II. The fieldwork:
synopsis: Fieldwork was carried out in two periods: February/March 2007 and November 2007. During the first period, 13th February - 11th March, a comprehensive archaeological survey was carried from el-Khandaq (18º 37.173’ N, 30º 33.912’ E) and northwards to Sori (18º 42.643’ N, 30º 32.533’ E). Approximately 35 sites were registered within el-Khandaq, five at Sali and one at Sori. Most of the sites are of the Islamic period (qubbas, cemeteries, khalwa ruins) but there are also a few Christian remains and prehistoric sites, as well as the remains of the old town of el-Khandaq and the fort (Qaila Qaila) (see table of coordinates)
The second period 11/11-26/11 the work was concentrated at Al-Khandaq, as one of our primary focus is the in-depth study of particular threatened sites. The following tasks have been achieved:
- Plotting of the fort using total station (a major work made possible by SARS contribution).
- Measurement of 5 houses
- Rescue excavation of a Christian group burial.
- Analysis of the skeleton of the above mentioned burial.
- Conservation of the grave after returning the skeletal remains.
- Ethnographical observation of a female oven maker.
- Collecting of Oral tradition.
- Erecting board signs for the fort, group graves, and the University of Khartoum plot of land (suggested rest house).
This season was funded and supported by the following:
- University of Khartoum.
- SARS.
- The citizens of Al-Khandaq (providing lodging)

III. Particulars:
III.1 Al-Khandaq town: The fort or “Gaila Qaila: dominates the town, its south western tower is visible from the north and the south, while its western wall with the remains of the south western and middle towers dominates the area looking from the west. Its remains are in bad need for urgent support, especially the towers. The project managed to draw its plan, which is a great achievement. The northern wall, which extends east-west doesn’t exist and at the eastern end is cut by a track used by animals and people. It seems that most of its stones have been used to build the police station early 20th century and later, some of the houses. What adds more to its destruction is the presence of large quantities of dung inside the fort, which the local people excavate to use as fertilizer. The pottery shards from the surface go back to the Christian and Islamic period. The town was once a famous river port was the residence place of wealthy merchants, as their houses show. There are two-story houses of mud brick with many rooms as well as one story houses; they had been deserted since early 1970s when the trade traffic declined and merchants moved to Khartoum and Omdurman.
III.2 Burials: It seems that the town of al-Khandaq was built over a big cemetery. The graves are everywhere, inside the inhabited houses, along the roads, beside the graveyards, vaulted roof burials, group burials (Toskiya- local term) and beneath limestone hills (concealed graves). Today there are two royal cemeteries, the main town cemetery which is divided spatially among many factions of the town i.e. Hassanab, Musiab etc and naturally by running gullies. Grave super-structures vary, there are the ordinary oval shaped graves with two tombstones whether inscribed or plain, with stone pebbles scattered on surface; some have a sort of a low mastaba of red brick or mud brick again with tomb stones. Others are surrounded by a mud or mud brick enclosure with a height ranging between 20-50cm (baniya). The cemeteries, the different type of grave superstructures and the inscribed tombstones are a fertile area for further in-depth study.
The infants and newly born children are usually buried either next to the Gubba or a sheikh grave. Some of the grave yards to the north of al-Khandaq are for children arranged around the grave of a sheikh. The females graves, even the infants, are marked by a third tombstone in the middle of the grave, this is a unique trend which so far hasn’t been reported else where.
The qubbas and shrines of sheikhs are numerous within Khandaq and to its north. The latter includes remains of an old graveyard with remains of qubbas and structures, some of which consist of two rooms of which the eastern bears a mihrab. According to oral tradition these are the remains of khalwas (Quranic school) and mosques.
III.3 Oral tradition :The project managed to carry out interviews with the older inhabitants of al-Khandaq. We were lucky enough we met the grandson (94 years) of the famous al Nour al Khabir, the royal sultan of Darfur’s caravan leader, and the famous merchant who carried trade between Egypt and the Sudan. Mohammed Mohi Ed-Din has a very good memory of the first half of the 20th century and also of what he stored up in his mind from the events mentioned to him by his father and grandfather, concerning trade items, routes, boats, sailors and booze houses. Ahmed Hassan Khairi (75) a maternal relative of Ali Abd Al-Latif, the hero of 1924 revolution, together with some of the town residents still keep in their memories the house in which Abd al Rahman al Nijoumi, the Mahdy army leader, had been hosted and the story of Abd al Latif’s, father of Ali, who arrived with the al Nijumi army, and his left over and stay in al Khandaq. They can show where Ali was born and the story of his father’s marriage. The oral tradition can throw light on the trade, the genealogy of the inhabitants and the subsistence economy of the town by the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Hanim Jar al-Nabi (75) has her own memories of the sailing canteens and their stop at Khandaq and the shops that once aligned along the river side road and the traded items and the decline of trade.
III.4 Ethnographic observations and Females crafts: The females of al Khandaq were famous for making objects out of palm leaves and wheat stalks. These range from the food cover “tabaq’ to baskets used as food container or for food carrying, roof hanging device to keep food fresh, mats etc. Females also prepare hearths or stands out of lime mixed with animal dung. The extraction of lime was once one of their jobs to use for flooring and making of hearths. An ethnographic observation of a female oven maker was carried out as remains of ovens were observed in the deserted houses and are still used by some families.
III.5 Public buildings: The police station, established 1902 is still there but the post office and the customs point no longer exist. The remains of the old butchery are still visible to the north of the boys’ elementary school. The indigo factory is represented by large granite stones and traces of the basins but the main area has been used for cultivation. The rest-house which has been established 1905 overlooking the river from its high position is standing, but needs urgent restoration.

IV. Rescue excavation: N 18 36 235, E 30 33 945: A skull protruding from the SE corner of a vaulted burial was the reason behind conducting the excavation. The burial has been used as dumping area since the collapse of the roof. The excavation area was 4x3 meters and the upper layer down to 60cm consisted of garbage. Below that appeared the remains of the fallen roof which consists of mud bricks of large size 50x20x7cm. After another 10 cm bones, skulls, and complete skeletons started to appear. They were in different positions, some lying north-south others east-west. The solid ground was reached after another 50cm. When we set to work, we expected to find no more than one or two skeletons but we ended up with more than 30 individuals, according to the analysis carried by team member Yahia Fadl Tahir. According to his study, the males represent 75% of the deceased while the females 25%. They seemed to have been well-nourished as there was only one instance of tooth decay, and the general status of the skeletons revealed no injuries, fractures or even noticeable disease although the age of death reveals middle aged people (30-50) years old. Their length was between 162-175cm. (See table)

V. Conclusion: The field work has served as a field school, which helped in developing the skills of junior staff as well as students (this season we were accompanied by a fifth year student, who carried out her field work in the area and its environs for her BA thesis). Supervision and training was also provided for an MA student who studied the archaeological remains of Maqasir island. (part 3 in our survey strategy).
As mentioned in our project proposal that the area is large and has its own internal complexes, thus we have subdivided it into four regions as measures to control the work, data and evaluation. Now we have finished surveying Khandaq and its environs, next season we will start Wad Nemeiri and its environs. As envisaged we are going to complete the survey of the second area and at the same time a small group will be plotting wad Nemeiri Fort and its surroundings
The project has realized the importance of maintaining and preserving of one of the two-story houses as a nucleus for a museum. It has been agreed to be the house of Mohammed Mohi el Din Sayid al Nour al Khabir, as the owners are still occupying part of the house and welcomed the idea, beside the fact that it is still standing and in good condition. A lot of stored objects in the same house may form part of the exhibition. The Khatibiya family also owns a lot of objects beside the objects the Khanadaqa promised to collect from Mettama and Khartoum. This, together with the fort and the rest of the town can present a real tourist attraction in the area and the area might flourish again after more than half-century of stagnation.

The team:
- Intisar Soghayroun Elzein, project director, Dept. of archaeology, university of Khartoum.
- Isabella Welsby Sjöström :- field director medieval and post medieval Archaeology
- Azhari Mustafa Sadiq:- field director Pre and proto historic archaeology, dept. of archaeology, university of Khartoum
- Yahia Fadl Tahir Field director: Ecology and environment, dept. of archaeology University of Khartoum
- Ali Osman M. Salih, Dept. of Archaeology, University of Khartoum
- Hueida Adam, Dept. of Archaeology, University of Khartoum
- Ahmed Hussein Abd al_Rahman Adam, Dept. of Archaeology, University of Khartoum
- Abd Al Rahman Ibrahim Saeed, Dept. of Archaeology, University of Khartoum
- Husna Taha al-Atta, Dept. of Archaeology, University of Khartoum