Columns, Old Dongola, capital city of the medieval Christian kingdom of Makuria
Sudan is the third largest country in Africa. It is a federal presidential representative democratic republic with a legal system based on Islamic law, since Islam is the predominant religion. The River Nile divides the country into eastern and western halves. Sudan was home to numerous ancient civilizations, such as the Kingdom of Kush, Kerma, Nobatia, Alodia, Makuria, Meroe and others, most of which flourished along the Nile. During the pre-dynastic period Nubia and Nagadan Upper Egypt were identical, simultaneously evolved systems of pharaonic kingship by 3300 BC. Because of its proximity to Egypt, the Sudan participated in the wider history of the Near East inasmuch as it was Christianized by the 6th century, and Islamized in the 15th. Sudan is rarely visited by foreigners; yet it offers a wealth of historical treasures and extraordinary landscapes. Not to forget its amazingly welcoming people. Old Dongola is the abandoned capital city of the Christian kingdom of Makuria. From the 7th to the 14th centuries, the city prospered, controlling the river from the First Cataract south possibly as far as Atbara. As an urban centre, Old Dongola was well chosen. The land was agriculturally rich, the walled city easily defensible and trade along the Nile (as well as caravans from Darfur) easily controlled.
Size: 4123px × 2739px
Location: Old Dongola, Sudan
Photo credit: © François-Olivier Dommergues / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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