Nuba wrestling, wrestlers
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. In the late afternoon on Fridays, in a suburb of Khartoum, there is an opportunity to see Nuba wrestling, the traditional sport of the Nuba tribe. Wrestling is part of the Nuba culture. A sirwan, or wrestling ground, is specially prepared and fighters are called out to meet their opponents. In the Nuba Mountains (central Sudan), fights are usually performed to uphold the honour of a village. In recognition of local customs, wrestlers are fully clothed in Khartoum. In their homeland, they would be half-naked or adorned with animal skins. Until the 1970's, they did not wear clothes at all, and instead had amazing body sculptures, as photographed by Leni Riefenstahl
Size: 4288px × 2848px
Location: Khartoum, Sudan
Photo credit: © François-Olivier Dommergues / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: africa, arab, british, desertic, embargo, empire, islam, islamic, isolated, lutte, muslim, nuba, nuban, oil, portrait, republic, soudan, sudan, tribe, tribu, wrestler, wrestlers, wrestling
