Khartoum – Civilization after civilization in the city of "Old Dongola" on the east bank of the Nile River in the northern state of Sudan. A pharaonic civilization, then a Christian kingdom and an Islamic period in which the city was an important urban center, all of which made the area full of monuments and an inexhaustible field of exploration, and the latest of these discoveries was a mysterious complex of rooms made of green bricks, discovered by a Polish archaeological mission.
A city and more than a civilization
The old city of Dongola is one of the most important political, administrative and religious centers that were established in Sudan, and contributed a large share to the civilizational development that took place in Sudan at the time, making it a region rich in the effects of different eras.
Professor of archaeology Dr. Ahmed Hussein Abdel Rahman attributed the reason to the city's location, "which has played an important role throughout history, as it represented a meeting point in which different civilizational and cultural currents crystallized, and became a link linking different cities from Nubia. Since the late Meroe period (350 BC-325 AD) onwards, various archaeological studies have proven the cultural and civilizational sequence of this region."
This period was followed by the influx of large Christian missionary groups from Egypt and elsewhere to the three Nubian kingdoms that emerged in the aftermath of the Meroitic period, and Christianity became the official religion of these kingdoms and a landmark in the country's history.
Dr. Abdul Rahman adds, in his testimony to Al Jazeera Net, "This region left huge material effects represented in religious and civil architecture, industries, crafts and others, to become one of the most prominent features of this period, and the old Dongola became the most important cities and urban centers, in addition to being the capital of the United Kingdom (Nobatia and Moqra), which was also called the Kingdom of Dongola."
Polish.. Old collaborations and recent discoveries
Polish archaeological missions have an ancient history of work in Sudan dating back to the period of saving the Nubian monuments, according to the chief inspector of antiquities at the Department of Archaeological Detection at the National Authority of Antiquities and Museums, Dr. Habab Idris Ahmed.
Habab says that the Polish mission is one of the missions that worked in the site of the old Dongola, the capital of the state of headquarters and one of the very large Christian kingdoms in Sudan, and since the beginning of its work in 1964, many buildings dating back to Christian periods such as the monastery, the royal church and a number of units have been uncovered.
But Habab stops at the great contribution of the Poles, and says to Al Jazeera Net, "One of the greatest contributions is to save many churches, the most famous of which is the Church of Faras with distinct murals and displayed in the Sudan National Museum and in Warsaw as well."
The Polish mission is working on more than one project in Old Dongola, including the "Mother" project, and Dr. Habab Idris explains that the project is specialized in studying cities with a focus on buildings that follow the Funj period (between the 16th and 19th centuries), and says that "the current mission has 5 years in a project for urban transformations of the society of a medieval African capital", and its purpose is to find out how the transition was made from the Christian period to the Islamic period, and the project is funded by the European Research Council, and is led by Dr. Hap Artur Obelski. A team from the Polish Center for Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw.
A hole between two periods and an amazing discovery
According to the official website of the Polish Centre for Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw, chance led archaeologist Dr. Lorenzo de Lillis, Dr. Maciej and Yugo towards a mysterious complex of green brick rooms, whose interiors were covered with unique pictorial scenes of Christian art, while exploring houses dating back to the Funj period.
"The research was dedicated to a building belonging to the Islamic period, but the researchers noticed features of a hole that led to the discovery of a vault, and then the discovery was rooms with colorful wall paintings showing the Virgin Mary with a Nubian king and the angel Mikael, who is specialized in protecting kings," Habab Idris said.
Restoration of frescoes (University of Warsaw)
The crater, which moved the discovery mission from the Funj period (the Islamic period) to the previous period (the Christian period), comes in the natural context of a city that used to be a center of gravity in civilization and went through a period of great transformations, and this is one of the most important purposes of the project. The discovery of a complex of a number of rooms with colorful murals and drawings adorning it in an unexpected depth is an important discovery, and the importance of revealing the accompanying drawings and inscriptions is doubly important.
Contrasting drawing and accompanying inscriptions
The murals showed the Virgin Mary with a Nubian king and the angel Michael who is specialized in protecting kings, but what is distinctive is that the scene depicted is not one of the usual scenes, as the drawing depicts the king leaning in the direction of Christ sitting among the clouds as if kissing his hand.
Habab Idris commented on the scene by saying, "The drawings show an unusual movement in Nubian Christian art," and this is what the mission stated on its website, and noted that the painting of the Virgin Mary on the north wall of the room "does not belong to the typical way of Mary's drawings in Nubian art, which appears in a revered pose, wearing dark robes, and holding a cross and a book in her hands."
The drawings, which are different from the usual method of Nubian Christian art, which is special in many details, are accompanied by inscriptions in Greek and Nubian.
Restoration work of frescoes (Magdalena Škarzinxa, University of Warsaw)
The Polish mission found several references to a king named David, and according to what the mission published on its website, "in the inscription is a prayer to God to protect the city. The city mentioned in the inscription may be Dongola, and King David is most likely the royal figure depicted in the scene. David was one of the last rulers of the Christian period, and his reign marked the beginning of the end of the kingdom. For unknown reasons, King David attacked Egypt, which responded by invading Nubia, the painting may have been painted as an army approached the city or it was already besieging it."
Post-detection
The discovery was restored and some preventive measures were carried out by a team from the Polish Center for Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw, and the Department of Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw led by specialist Magdalena Szkarzinxa, and because the discovery occurred at the end of the scouting season, restoration and preventive measures were necessary until the return of the mission and the conduct of hosted studies and research that may reveal some mysteries, according to the mission's description, represented in the biggest mystery is the complex of rooms in which the paintings were found.
The spaces themselves, covered with vaults and domes and made of dried bricks, are very small, and the room with the painted scene showing King David resembles a crypt, but rises 7 meters above ground level.
Christian Icon Painting (University of Warsaw)
Habab Idris concludes her testimony to Al Jazeera Net by saying, "The disclosure is unique and adds importance to a city where human settlement has lasted for more than a thousand years and includes many monuments, the most important of which is the old Dongola Mosque, which is the oldest mosque in Sudan."
Dr. Artur Abloski is expected to present a seminar on the results of the Polish mission's archaeological excavations at the end of April until the mission returns to Sudan in the autumn.