The Republic of the Sudan
is the largest country in Africa (tenth largest in the world),
covering approximately 2.5 mn square kilometers from Egypt in
the north to Uganda in the south. It shares borders of over
11,000 km with nine countries. Positioned in the heart of
Africa, it became a natural zone of interaction between the
Hamitic Arabs and the black Africans. Throughout the centuries,
groups of people and whole tribes crossed freely into the Sudan,
where they culturally blended and intermingled with native
populations. This racial intermixture of over 500 tribes
speaking about 115 languages from the Nubians along the Nile and
the nomadic Beja of the east to the Nuba from central Sudan and
the proud Shelluk, Nuer and Dimka from the South has produced
Sudan’s different ethnic groups and unique cultures (sometimes
the country is called a microcosm of Africa). Although Arabic is
the official language, indigenous languages are well and alive.
The Sudan that straddles various
ecological zones, extending from barren and arid desert regions in
the north to tropical rain forests in the extreme south is a land of
delightful contrast, boasting desert caravans, lush river valleys
and more pyramids than Egypt itself. There is overwhelming diversity
in natural resources, livelihoods and human settlements.
Long known for civil war, famine and
radical Islam, Sudan is in reality a much warmer place. Its history
is dominated by the interplay between its northern and southern
halves. At different times the North, with its riverine culture
along the Nile has represented the interests of Pharaonic Egypt, the
indigenous civilization of Kush and the Arab culture of Islam. The
South, with its African heritage, has stood for the natural wealth
of the continent and has provided many of the resources that allowed
the north to prosper. For centuries this north-south tension has
provided the motor for cultural exchange, trade, exploitation and
war – a fact that continues to overshadow the political scene in
modern Sudan.
Discovery of Paleolithic tools is
evidence of an Old Stone Age community in Sudan, probably in the
fifth-fourth millenniums BC. Trade relations, inaugurating the
routes (especially for human cargo) that have sustained Sudanese
commerce for centuries, followed Egyptian incursions around 2,800
BC. The ancient Egyptians first knew Nubia, the land south of the
first Cataract at Aswan as Ta-Seti or “land of the Bow” due to the
fighting prowess of its inhabitants, they later called it Kush or
“the wretched”. Gold and copper were mined and stone quarried and
shipped to the north. Remains of strategically located forts along
the Nile suggest an elaborate system of defence and communication. A
strong Sudanese kingdom (the Kush) arose in 750 BC at Napata (near
modern Meroe) and repaid the compliment by conquering Egypt,
feverishly copying Egyptian culture. As the keepers of the Temple of
Amun at Jebel Barkal, the Kushites saw themselves as the true
guardians of Egyptian religion and tradition. The Romans came around
23 BC but eventually sued for peace, unable to control the
rebellious Kushites. Nero sent an expedition to trace the source of
the Nile; it was stuck in the Sudd, the vast swamp of papyrus and
marches in the south. A period of uncertainty led to the arrival of
Christianity in the 6th century. The division of Sudan
into a northern kingdom (Muqarra) and a southern one (Alawa)
continues to reverberate today.
Islam came in the 7th
century, but rapid Islamization began with the Turkish Mameluke
rulers of Sudan in the 14th century leading to the
emergence of the Funj Kingdom based in Sinnar (the famous Black
Sultans), which became Shendi became a major centre for sending
slaves to Cairo’s markets. Christian missionaries entered southern
Sudan in 1950, laying the seeds for a future religious conflict. In
1885, the Turkish Pasha of Egypt Mohammed Ali decided to solve the
Sudanese question, and get slaves, ivory and gold by annexing it. A
national movement in 1881 led by the great Mohammed Ahmed Al-Mahdi
expelled the Egyptians, slaughtering British officers. Fear of
French control over the Upper Nile (they had reached Fashoda)
prompted the re-conquest of Sudan and it was ruled as a
British-Egyptian condominium until its independence in 1956.
Independent Sudan has faced years of bitter civil war (mainly
between north and south) with military rule interspersed with
civilian interludes.
THE PEOPLE
The Sudanese are warm
hearted, generous and caring to a fault. Their politeness and
hospitality are legendary. Foreigners (colloquially referred to as “khwaja”)
are treated with kindness and consideration.
SUDAN-INDIA
Interaction
between India and Sudan goes back at least to the dawn of the
Christian era. The
ancient Kush kingdom of Sudan, just south of the first Nile cataract
(modern Aswan), reached its apogee some 2,000 years ago. Its
pre-eminent deity Apedemak, associated with war, is depicted in the
famous temples of Naqa (30 km east of the Nile) as a triple headed
god emerging from a lotus. Some archaeologists cvonfidently claim
Indian influence through the ancient Red Sea port of Adulis!
What is certain is
that in the 18th century, Indian merchants regularly
visited the major market town of Shendi (infamous as the centre of
the slave trade) northeast of Khartoum to buy the leather, gold,
wood and animals (camels and horses) of the south. The pastoral Beja,
some 5% of Sudan’s population, are a Hamitic people, one of Sudan’s
oldest groups. Immortalized for their martial spirit by Rudyard
Kipling as the “fuzzy wuzzies” for their shock of curly hair, the
Bejas claim origin from India. Their language, spoken from the chest
(heart) rather than from the lips, could be related to ancient
Prakrit.
India
enjoys a special place in the heart of every Sudanese, reinforced by
India’s responsiveness to Sudan’s developmental needs. Sudan has
not forgotten India’s contribution to its independence movement and
to the presence of Indian experts and teachers in the early years of
freedom. At the
1955 Bandung Conference, the delegation from a still not independent
Sudan did not have a flag to mark its place. Taking out his
handkerchief, Jawaharlal Nehru wrote Sudan on it and put it on a
chair, thus reserving a place for Sudan in the international
community. That handkerchief is in the Bandung museum.
Thousands of
Sudanese have studied in India either with Indian Government funding
or as self-financing students. Many Sudanese merchants made India
their second Home. Indian films are hugely popular, and without
dubbing or subtitling dominate local cinema halls. India
is everywhere in Sudan through the ubiquitous Tata buses and Bajaj
auto-rickshaws, found in all towns and cities. Indians would feel
at Home in this beautiful country.
The settled
Indian community, some 160 years old, now numbers close to 2,000 and
lives chiefly in Khartoum, Port Sudan, Omdurman, Kassala, Gedaraf
and Wad Medani. In addition, there are almost 5,000 Indian engineers
and workers (growing by the day) apart from approximately 2,500
Indian troops in the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), the
largest contingent.
There are at
least four decent Indian restaurants in Khartoum.
MUSIC
Surprisingly,
Sudanese music is neither Arab nor African but distinctively
Sudanese. Some claim it resembles Chinese music in scale while
retaining some African and Arab rhythms. The tamboor (a kind of
chordophone-like musical instrument) is found all over the country.
Nihas and other drums are used in celebrations. Dancing is a way of
life for every Sudanese tribe and reflects traditional life
including farming, rain, hunting, heroism, chivalry and religion.
Typical examples include the kambala of the Nuba Mountains, the
“leap dance” of the Dinka, nuggurah of the Miseiryah, the sword
dance of the Beja, barabrah of the Halfa and the eponymous Shaiqiyah
of its tribe.
CLOTHING
Even though
Western clothes are much in vogue, traditional Sudanese dress
retains its hold. The jalabiya, a loose cotton gown, is widely used
by men and the toab by women. Lower lip tattooing (daq al-shalufah)
is common among women as is use of henna. Zar is a fascinating rite
in which women become possessed seeking relief from illness or other
problems. Visitors, especially women, are advised to dress modestly.
MARRIAGE
Those
fortunate to be invited to a traditional Sudanese wedding would be
fascinated by the unique rituals including the jertik that is really
an exchange of messages of faith and hope between the bride and
groom.
CUISINE
Northern
Sudanese cuisine is relatively uncomplicated with wheat flour as the
staple, suggesting the claim that the ancient Nubians were the first
to discover wheat. The circular wheat-based gourassa is served with
stew or mullah, the most famous stew being a mixture of dried okra
and meat (um rigaya). In the east, the staple is moukhbaza made of
banana paste. In the pastoral west, milk and dairy products
predominate, while a distinctive cereal called dukhun is sued to
make porridge (aseedat dukhun). With its abundance of rivers, swamps
and lakes, the South depends on fish. The popular fish stew kajaik
is served with sorghum-flour porridge (asseda).
RECREATION
Laid out by its colonial rulers in
the form of the Union Jack, Khartoum is hot and dusty for most of
the year, but there are tourist attractions for those with a taste
for adventure including desert camping. Sudan is a land of
delightful contrast, boasting desert caravans, lush river valleys
and more pyramids than Egypt itself. The confluence of the two Niles
(mougran) near Khartoum is a breathtaking spectacle. Other
institutions that must be visited include the Ethnographical Museum,
Sudan National Museum, Natural History Museum, the unique Camel
Market (especially busy on Fridays), Nuba wrestling tournaments,
Omdurman handicrafts market, Islands on the Nile, Omdurman’s dancing
and whirling dervishes, Hamad El-Nil Tomb, Commonwealth War
Cemetery, Omdurman Boat Yard, Saydat El Bushara Chruch (estd. 1800),
Farouk’s Mosque etc.
WILD LIFE
Sudan has more land-based big mammals
that any other country. Game reserves have been in existence since
the 1930s. At least 34 species of antelope have been identified,
while there are plenty of gazelle, addax, duiker, sitatunga,
buffalo, chimpanzees, giant forest hogs and Nile Lechwe.
SHOPPING
Credit cards are a novelty so prepare
to deal in cash. Sudanese dinars are the most acceptable currency
although some shops will accept dollars. Travellers cheques can be
redeemed at commissions up to 30%. The dinar replaced the Sudanese
pound in the mid 1990s to curb inflation but most people will still
quote prices in pounds. One dinar is equivalent to ten pounds so a
quoted price of 5,000 might actually mean 500 dinars. As of November
2005, one US dollar buys 230 Sudanese dinars.
In African terms, shops in Sudan are
generally well stocked and visitors will find a general store,
pharmacy, or other shop stocking what they need in most towns. In
the cities it is also possible to buy a good selection of hi-tech
goods.
For the handicraft shopper, Sudan has
much to offer. The mother of all markets is the sprawling Omdurman
souq, across the Nile from Khartoum, where almost everything is on
sale, including huge wicker baskets for you to carry it all Home in.
Carved wood and painted leather goods
are prolific. Sudanese attire also makes for good souvenirs, from
white jallabiyas for men to bright tobes for women. Jewellery is
popular and one can sometimes find the chunky silver jewellery worn
by Rashaida women; delicate gold bracelets are more favoured by the
Nubians. Kassala is the best place for knives; some Beja men may
even try to sell you a sword.
There are many morally dubious animal
products on sale in Sudan. Dried crocodile heads and stuffed
lizards and snakes crop up with alarming frequency, as do ivory
pieces. It is best to stick to carved camel bone.
COMMUNICATIONS
Like most of the developing world,
Sudan has taken the mobile phone to its heart. However, the quality
and coverage are still evolving and landlines are more useful.
Mobitel, Sudan’s monopoly mobile telecommunication provider, has
roaming arrangements with several Indian companies including Bharti
Mobile– AirTel, Hutchison Essar South, Bharti Mobinet–Airtel, Bharti
Cellular–AirTel, Spice Telecom, BPL, Fascel (Hutchison), Hutchison
Max Telecom (Orange), Hutchison Essar South, Aircel Digilink
(Hutchison), Hutchison Essar (Sterling Cellular) and IDEA Cellular.
However, calls can cost up to US$ 2 per minute.
TRANSPORT
The public transport system in
Khartoum is cheap. Buses or the local Boksi (a kind of pickup) are
crowded. They do not connect many parts of the city. Taxi drivers do
not speak English and there is no system of meters so do fix the
fare in advance. Roads in Khartoum (as in Sudan) are slowly
improving. Driving in Sudan is on the right of the road. Petrol is
easily available and cheap.
LAW
AND ORDER
Khartoum has remained peaceful
despite civil war and military rule. With the signing of a
comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Government and SPLM/A in
January 2005 the security situation in the country is expected to
improve. Khartoum is a safer place than most capitals of Africa.
HEALTH
The Sudanese health system is one of
the best in Africa despite the drain of the civil war that compelled
many doctors to migrate. Medical facilities in Sudan are now
adequate. The situation has improved with the opening of private
clinics. A new well-equipped hospital, Sahiroon, has opened
recently.
ASSISTANCE AND ADVICE
Indian visitors are welcome to
contact the Embassy for advice, assistance and information. We work
Sunday through Thursday 0800-1700 hours. We shall do our best to
make your stay enjoyable and memorable.
-
