Old Dongola ( Old Nubian : ⲧⲩⲛⲅⲩⲗ, Tungul ; Arabic : دنقلا العجوز , Dunqulā al-ʿAjūz ) is a deserted Nubian town in what is now Northern State , Sudan , located on the east bank of the Nile opposite the Wadi Howar . An important city in medieval Nubia , and the departure point for caravans west to Darfur and Kordofan , from the fourth to the fourteenth century Old Dongola was the capital of the Makurian state. A Polish archaeological team has been excavating the town since 1964.
31-475: The urban center of the population moved downstream 80 km (50 miles) to the opposite side of the Nile during the nineteenth century, becoming the modern Dongola . The archaeological site encompassing Old Dongola has about 200 ha. Its southern part features a citadel and urban buildings, while in the north, splendid suburban residences have been uncovered. There are also cemeteries associated with subsequent phases of
62-512: A travelogue compiled by a Spanish monk soon after 1348, mentions that Genoese merchants had settled in Old Dongola; they may have penetrated there as a consequence of the commercial treaty of 1290 between Genoa and Egypt. About 1.5 km to the north-east of the citadel lies the so-called Kom H where the monastery was uncovered. According to the inscription it is dedicated to St Anthony the Great but
93-616: A typical block of flats. And this gives a great chance that there are more paintings and inscriptions under our feet, just like in Faras". In February 2023, the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology headed by Obłuski announced the discovery of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs inscribed on stone blocks and figural decorations as elements from a Pharaonic temple. Further, the Polish archaeologists discovered various unusual wall paintings probably from
124-855: Is also a Dongola Road in Jersey (Channel Islands). There is a Dongola Road, in Plaistow, East London. There is also a Dongola Road in Ayr, Scotland. In the United States , Dongola, Illinois was established in the 1850s, and named for Dongola. There is also a Dongola Lane in Shakopee, Minnesota , and a Dongola Hwy. in Conway, South Carolina. Dongolawis originate from early indigenous Nubian Sub Saharan African inhabitants with many taking pride in their mostly non-mixed ancestry; although always faced with criticism this helped preserve
155-416: Is low year-round, but it is higher in winter. Dongola receives 3813.8 hours of sunshine annually, which is 87% of all possible sunshine. June has the most sunshine and September has the least. 19°10′11.37″N 30°28′29.62″E / 19.1698250°N 30.4748944°E / 19.1698250; 30.4748944 Funj people The Funj are an ethnic group in present-day Sudan . The Funj set up
186-693: Is only limited evidence for a pre-Arabic Funj language. There are three different hypotheses regarding their origin. The Funj claimed to be descendants of Banu Umayya through those who escaped the slaughter of their family by the Abbasids and fled to Abyssinia and thence into the Nubian territory. Since the Ja'alin claimed descent from the Abbasids and the Abdallab from the Juhayna ,
217-493: Is the capital of Northern State in Sudan , on the banks of the Nile . It should not be confused with Old Dongola , a now deserted medieval city located 80 km upstream on the opposite bank. The word Dongola comes from the Nubian word "Doñqal" which means red brick, as most buildings were made of bricks, thus provoking one of ancient Nubia's biggest industries. A more modern use of
248-554: Is the highest temperature that has been recorded in Sudan. The lowest recorded temperature was −2.7 °C (27.1 °F) in January. Dongola receives only 12.3 millimetres (0.48 in) of precipitation annually because of its arid location. September is the wettest month, receiving 7.7 millimetres (0.30 in) of rain on average. Rainfall is sporadic but more likely to occur in the summer. Six months receive no precipitation at all. Humidity
279-620: The Funj Sultanate with Abdallah Jamma and ruled the area for several centuries. The Funj rose in southern Nubia and had overthrown the remnants of the old Christian kingdom of Alodia . In 1504 a Funj leader named Amara Dunqas , founded the Black Sultanate at Sannar (the capital). The Black Sultanate soon became the keystone of the Funj Empire. The origins of the Funj are not clearly known. There
310-598: The Nilo Saharan Dongolawi Nubian language (sometimes pejoratively referred to as Rotana); however, cultural preferences are slowly changing. The trans-African automobile route — the Cairo-Cape Town Highway passes through Dongola. Dongola has a hot desert climate ( Köppen climate classification BWh ) as it is located in the Sahara Desert , one of the hottest, sunniest and driest regions in
341-630: The Throne Hall of the Makurian kings is a massive defence-like building of 28 m by 18 m by 12 m situated on a rocky spur to the east from the fortress. It was built in the 9th century. The building had two stories; the height of the walls was 6.5 m on the ground floor and 3.5 m on the upper floor. In 1317 it was turned into a mosque , an event which is preserved in a foundation stela erected by Sayf al-Din Abdullah Barshambu . The ceremonial Throne Hall on
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#1732847689419372-536: The 16th century, which ruled the region until the late 18th century. By the 1820s the town was virtually abandoned. In 1812 the Mamluks arrived in the Dongola region after they were forced out from Egypt by Muhammad Ali Pasha , establishing a small state. As their capital they chose the small town of Maragha. Growing significantly, it came to be known as Dongola Urdu, New Dongola. In 1820 Muhammad Ali Pasha invaded Sudan and
403-477: The 17th century, testify to the importance of Old Dongola also in postmedieval times. Polish archaeological and conservation works in Dongola were initiated by Kazimierz Michałowski . The Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology University of Warsaw has conducted research at the site since 1964, with the support of the Sudanese National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums. The first head of
434-658: The British-Egyptian army in Sudan. Kitchener's forces were known for their mercilessness, killing over 15,000 Mahdist troops in the Battle of Omdurman in 1898, and later on proceeded to kill the wounded, raising the overall death toll to over 50,000. Dongola Road and Dongola Avenue in the Bishopston area of Bristol were named after this event; as was Dongola Road in Tottenham , North London which runs next to Kitchener Road. There
465-589: The Far East, as well as Europe, continued in this period. However, trade declined after the rise of the Shaigiya Confederacy . In 1812, the Mamluks fled to Sudan to escape purges in Egypt and conquered Old Dongola. They founded the city of New Dongola downriver, which grew in size, shifting the economic and trade center of the region away from Old Dongola. A large Islamic cemetery with numerous qubbas , erected in
496-505: The Funj may have claimed Umayyad descent to express their superiority to their subject peoples. James Bruce , in his book Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile , theorized that the Funj descend from the Shilluk people . Bruce wrote his book after 22 years of travel through North Africa and Ethiopia in the 18th century. The third hypothesis is that they are descendants of the remnants of
527-590: The Mamluks, numbering only 300 men, abandoned the town and fled to the south. The Egyptians made Dongola a provincial capital, which it remained until the outbreak of the Mahdist revolt in the 1880s. The Nile Expedition of 1884–1885 to relieve Gordon at Khartoum passed through the area. Regiments were challenged to race up the river by boat, and this gave rise to the English regatta competition of dongola racing . Dongola
558-575: The Monastery of the Holy Trinity is also referred to in literature. It was probably one of the first Christian building projects in Dongola. Archbishop of Dongola, Georgios, who died in 1113, was buried in one of the crypts in the church. The inscription on his funerary stela indicates that St Anthony the Great was the patron of the monastery. In the rich assemblage of texts in Greek, Coptic, and Old Nubian found in
589-597: The Sultan of Egypt to place his nominee Abdullah, perhaps a Muslim Nubian, on the throne. The royal court left Dongola in 1364. Under the Funj , Old Dongola became the capital of the Northern provinces. The French traveller Charles-Jacques Poncet [ fr ] visited the city in 1699, and in his memoirs he described it as located on the slope of a sandy hill. His description of Old Dongola continues: Intensive trade relations with
620-553: The archbishop's crypt, a dedication to the Holy Trinity also appears. Approximately 100 compositions, dated to the eleventh–thirteenth century, were uncovered on the walls of the monastery buildings. Many of these paintings are unique, both from the artistic and iconographical point of view. They depicted Christ, Mary, the Apostles, scenes from the Old and New Testament, as well as dignitaries. The monumental representative building interpreted as
651-430: The discovery of a new church's apse decorated with paintings describing two rows of colossal figures, as well as an attached wall and the nearby dome of a large tomb in Old Dongola, which might have been a cathedral and the largest known church from medieval Nubia. Obłuski reported: "The apse is about 9 meters deep. This means that the eastern part of the building has been preserved to the impressive height of three floors of
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#1732847689419682-402: The expedition was architect Antoni Ostrasz. Later, Stefan Jakobielski and Włodzimierz Godlewski directed the works for 60 years. Since 2017, the "UMMA: Urban Metamorphosis of the community of a Medieval African capital city" project ( ERC Starting Grant), headed by Artur Obłuski, has been active in studies of the youngest layers of the site. In May 2021, archaeologists led by Obłuski announced
713-399: The first floor was turned into a prayer room. The mosque remained in use until 1969, when the building was converted in a historic monument. During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries the town was in decline. It was attacked by Arabs several times. A surviving inscription erected in Old Dongola bears the date of 1317, is commonly understood to be the record of a military expedition sent by
744-619: The names contemporary archeologists have given them, Building X and the Church with the Stone Pavement . These two structures were erected about 100 meters apart from the walled town centre, indicating that at this time the town already extended over the original walls of the fortress. Building X was soon replaced by the Old Church . In the middle of the seventh century, the two main churches were destroyed, but rebuilt soon after. Building material
775-651: The thirteenth century. One of these paintings is a portrait of the Virgin Mary , and another depicts a scene with the archangel Michael and a Nubian king. Holding the king in his arms, the archangel presents him to Jesus sitting on a cloud and extending a hand for the king to kiss. “This is completely uncommon for Byzantine Christian art, which generally does not show a lot of interaction or contact between mortals and immortals,” said team leader Artur Obłuski. Dongola Dongola ( Arabic : دنقلا , romanized : Dunqulā ), also known as Urdu or New Dongola ,
806-429: The town's functioning, including Islamic domed tombs. Old Dongola was founded in the fifth century as a fortress. On the citadel, which was the royal residence, numerous palaces and public buildings were located. In the mid-sixth century with the arrival of Christianity it became the capital of Makuria, The town was further expanded, including the area outside the citadel. Several churches were built. These include, to use
837-590: The word is to describe a strong and hard bulwark, that being so Dongola is often called "the Resident of a large Nile castle". In the medieval period the region was controlled by the Christian kingdom of Makuria , which until the mid-14th century had its capital at Old Dongola further south. Subsequently Old Dongola became the capital of a smaller kingdom which was integrated into the Islamic Funj Sultanate in
868-408: The world. The temperature is warm or hot year-round, with January, the coolest month, having a mean of 17.6 °C (63.7 °F) and an average low of 8.5 °C (47.3 °F). June has the highest average high of 43.4 °C (110.1 °F), while August has the highest average low at 25.2 °C (77.4 °F). On 22 June 2010, Dongola recorded a temperature of 49.7 °C (121.5 °F), which
899-512: Was taken from the Old Church and used to repair the city walls. Archeologists believe this destruction is evidence of the First (642) and Second Battles of Dongola (652). At the end of the seventh Century, the Church of the Granite Columns was erected over the Old Church . Adorned with 16 granite columns, each with richly decorated granite capitals, the Church of the Granite Columns perhaps
930-604: Was the cathedral of Old Dongola. The city's heyday was in the ninth–eleventh centuries, but building activity lasted until the fourteenth century. The Church of the Stone Pavements was replaced with the Cruciform Church at this time. Other buildings in use in Old Dongola at this time include many other churches, at least two palaces, and a sizable monastery on its north side. Several houses were well equipped and had bath rooms and wall paintings. The Book of Knowledge ,
961-411: Was the scene of a victory by General Herbert Kitchener over the indigenous Mahdist Muslim tribes in 1896 who later turned it into a British-Egyptian army base with the objective of collecting and storing weapons, gear and resources. Dongola was a considered an all time base for sending campaign reports to Britain, and the first English press release was issued in the name of Dongola Star, with news of