Sudan floods threaten archaeological sites

The Nile flood killed more than 100 people in Sudan, 100,000 homes were damaged and the water continues to threaten the country’s historical monuments, in areas more than 500 meters from the river bed.

According to the Sudan Ministry of Water and Irrigation, “the level of the Nile reached more than 17.6 meters, which is a new record level, not recorded in 100 years.”

The high water level caused the drowning of the village of Tamaniyat, which is located north of the capital Khartoum, in addition to the flooding of areas in Lamab, Umm Dom and Sennar, and the Red Sea region of eastern Sudan. , where authorities are currently evacuating its residents.

About 180 public facilities and 360 shops were damaged and “the flood killed more than 5,000 head of cattle.”

Local media indicated that “the rains continued on Monday night, while the power was cut off in many areas of the country.”

The levels and height of the water in the different cities of Sudan and the expectations for the next three days from the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources are attached.

Summary:
Reduction in Al-Azraq and Al-Atbrawy, and stability in the rest of the sectors
#FloodSudanFrom my heart, peace to Khartoum pic.twitter.com/0xSiOaieDw

– Ahmed Alfaki (@ Afaki17) September 8, 2020

On Saturday, the Sudanese authorities declared a state of emergency across the country, according to the official Sudanese news agency SUNA.

The director of the French archaeological unit in Sudan, Marc May, told Agence France-Presse that the “Al-Bagrawiya” archaeological area, which was once the capital of the Meroitic Kingdom, is threatened with flooding.

He noted that “Sudanese antiquities inspectors built dams on the site with bags filled with sand and used pumps to draw water to prevent it from destroying this antiquity.”

According to Mayo, “never before” have floods “reached the royal city of Al-Bajrawiya, which is 500 meters from the course of the Nile River”, 200 kilometers north of Khartoum.

He added that “other archaeological sites are threatened by floods along the course of the Nile.”

The archaeological region of Bahraouia includes the cemetery where the famous pyramids of Meroe are located and the royal city of this central empire “which ruled from 350 BC to 350 AD and its lands extended in the valley of the Nile for a distance of 1500 km, from the south of Khartoum to the Egyptian borders. “

This archaeological site in Sudan is among “the sites included since 2003 on the UNESCO World Heritage List”.