The best museums Sudan

It is not the Cairo Museum or the British Museum, but at its modest level (the largest museum in the country), it is an obligation for tourists and all lovers of archaeology. And Sudan is not a poor land in this area. Built at the hinge of the years 1960-1970, the museum is designed to allow the visitor to browse the long Sudanese chronology, from Prehistory to Islamic times.

On the ground floor, at the entrance, a huge map of the country draws attention. It presents the archaeological sites and the ancient kingdoms of the region. In the sense of a watch, you travel between windows, maps and statues, gathered according to time and with comments. For the prehistoric period, the museum exhibits a beautiful amount of jewellery (bracelets, earrings, necklaces) and figurines. The period of Kerma is illustrated by a rich collection of pottery, for which the first sub-Saharan civilization was very famous. Koushite history continues by Napata and, of course, Merowe. Among the most beautiful pieces of the museum are the sarcophagus of the sovereign napatéen Anlamani, but also a statue of the representative. He was one of the close kushites kings of the Black Pharaohs, at a time when the kingdom of Kush was experiencing turbulent times. In the méroïtique period, objects with multiple influences are the most significant. The King Archer statue, the centrepiece of the exhibition "Merowe, an empire on the Nile", in the Louvre in 2010, will have to return to the National Museum of Khartoum, as well as several dozen other hand loaned to the French museum.

On the floor, a rather dark room probably exposes the most beautiful parts of the Middle Ages in Nubia. More than a dozen frescoes, including the cathedral of Faras, a former religious capital sunk under the waters of Lake Nasser, testify to the finesse and beauty of the Nubian pictorial art of that era. The round of saints or the representation of bishops, angels, Christ or the Virgin are particularly striking. The same room also features several objects dating from the Muslim period, to the Sultanate Founj. For photos, think of bringing a foot (the flash is forbidden).

Outside, don't miss the reconstructions (serre) of the temples of Semna, Kumma and Bouhen, little brothers of Abu Simbel, saved, like their prestigious counterpart, from the rise of the waters of Nassero-Nubian lake by UNESCO in the late 1960 s. Egyptian constructions, these temples were to ensure the visibility of Egyptian control over these remote lands in the Middle Empire. The garden of the museum is also adorned with colonnades and bélier statues, symbols of Amun, from the temple dedicated to this god in Kawa.

There is a small cafeteria-cafeteria, very good with large heat.

Located in a beautiful disused Anglican church, the museum recounts, with strong illustrations, portraits and comments, the road travelled by the Sudan from foreign invasions and the struggle for independence to the present. A lot of space is devoted to the objects relating to the supreme function, especially the gifts offered to the various presidents. Special mention for the Nixon gift, which enjoyed us well. The museum also exhibits a small collection of presidential cars, especially Rolls, used on major occasions, such as reception of foreign heads of state or national festivals.

From Kitchener, the famous Republican Palace (where Omar al-Bashir does not live) is just northwest on the Nile River. Photos are forbidden but you can see it on old shots at the museum, Bait al-Khalifa in Omdurman, or on the flip of the 10 SDG English ticket.

Closer to the Mek Pont Bridge, the little St Matthew Cathedral (Catholic this time) deserves to be stopped, especially on Sunday, of course, during offices of the African rite.

Closed on Friday and Saturday. Free entrance. In the name of the battle that allowed the mahdistes to take the Anglo-Egyptian out of Kordofan, the museum is a great part of this important episode in Sudanese national history. Of course, the battle is a little the pride of the city and its inhabitants, who are thus fully asserting Sudanese. Many objects dating from this period are exposed, the Mahdi and the battle explained. For a museum of this size, all its collections are particularly rich. From Prehistory to La, you can see several very beautiful pieces, especially from ancient and medieval Nuba sites. There is also an ethnographic space. First useful lighting in a region whose diversity is one of the fundamental characteristics.

The failure of this museum is to have days and times of sometimes fanciful opening.