In the midst of Sudan’s escalating civil war, the country’s rich cultural and historical legacy is facing what experts call an “unprecedented” threat. Armed militias have been seen posing with weapons at significant archaeological sites, such as the ancient ruins of Naga, raising alarms about the protection of these invaluable cultural treasures.
A recent social media video showed Sudanese militia members posing in front of the ruins of Naga, a site located around 200 kilometers northeast of Khartoum. This once-thriving city, founded around 250 B.C. during the Kingdom of Meroe, holds temples and palaces that represent an ancient civilization. But now, with the war raging, this UNESCO World Heritage site lies unprotected, vulnerable to damage and looting.
According to Arnulf Schlüter, the director of the Munich Museum of Egyptian Art, the situation is dire. Archaeological projects, including those undertaken by German researchers who have been working to excavate and restore Naga’s historical treasures, have come to a halt. “The situation is really bad,” he said, noting that excavation workers have fled and the site has been left defenseless. Even the excavation house has been looted, with vehicle tires stolen and no reliable information on the status of the local site managers.
This threat to Sudan’s cultural legacy is compounded by the humanitarian crisis engulfing the country. Over 10 million people have been displaced, and half of the population faces hunger. UNESCO has expressed grave concern about the widespread looting and destruction of cultural sites, museums, and private collections across Sudan. Since the conflict erupted in April 2023, museums, including those in the capital Khartoum, have been ransacked, and crucial documents tracking the nation’s cultural history have been lost.
Sudan’s Naga site is home to three temples that were carefully restored over decades, but with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia now controlling the region, its future is uncertain. Plans to build a museum at the site, drafted by British architect Sir David Chipperfield, now seem distant as the war continues. Schlüter remarked that even if peace were to return, efforts to protect and restore these ancient sites would have to start from scratch.
Sudan’s rich archaeological sites, which remain largely unexplored, are under severe threat as the fighting between rival generals Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan and Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo rages on. The ongoing destruction risks erasing large parts of the nation’s cultural heritage and history. For cultural advocates like Schlüter, the loss is irreplaceable: “Sudan’s history is being bombed out of existence.
Ennywealth
