Friday afternoon tour provided by Acropole Hotel

My comments

The Acropole Hotel provides a complimentary Khartoum city tour on Friday afternoon. Most interesting!  What did this tour tell me - that this country had a thriving culture and was advanced.  What happened?  Drought, colonialism?  I do not comprehend.

It is recommended that anyone doing a tour read up on the city beforehand and understand its history. 

When I went to the SAILING CLUB all I wanted to do was wet my feet in the Nile River. 

The NATIONAL MUSEUM was an eye opener.  It was founded in 1971. It contains antiquities and artifacts from several periods of Sudanese history and pre-history, including glassware, pottery, statuary and figurines from the ancient kingdom of Cush. Ancient Nubia's Christian period is well represented, with frescoes and murals from ruined churches, dating from the 8th to the 15th century, something I did not think was found that far south

The Museum's garden contains two reconstructed temples, which have been salvaged from the Nubian land flooded by Lake Nasser. These Egyptian temples of Buhen and Semna were originally built by Queen Hatshepsut and Pharaoh Tuthmosis III respectively.  The temples have corrugated iron covers built over them to protect them from humidity during the wet season. The original concept was to roll back these covers during the dry season, but whether this ever happened or not is unclear. The covers are rusted into place and are now permanent and immovable! The cost is included in the tour.  The idea that they all those temples and building could actually be moved from the river edge to Khartoum is remarkable.

There is a collection of old luxury cars, Rolls Royce & Bentleys, on display just outside the THE REPUBLICAN PALACE MUSEUM building. They were used by Sudanese and British dignitaries, including Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to Khartoum. The building housing this museum is beautiful.

I found the faith of the worshippers at the DERVISH DANCES interesting.  The ritual takes place in a compound at a religious site with mosques and cemetery. Just before 6.00pm, some devotees will start a huge circle, calling out "God is great" over and over, until this becomes a sort of chanting and some of the Dervishes will walk in the center of the circle and whirl as if in a trance. They will keep turning until the start of the evening prayers, which is about an hour later.  I thought the cameras and videos, of people worshipping, most distasteful and requested the tour leader to leave before sunset.  I would never take a photograph of someone praying so why the public watch and photograph people worshipping and communing with their God, I do not now.  I could not take any photographs!

The Hotel brochure - below

SAILING CLUB – EL MALIK The El Malik is one of Kitchner’s gunboats that was used during the Battle of Omdurman and can be seen docked in the Marina on Nile Avenue just below St Matthew’s Cathedral. The vessel may boarded and guns that were used viewed. It is now the headquarters of the Blue Nile Sailing Club.

NATIONAL MUSEUM The National Museum holds many examples of the medieval past. They’re well presented and labeled and give a good narrative of Sudanese History.

MAHDI’S TOMB Less than five months after the fall of Khartoum in 1885, the Mahdi died after a short illness. A tomb with a glittering silver dome was raised in his honour and pilgrimage to the site was made incumbent on all Sudanese replacing the Hag to Mecca as one of the pillars of Islam.

OMDURMAN OLD CAPITAL AND SOUQ Omdurman is said to be the heart of Sudan. The souq in Omdurman is the largest in the country. The main part of the souq consists of endless alleys and side streets lined with shops and stalls. The buildings aren’t particularly old but the sounds, smells and throngs of people capture the essence of the bazaar.

THE KHALIFA’S HOUSE Across the street from the Mahdi’s Tomb is the house of his successor, Khalifa Abdullah. A low, two-storey building with a series of linked courtyards, the house has been turned into a museum of the Mahdiya period.

FORTIFICATIONS The Kerari battlefield is located about seven miles north of the present city of Omdurman. You can see the old mud fortress walls in Omdurman along the West bank of the Nile River. On a side road from the mud fortification south of the Khalifa House are the old gates of Omdurman with an historic plaque.

BOAT YARD It’s still possible to see wooden boats being built in Omdurman Boat Yard. The craft has traditionally been carried out by Nubians. Indeed the Mahdi was the son of a boat builder from Dongola. There is little demand for the wooden planked dinghies now which are used by only a few fishermen. The yard is on the edge of the Abu Roaf district of Omdurman. The boat builders are usually happy for people to look around and take photos.

THE REPUBLICAN PALACE MUSEUM The republican palace has been a scene for numerous and very important historical events that took place in different times. As well, the republican palace stands now as witness of the historical periods in Sudan’s modern history.

DERVISH DANCES AL – NIL TOMB Sheikh Hamed Al Nil was a 19th century Sufi leader of the Qadiriyah order (tariqa) and his tomb is the weekly focus for Omdurman’s most exciting sight, the dancing and chanting dervishes. Each Friday afternoon before sunset adherents of the tariqa gather to dance and pray attracting large crowds of observers and participants. A trip to see the dervishes should be a highlight of any visit to Khartoum. The ceremony starts with a march across the cemetery to the tomb of the Sheikh. It’s an amazing sight of the dervishes carrying the green banner of the tariqa, their appearance a world away from the restrained white robes of most Sudanese. Instead, the jallabiyas are a crazy patchwork of green and red often topped off with leopard skin chunky beads and dreadlocks. The patch clothing you may see on the dervishes represents the Ansar’s denial of material wealth as did the Mahdi, who is reported to have owned only one outer garment at a time. As they march they chant accompanied by drums and cymbals.