2020 GeoEx Catalog

CHRISTOPHER MICHEL

Ancient Riches of Sudan’s Nubian Desert TOURING | 12 DAYS · GROUP AND CUSTOM

H ome to more pyramids than Egypt and birthplace of the Nilo-Saharan language, Sudan remained hid- den from us due to a generation-long civil war. Today the conflict-free north is open, and the Sudanese, revered for their “enthusiastic hospitality” (in the words of our veteran leader Vassi Koutsaftis), are eager to welcome us and share their astounding history. We’re off to retrace the steps of the Nubian kingdom of Kush, the origin of the Black Pharaohs in 730  bce , criss- crossing the Nile en route to a sacred landscape of tem­ ples, tombs, and palaces. Our textbooks may trumpet the Romans and Egyptians for their accomplishments, but we relearn and relive the “Ancient Civilizations” curriculum after exploring Musawwarat es-Sufra, a 485,000-square- foot Meroitic temple, and the Royal Necropolis of Meroe, site of the world’s largest pyramid field. We preface our journey with visits to key museums in Khartoum and Omdurman to study Christian and Islamic, Egyptian, and Nubian cultural forces. These impressions are deepened as we set out into the Western Desert, stop- ping at Old Dongola, a significant archaeological site of Christian churches and Muslim cemeteries. Continuing through the Nubian and Bayuda Deserts, we traverse the mighty Nile, feeling its vitality. We witness cultural juxtapositions along its shores, such as the Temple of

Soleb, commissioned by the pharaoh Amenhotep III, the Ottoman Fort, and Sebu, which harbored one of the richest repositories of stone carvings in the world. Kerma’s 4,500-year-old Deffufa complex merges Nubian and Egyptian architecture. We see the 2,800- year-old statue of King Taharqa, whose victory over the Assyrians is mentioned in the Old Testament. Two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Jebel Barkal and Napata, best demonstrate Sudan’s vast archaeological diversity: dozens of well-preserved pyramids, tombs, temples, and palaces from the second kingdom of Kush’s 550-year reign. Our journey is not simply a look at ancient history, however. We congregate with Bisharin nomads, spend time with a Sufi family, experience a henna ceremony, and stroll in shoreline villages that have not been visited for more than two decades. Civilizations merge again along the banks of the Nile.

group trips from $7830 oct. 30–nov. 10, 2019; jan. 22–feb. 2, 2020; oct. 28–nov. 8, 2020 also offered as custom trip sept.–feb.

Day 1  arrive in Khartoum ✦  2 & 3  Khartoum exploring ✦  4  drive through Western Desert to Karima ✦  5  Jebel Barkal and El Kurru ✦  6  drive to Tombos via Temple of Soleb, overnight at tented desert camp ✦  7  across Nubian Desert to Sebu and Island of Sai ✦  8  monuments of Kerma ✦  9  discover Nuri, enter Bayuda Desert, overnight at tented desert camp ✦  10  Meroe pyramids ✦  11  Naqa and Musawwarat ruins, return to Khartoum ✦  12  depart.

It’s an entirely different experience than any other trip I’ve been on, and the people were just delightful.

bob c., denver, co

ABOVE  A taste of Meroe’s 200 or so pyramids, Begrawiya.

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NORTH AND CENTRAL AFRICA

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