Urgent Efforts to Save Sudan’s Ancient Heritage Amid War
UPDATE: A Sudanese archaeologist is racing against time to preserve her country’s ancient heritage as the brutal war between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) escalates. In a dimly lit office in Paris, Shadia Abdrabo works tirelessly to document Sudan’s archaeological treasures, with her mission growing ever more urgent since the conflict erupted in April 2023.
Abdrabo, a curator from the National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums (NCAM), is on a year-long research grant in France. Her goal is to create an online database cataloging Sudan’s archaeological sites and museum collections, following widespread looting and destruction of cultural artifacts due to the ongoing violence. “We have to work fast to secure our collections. We’ve already lost two museums and we don’t want to lose more,” she stated in an interview with the Associated Press.
As reports confirm the devastation, two regional museums in El Geneina and Nyala have been almost completely destroyed. The National Museum in Khartoum, housing an estimated 100,000 objects before the war, was ransacked by militias. Videos surfaced showing armed fighters inside the storeroom, highlighting the severity of the cultural crisis.
“My heart was broken, you know? It’s not just objects that we lost. We lost research, we lost studies, we lost many things,” Abdrabo expressed.
UNESCO has raised alarms over the unprecedented level of threat to Sudan’s cultural heritage, calling the situation dire. The agency has been actively working on recovery efforts, including training police to recognize stolen antiquities and urging collectors to refrain from acquiring cultural property from Sudan.
Despite these efforts, the international response has been lackluster compared to past crises in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq. Researcher Meryam Amarir noted that Sudan has not received sufficient media coverage to highlight the degradation and plundering of its cultural heritage. This lack of visibility has hampered urgent recovery initiatives.
As the conflict continues, Abdrabo’s work is increasingly personal. A native of Nubia, a region rich with archaeological significance, she fled northern Sudan with her sisters as conditions deteriorated. “We thought it would finish soon … but then life started getting really difficult: not just the bombing, but there was no electricity, no water,” she recalled.
While Abdrabo works alone on the database, she receives support from institutions like the Louvre and the British Museum. However, she estimates that she has only completed about 20% of the project, having cataloged 1,080 objects so far. The painstaking process involves compiling data from various formats, including handwritten notes and old photographs. “I need to add pictures, ID numbers, coordinates …” she said, underlining the extensive nature of her task.
As winter descends upon Paris, the urgency of the situation in Sudan weighs heavily on her. “We are working on tracking what has been looted,” she said. “I cry when I talk about this. My only goal and message is to bring back as much as possible.”
Ali Nour, a Sudanese cultural heritage advocate, emphasized the critical state of Sudan’s cultural sites, stating that while applications for protection were being drafted, entire archives were disappearing. This highlights the pressing need for immediate and robust action to safeguard the nation’s rich history.
In a collaborative effort, the newly established Sudan Cultural Emergency Recovery Fund aims to unite scholars and institutions to support recovery operations. “What Shadia Abdrabo is doing is urgently essential — establishing what’s missing,” said Geoff Emberling from the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology at the University of Michigan.
As the conflict rages on, the fate of Sudan’s ancient treasures hangs in the balance. Abdrabo’s work represents not just a race against time, but a fight for the cultural identity and history of a nation under siege. Until the war ends, uncertainty looms over the future of Sudan’s irreplaceable heritage.
