Summary
— Looting of artefacts from the Sudan National Museum in Khartoum by militant groups.
— Much of the looted artefacts trafficked to international countries for sale.
Sudan’s rich history is vanishing in front of its peoples’ eyes as artifacts are looted and sold off online by rival warring factions, according to a leading archaeologist.
The National Museum of Sudan in Khartoum, containing priceless pieces stretching back tens of thousands of years, has been looted by members of the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF), amid the ongoing civil conflict which started last year.
“I think it’s difficult to put in words how upsetting this would be for the Sudanese people,” said Dr Julien Cooper, Professor of Egyptology and Nubiology at Macquarie University, adding it threatened Sudan’s cultural identity.
“It’s sad for international heritage as a concept, it’s sad for the guide and the goals of UNESCO and people understanding cultures.
“It’s also incredibly sad, just for local Sudanese that want to learn more about their ancient past, and also Sudanese heritage officials who spend their whole life preserving and studying this past, and to have that sort of vanish in front of their eyes. And seeing the destruction of all this heritage, in my opinion, just in terms of understanding Sudan’s ancient civilisation and their history as well.”
In September, Sudan’s national broadcaster reported that the museum had been targeted by a “large-scale looting and smuggling operation” with artefacts having since been offered for sale online and via social media.
The museums location has placed it in the crossfire between the RSF paramilitary group, which is battling the Sudanese army.
The Sudan National Museum located in Khartoum is located in an RSF controlled region. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/David Stanley.
While the RSF has denied looting cultural institutions, the United Nations cultural agency has accused the group of looting at various sites, including the National Museum, the Khalifa House Museum and Nyala Museum.
“UNESCO is deeply concerned about the recent reports of possible looting and damage of several museums and heritage institutions in Sudan, including the National Museum, by armed groups,” it said in a statement.
In June last year a video clip surfaced on social media which appeared to show fighters from the RSF entering the bio-archaeology lab of the National Museum and opening storage containers housing human remains. This led to Sudanese researchers calling on South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit to help begin recovery efforts for the missing items.
In recent years, Sudan has become a hotspot for archaeologists worldwide due to its rich and diverse history.
“Sudan National Museum has 10s of 1000s of years of history in it, Ancient Sudan is part of the River Nile,” said Dr Cooper.
“It’s always been host to very complex ancient societies and centralised ancient societies. So we often think of Egypt, Greece, Rome, but many universities now teach courses relating to ancient Nubia.
Dr Julien Cooper pictured above. Photo: Macquarie University/Julien Cooper.
“Because it’s so dry, for archeologists like myself we’re always incredibly lucky in Sudan that we have so many artefacts preserved in a way that you just wouldn’t get in other ancient societies.
“And just like a lot of other cultures in desert climates, like in Egypt, we’re just really lucky that when we excavate and when we analyse the ancient past, we have this incredible level of preservation.”
The National Museum of Sudan is regarded by experts as one of the most influential cultural institutions in Africa. Its extensive collection of artefacts housed within the museum range from prehistory to the Islamic period, with more than 100,000 artefacts being housed in its walls.
Most of these artefacts are from the civilisation of Nubia, otherwise known as Kush, the ancient society of Sudan. Largely known for its complex series of political interactions and cultural exchanges with Egypt, its position as an intermediary between the Mediterranean world and sub-Saharan Africa would allow Nubia to become a key point for trade of luxury goods such as ivory and exotic objects.
Some of the most impressive artefacts located at the museum are large statues of the Kushite Pharaohs from the 25th Dynasty of Egypt. The Kushite rulers, who were originally rulers in Nubia, rose to power after the decline of Egypt and subsequently re-unified Egypt under their control.
But what distinguishes the National Museum from other museums that have been looted is its extensive artefact storage.
“In association to a normal museum, the Sudan National Museum is a national storage facility,” Dr Cooper said. “So when foreign archeologists like myself or Sudanese archeologists excavate in Sudan, and they find material in excavations, they often have to bring it back to the Sudan National Museum.
“So storage areas are sometimes just as integral as to what’s on display. That’s why the loss is so significant, because it’s within the storage facilities that they’ve lost a significant portion of artefacts.”
Main image: Seven statues of Nubian Kushite kings located at Kerma Museum Sudan. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Matthias Gehrickle.
