Gala Abu Ahmed is a fortress ruin in lower
Wadi Howar
Wadi Howar (Wadi Howa) is a wadi in Sudan and Chad.
Geography
Originating in the Ennedi Region of Chad ''Wadi Howar'' runs through the Sudanese states of North Darfur and Northern to join the Nile north of the great bend opposite Old Dongola. S ...
, northern
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
. The facility is located west of the
Nile
The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin language, Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered ...
. The fort was discovered in 1984 by archaeologists from the
University of Cologne
The University of Cologne (german: Universität zu Köln) is a university in Cologne, Germany. It was established in the year 1388 and is one of the most prestigious and research intensive universities in Germany. It was the sixth university to ...
. It dates to the Napatan phase (ca. 750-350 BC) of the
Kingdom of Kush
The Kingdom of Kush (; Egyptian language, Egyptian: 𓎡𓄿𓈙𓈉 ''kꜣš'', Akkadian language, Assyrian: ''Kûsi'', in LXX grc, Κυς and Κυσι ; cop, ''Ecōš''; he, כּוּשׁ ''Kūš'') was an ancient kingdom in Nubia, ce ...
.
Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of radiocarbon, a radioactive isotope of carbon.
The method was dev ...
suggests that the fortress was already in use around 1100 BC. The function of the building is still unclear.
References
* J. Eger; J. Helmbold-Doyé; T. Karberg: ''Osttor und Vorwerk der Festung Gala Abu Ahmed''. Bericht über die archäologischen Arbeiten der Kampagnen 2008/09 und 2009. In: Der Antike Sudan. Mitteilungen der Sudanarchäologischen Gesellschaft Bd. 21. 2010, S. 71-85. (German language)
* D. Eigner; F. Jesse: "Im Westen viel Neues - Die Grabungen 2008/09 in der Festung Gala Abu Ahmed". In: ''Der Antike Sudan Bd''. 20. 2009, S. 141-158. (German language)
* F. Jesse: "Cattle, sherds and mighty walls. The Wadi Howar from Neolithic to Kushite times". In: ''Sudan & Nubia Bd''. 10. 2006, S. 43-54.
* F. Jesse; R. Kuper: "Gala Abu Ahmed - Eine Festung am Wadi Howar". In: ''Der Antike Sudan Bd''. 15. 2004, S. 137-42. (German language)
* F. Jesse; R. Peters: "Petroglyphs under the sand - A preliminary report on the field season 2008/09 at the fortress Gala Abu Ahmed". In: ''Sudan & Nubia Bd''. 13. 2009, S. 62-71.
* A. Lohwasser: "Die Kleinfunde aus Gala Abu Ahmed im unteren Wadi Howar". In: ''Der Antike Sudan Bd''. 15. 2004, S. 143-167. (German language)
{{Coord, 17.46107, 29.55929, display=title
Archaeological sites in Sudan