The Sabu-Jaddi

rock art In archaeology, rock art is human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type also m ...

site in

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 ...

is a unique cluster of more than 1600 rock drawings from different historical periods expanding for more than 6000 years through different eras of

Nubian Nubian may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Nubia, a region along the Nile river in Southern Egypt and northern Sudan. *Nubian people *Nubian languages *Anglo-Nubian goat, a breed of goat * Nubian ibex * , several ships of the Britis ...

civilization. however, exactly when the people living in this region began creating these images is still unknown. The site is located 600 km north of

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

between the villages of Sabu and Jaddi. The well-preserved drawings include wild and domestic animals, humans and boats. Due to Kajbar Power Station construction plans, the site was included in the 2016 World Monuments Watch List which contains endangered monuments that need attention, promotion, and protection.World Monuments Fund
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Geography

Located at the downstream end of the third cataract region on the east bank of the

Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , 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 longest riv ...

, the rock drawings cover the rugged sandstone cliffs along the Nile bend between the villages of Sabu and Jaddi. Additional rock drawings are found along the edges of the narrow wadi Jaddi running inland.

Description

The drawings depict symbols, a large range of now extinct wild animals in the area like hippopotamus, crocodile, giraffe, leopard, antelope, scorpion and lion as well as domestic animals, mainly cattle and camels. Additionally, there are some human figures, poor in technique. The game animals appear in a none-natural styled manner and are generally pecked over the surface or hammered out and the elephants are displaying both ears. The cattle is represented in a geometrically stylized manner often with distorted corbels. Located on subhorizontal slabs bordering the right bank of the wadi there are groups of rowing boats steered with oars. Two Nile boat types can be distinguished: Curved bottom boats and flat-bottomed boats with erect stern and bow. On some boats, a pilot stands on the roof of the ship's cabin. Léone Allard-Huard: Nil-Sahara.Dialogues rupestres.II.L’homme innovateur, 2000, pp.383-405 File:SabuJaddi2.jpg, Deeply pecked elephant File:SabuJaddi3.jpg, Dogs chasing a giraffe File:SabuJeddi4.jpg, Cattle with distorted corbels File:SabuJeddi5.jpg, Nile boats File:SabuJaddi6.jpg, Giraffes File:SabuJaddi7.jpg, Livestock File:SabuJaddi8.jpg, Deeply pecked symbols

References

Bibliography

Neville Chittick Dr. Neville H. Chittick (September 18, 1924 – July 27, 1984) was a British scholar and archaeologist. He specialized in the historic cultures of Northeast Africa, and also devoted various works to the Swahili Coast. Biography Chittick was bor ...

: Rock engravings at Sabu, in: Kush 11: Journal of the Sudan Antiquities Service. 10, 1962, pages 328-332. # Karl-Heinz Otto; Gisela Buschendorf-Otto: Felsbilder aus dem sudanesischen Nubien, 1993. # David N. Edwards: Drawing on rocks, the most enduring monuments of Middle Nubia, in: Sudan & Nubia 10, 2006, pp. 55-63. # Hans Alexander Winkler, Sir Robert Mond: Rock-Drawings of southern Upper Egypt I. Sir Robert Mond Desert Expedition Season 1936-1937 Preliminary Report, London 1938. # Hans Alexander Winkler, Sir Robert Mond: Rock-Drawings of southern Upper Egypt II. Sir Robert Mond Desert Expedition Season 1937-1938 Preliminary Report, London 1939. # Anthony John Arkell: History of the Sudan to 1821, 1954. {{Saharan rock art Saharan rock art Nubia Archaeological sites in Sudan Arts in Sudan Sudanese culture