The island town of Suakin (Ott. Sevvakin) was one of the major Red Sea ports and, for a short period, the capital of the Ottoman eyelet of Habes. It lies 60 kilometres south of present-day Port Sudan, and has recently been the subject of a Sudanese-British collaborative archaeological project focusing on three main areas of research: archaeological study of the development of the settlement, architectural study of the ruins, and the future protection of the place as a cultural site. This chapter summarises the aspects of the project reflecting Suakin's Ottoman history. The study identifies material confirming the activities that led to this prosperity, namely trade. The archaeological evidence recovered in the recent excavations does support the existence of a wide-ranging trade network into which Suakin was linked from the earlier Ottoman period, covering neighbouring areas but also extending to east and south-east Asia.

The port of Suakin on the western shores of the Red Sea served as one of the most important trading centres of the region throughout the second millennium AD. In 2002 an integrated conservation research project was initiated at the site following decades of neglect. This paper reports on one section of this project, the excavations centred on the building known as the Beit el Basha. This section of the archaeological investigations has provided important information relating to the earliest occupation of the island and key insights into medieval settlement and activity in the area.Le port de Souakin sur la cô te ouest de la mer Rouge a été l'un des centres commerciaux les plus importants de la région tout au long du deuxième millénaire de notre ère. En 2002, un projet de conservation intégrée de recherche a été lancé sur le site après des décennies de négligence. Cet article présente une section de ce projet, les fouilles autour de l'édifice connu sous le nom de Beit el Basha. Cette section des enquêtes archéologiques a fourni des informations importantes relatives à la plus ancienne occupation de l'île et des renseignements clés sur le peuplement et l'activité médiéval dans la région.

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