Developing a New Approach to Research at Soba, the Capital of the Medieval Kingdom of Alwa

Abstract

________________________________________________________________ Soba was the capital of one of the medieval kingdoms of Sahelian Africa. The remains are located on the right bank of the Blue Nile, approximately 15 km from Khartoum's downtown. It was the power centre for Nubian rulers of the Kingdom of Alwa, directly comparable to the main cities of the two other Nubian kingdoms, Nobadia and Makuria. Archaeological research has demonstrated that the metropolitan cities of Nobadia and Makuria had exceptional churches, monasteries, pottery production sites, areas with various buildings and fine houses as well as fortifications. In the case of Soba, the identification of an ecclesiastical complex of considerable size, unique finds and brief descriptions by medieval Arab historians suggest that it was also a highly diverse and complex settlement. In the last 20-30 years, large parts of Soba have rapidly been overbuilt. A tarmac road was laid across the northern part of the site and subsequent urbanisation covered approximately half of the 275 ha area of the capital city. Medieval architectural remains are not visible on the surface, but previous surveys identified at least seventeen mounds covered with red brick debris, and numerous mounds covered with gravel. Up to the present day, approximately 1% of medieval Soba has been researched in detail. As a result, not much is known about the spatial organisation of the city. In the search for a new approach which will enable sufficient protection, study and management of the site, two visits to Soba were made in 2018. The first in order to check the potential of geophysical prospection, and the second to initiate community outreach activities. With promising results, the project has received funding for 3 years from the National Science Centre in Poland and support from the National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums and Neelain University.

Islamic glass in the Christian Kingdom of Alwa: Chemistry of shards from Soba, Nubia, Sudan

“…The remains of Soba are located on the right bank of the Blue Nile, approximately 15 km from downtown Khartoum. A larger part of the 275 ha area of the city has been, in the last 20–30 years, subject to developments of urban infrastructure; for example, a new road has been constructed there (Drzewiecki & Ryndziewicz, 2019). However, thanks to the past excavations, approximately 1% of medieval Soba has been researched in detail (Drzewiecki & Ryndziewicz, 2019; Shinnie, 1961; Welsby, 1998; Welsby & Daniels, 1991).…”

“…A larger part of the 275 ha area of the city has been, in the last 20–30 years, subject to developments of urban infrastructure; for example, a new road has been constructed there (Drzewiecki & Ryndziewicz, 2019). However, thanks to the past excavations, approximately 1% of medieval Soba has been researched in detail (Drzewiecki & Ryndziewicz, 2019; Shinnie, 1961; Welsby, 1998; Welsby & Daniels, 1991). Although remains of medieval architecture are not visible on the surface, some previous surveys identified at least 17 mounds covered with red brick debris, and numerous mounds covered with gravel (Drzewiecki & Ryndziewicz, 2019).…”

“…Recent excavations at Soba, between 2019 and 2022, of the interdisciplinary project “Soba—the heart of Alwa” directed by Mariusz Drzewiecki (Drzewiecki & Ryndziewicz, 2019; Drzewiecki et al, 2022; Drzewiecki, Ryndziewicz, Ciesielska, et al, 2020; Drzewiecki, Ryndziewicz, Michalik, et al, 2020; Drzewiecki & Michalik, 2021)—have uncovered only one cosmetic bottle and 32 glass vessel and window pane fragments. The present chemical compositional analysis of 30 glass fragments provides the first scientific evidence for the origin of glass vessels and window panes in the Christian capital on the Blue Nile and in Nubia in general.…”

Overseas imports on the Blue Nile: Chemical compositional analysis of glass beads from Soba, Nubia

“…During two seasons, 2019/20 and 2021/22, of the interdisciplinary project ‘Soba—The Heart of Alwa’ (e.g., Drzewiecki et al, 2021, 2022; Drzewiecki & Michalik, 2021; Drzewiecki, Ryndziewicz, Ciesielska, et al, 2020; Drzewiecki & Ryndziewicz, 2019; Drzewiecki, Ryndziewicz, Michalik, et al, 2020), more than 730 beads were excavated in five trenches (1/OS, 2/OS, 1CS, 1/CW, 1/SH) in both burial and non‐burial contexts. They were made of ostrich eggshell ( n = 19), faience ( n = 3), clay/ceramic ( n = 623), glass ( n = 91) and other materials ( n = 1).…”

Survey of Soba (Sudan)

“…The survey forms part of an interdisciplinary project investigating the spatial organisation of medieval Soba, the capital of Kingdom of Alwa (Drzewiecki & Ryndziewicz, 2019). Located on the right bank of the Blue Nile, approximately 20km south of the confluence of the White Nile and the Blue Nile in Sudan, the city was subject of archaeological research in the 20 th century, which unearthed remains of monumental architecture dated from 6 th to 14 th century (Shinnie, 1961;Welsby & Daniels, 1991;Welsby, 1998;Abdel Rahman, 2000).…”