Khandaq The capital of one of the Funj mekdoms, which ruled between the 17th-19th centuries. Al Khandaq, on the left side of the Nile, had in the past been an 92 Trade and Wadis System(s) in Muslim Sudan important junction for trade routes to Egypt. The site includes the castle, the town and the cemetery. The castle was built on a high area facing the Nile, its walls were battlemented and had towers. The material used are stones, mud brick and mud (jaloos). The town, with its two-storey mud-brick houses, extended for nearly half a mile along the river and was surrounded by mud wall whose remains were visible in the early 20th century. The interior decoration include a keel arch, tri-lobed arched windows beside the wall recessed shelves. The old cemetery lies to the north of the town, and comprises three conical qubbas (domed tombs) of stone and mud, and remains of rectangular structures which might had been small mosques, as there are small mihrab niches indicating the qibla direction. These were built of mud-mortared stone. No roofs can be seen today, nor evidence of the material used for roofing, but in accordance with general practice in the area, roofs would have been of palm leaves and logs. It was the home of many, rich merchants. It became the main port for Darfur and Kordofan caravans who chose the Nubian route to Egypt. Thus Khandaq became connected to regional and international trade along the Nile (Plate 4.8)
Posted on: Tue, 09 Jul 2013 01:51:28 +0000
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