New perspectives on the archaeology of the Medieval period in the Red Sea area of the Sudan

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe archaeology and history of the Red Sea area of eastern Sudan during the Medieval period has been receiving increased attention in recent years. This paper reviews the observations of the recent archaeology and landscape surveys and integrates them with the ongoing work undertaken by The Suakin and the Red Sea Project for Archaeological Environmental and Cultural Studies directed by Ahmed Adam and undertaken by the Department of Archaeology, University of Khartoum. To date, important information has been uncovered by the expedition relating to the earliest Medieval occupation and the forms and impact of Islamic trade activity. The majority of the new data come from Suakin, ‘Aydhâb (Aidab) and Badi’, principal ports along the Sudanese Red Sea coast that played a major role in this trade. Previously, little was known about the area beyond these ports. The work done by the expedition so far lays the foundation for future field seasons to better understand long-term human settlements during the Medieval period of eastern Sudan by integrating archaeological surveys with excavations and oral histories.