The Democratic Republic of Sudan is the largest country in Africa (more than 2.500.000 sq. km) with a population of around 28 million. Sudan has a length of more than 2,000 km (4°-23° latitude north) spreading from the Nubian Desert to the Equatorial forests of Kenya, Uganda and Zaire. Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, is situated on the confluence of the Blue Nile and White Nile, which join together to form The Nile. It has a population of around 4 million.
The weather in Sudan is hot so come prepared! Plenty of suntan lotion is needed. The summer temperatures often reach 50C with the winter temperatures dropping to a very pleasant 25C. Port Sudan, an hour’s flight from Khartoum, is a very typical Sudanese fishing village with a lot of character. The Sudanese coast is about 400 miles long and lies on the Red Sea between Egypt and Eritrea.
The Sudanese Red Sea is simply the most beautiful in the world! When you compare it to the underwater hustle and bustle of Egypt, or even the murky green waters of Eritrea and Yemen, you can be guaranteed that Sudan is one of the few places left in the world that remains relatively untouched by man. No dive site is crowded, the reefs are undamaged and the marine life is prolific. Visibility is usually crystal clear but varies during the year. The water temperatures range from 23-26C in the winter to a warm 30C in the summer.
A week’s liveaboard trip in Sudan is weather dependant but can include the wreck of the Umbria, an Italian freighter. During the war the captain scuppered the ship to prevent it falling into the enemy hands. Old trucks type Fiat Lunga can be found at a depth of 13 metres on the first deck. In the other holds empty wine bottles, cables and a lot of bombs can be found.
Sha’ab Rumi is where Jacques Cousteau did his Precontinent II experiment in the sixties. Cousteau had his 'oceanauts' live here at the sea bottom for the first time.
The south point of Sha'ab Rumi is also known for sharks with a school of about 30 hammerhead sharks a common sight.
Sha'ab Suadi is the home of the Blue Belt wreck and from there on to the northern reefs of Angarosh, Abington Reef and Merlo Reef.
Sanganeb - dive the south plateau! This plateau was characterized by a number of pillars of beautiful hard and soft corals. Anthias and other smaller fish hang just above these pinnacles and the brightly coloured soft corals wave in the slight current. In between these pinnacles a number of grey reef sharks patrol the area.
To the south of Port Sudan is Suakin, well worth a visit. Before Port Sudan became what it is today, Old Suakin was the main port - a city built on a small island at the end of a deep inlet. As far back as 10th century BC, Pharaoh Rameses III used Suakin as a trading port. Literally years later (1428-29), Suakin became the most important harbour on the African side of the Red Sea.
During this period, many fine houses were built using coral stone on the outside with the interiors washed with white lime. Often built with two storeys and more, the large windows showed a high level of carpentry skills. The only low buildings were the mosques.
Today the city is in ruins except for the Customs enclosure and Mufafaza, the ancient governor's residence and a mosque. Through lack of maintenance and money, the fine houses have mainly become piles of stones. Yet Suakin is unique and different from the rest of the Sudan and is reached by a causeway built by General Gordon in 1877 using convict labour.
Suakin's decline began with the arrival of the steamship and the change in trading conditions. The narrow, coral-choked access channel was unsuitable for large ships and this led to the building of Port Sudan, forty miles away.
In its heyday, Suakin exported ivory, gum, senna, coffee, gold, ostrich feathers, cotton, sesame oil and cattle. Imports included sugar, candles, soap, rice, cloth from Manchester, cutlery and metal goods from Sheffield and Birmingham.
In 1885, with the fall of Khartoum and the death of General Gordon, Suakin was the base of the second British expeditionary force of 13,000 troops.
When Sudan passed into British and Egyptian hands in 1898, they looked at developing Suakin as a port, but there were just too many problems. In 1922, the majority of businesses left Suakin for the new port - the Port of Sudan.
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Shaab Ruumi, Sudan
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