sudanese people

sudanese people

sudanese people

sudanese people

sudanese people

more sudanese people

sudanese people

the sudanese people

sudanese people

sudanese people

those of the many faces that are the sudanese people from many different regions of the country. we have ethiopic faces, ancient egyptians faces, bantu faces, nilotes faces, berber faces, and so called west african faces. we have all of african in one country, trying to live side by side and co exist as one people.

madlady @Poster, Once again thanks for this wonderful thread.



thank you madlady, i really appreciate your nice words. thank you again madlady.

inside the temple of" mut wife of amun" in northern sudan.

female ba statue found in northern sudan and is now housed in the british museum.

again more pictures of sudan diversity.

more common faces of the sudan

this is a interesting little reach about northern sudan, they show some pictures of ruins.

http://www.lightmediation.net/blog/podcast/2008/february/the_nile_de_kingdom.pdf

notice from some of the faces of older people that facial scarification is applied to their cheek area of their face.this practice is common throughout africa especially in countries such as nigeria. how it is that people that live thousands miles apart, but share a common practice, is it coincidence or a shared common origin. you decide and drop me a comment on this trend and lets finally get to the bottom of the matter.

@ababda, Without a doubt "shared origin".

more faces of the sudan

faces of sudan

the ruins of sai island. man in front of the ruins of soleb.

Hellenistic style small temple kiosk in meroe northern sudan

Note on Kush during the Paxa Romana: Throughout the three centuries of the Roman rule over Egypt, Kush had extensively interacted with Rome as its northern neighbor and vise-versa. Kush and Roman Egypt maintained good relations of trade and politics. In return Rome had a profound effect on the Kushite civilization.

The Roman influence onto Kush was manifested in arts, architecture, and writings. Not only were that, but there is even strong archeological evidence for the existence of a Roman community in Nubia9. Roman manufactures and products were documented as found in considerable amounts.
The Dendur Temple, MMA, New York.


The Dendur Temple was given to the United States by Egypt in 1965 and is currently housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The temple was built in 15 BC, in honor to the goddess Isis. Motifs and names of the Roman Emperor Augustus are carved and inscribed on the temple walls. Also, are the names and motifs of the two sons of a Kushite queen (Pihor and Pedesi), who participated in building portions of the temple. The Dendur Temple stands as a testament to the peaceful relations Rome and Nubia maintained for the next seven centuries

exactly madlady without a doubt and i am not ashame to say it.

Nice tread

thank you yeswecan.

Religion
Basics of Kushite Religion:
The Story of Creation, Jebel Barkal, and Maat
Sources of knowledge on religion in Nubia may be traced back to about 6000 BC (Khartoum Paleolithic), as indicated by the deceased positions, the burial items, as well as various indicators of religious rites and rituals. Nevertheless, the material finds for these periods is too much limited to allow for some solid conclusions on the theology of the period.

Ta Seti, in Ancient Egyptian means 'Land of the Bow' or Nubia, was described by Old Kingdom pharaohs as composed of tribes, chiefdoms, and proto-kingdoms1. Probably, each of these tribes had its own deity. However, later by the time the kingdom of Kerma was formed, some common concepts helped to bring various deities together.

According to Kushite (Nubian) beliefs, before creation, the world was all covered with water2. Then a mound of earth has risen out of the water. On top of this mound, Atum the first god on earth, was born. Atum then gave birth to Shu, the first man on earth, and Tefnut, the first woman goddess. Shu and Tefnu married and gave birth to Geb (the god of Earth) and Nut (god of the Skies). Geb and Nut then were responsible for giving birth to the most important gods in Nubia, Osiris (god of the pharaohs) and Seth (god of devastation), and Isis (god of motherhood)and Nephthys (protector of the dead). Atum signified the concept of creation. Atum was also believed to have created the heavens and earth. He was portrayed as an old man and sometimes with a ram head in connection to Amon.

Re was the most publicly worshiped form of Atum, though the cult of Re emerged as a universal god. The symbol of Re is a sun disk, which is found to be pictured on chapels of pyramids as well as on temples

JEBEL-BARKAL

Jebel-Barkal (in Arabic meaning the Holly Mountain) , in Napata (capital of Kush), Sudan. Both the Kushites and Egyptians believed that Jebel-Barkal was the site where life on earth had started. Thus, this mountain functioned, throughout history, as the center of religious life in Nubia. There, numerous temples had been constructed, including the Amon temple where the major religious ceremonies took place and the annotation of pharaohs. During religious festivals, these temples would have gotten crowded with pilgrims who traveled from distant places to pay homage to the Nubian deities.

Maat:
Maat is the concept of order and righteousness that was required of rulers to adhere to, and judge by. The concept shaped Kushite politics and played a role similar to the constitution. According to Maat, however, the priests had the right to decide whether a king was ruling properly or not. If they decided that a ruler was inconsistent with the Maat doctrine, they could process an order that he or she commit a suicide.

The system of Maat, however, had also helped to preserve a sense of order and morality among common people. Opposite to meaning of Maat was the function of God Seth, who was believed to cause disorder and challenge immoral behavior and ignite evil acts. Yet, dealing with him in the religious rituals, the Seth had an important role to play accomplishing the function of Maat. This concept remained the main doctrine in Nubia throughout its pagan history.

Amon:
Material items found at the Deffufa temple in Kerma (built around 1600 BC) are considered revolutionary in helping to understand the origins of Kushite belief systems. There, statues of Amon, the ram-headed the creator god, were clearly labeled and sculptured. At a later date, this cult was worshiped in Thebes and became the most prominent god in ancient Egypt.

Throughout the history of Nubia, Amon remained the chief deity, which greatly shaped the order in which the Kushite pharaohs ruled. One inscription states that King Tanwetamany attacked the Assyrians in Lower Egypt as a response to a vision that he saw in sleep that Amon assured his success. Again, when Tanwetamani withdrew his forces from Lower Egypt, Herodotus tells us that the King's action was a result of a dream, in which God Amon told him to withdraw.

The Nubians believed that the priests had their spiritual ways to communicate with God Amon in order to consult with him on the election of the righteous king from among the candidate family members. At Amon Temple in Napata, in front of the cult of Amon in the holly sanctuary of the temple, the chosen Kushite king was anointed and declared pharaoh3

Religion
Amon

God of the two lands, Nubia and Egypt, and Lord of all the Gods
Amon (or Amun) was the most prominent God in Nubia. Many, if not most, historians today believe that the worship of Amon had started in Nubia long before Egypt1. Most of the temples were built in honor of this God, including the largest two temples in Nubia; the Amon temples at Napata and the Amon temple at Meroe. Moreover, Kushite kings frequently prayed to Amon for military victories. Thus was Piankhy’s prayer to God when fighting to conquer of Egypt:

“Yoke the war-hourses! Draw up the line of battle! Amon is the god who has sent us! He makes the weak strong, so that a multitude flees before the feeble, and one man takes a thousand captives. Say to Him 'Give us the way that we may fight under the shadow of Thy sword. When the young man whom Thou has sent out make their attack, let multitudes flee before them.'

Isis, also known to the Kushites as "the great lady of Nubia"1, was particularly popular among women. Figurines and amulets bearing her image can be found in both rich and poor graves throughout Nubia. Since child mortality rate was extremely high in ancient times, the cult of Isis attracted mothers worried about the health conditions of their children.

The cult of Isis was unique for advocating high moral values of piece and tranquility. Beside being the goddess of motherhood, Isis was a goddess of literacy, and crafts. Her cult was associated with high intellect and wisdom. Nubian pharaohs often claimed Isis to be their heavenly- mother to assume high moral values, good judgment, and integrity. A translation of Meroitic inscription about Isis, reads as follows:

"Give noble renewal (Oh Isis) to the new vivification. Give renewal--give (its) erection. Reflect (on) the patron (and) guide good prosperity (on the) good path indeed."2 (Translation from Clyde Winters, Napata Statue No. 75: 1-2.)

There is no reason to assume that Isis was originally an Egyptian goddess. Even the cult center of Isis was located at Philae in Nubia. Although part of Nubia, Philae has been a subordinate of Egypt for most of history. However, the native population of the Philae remained Nubian until today. The cult of Isis at Philae received Pilgrims from different parts of the ancient world including Rome, Greece, Syria, and Israel

God of war and the State God of Meroe
Apedemac (or Apedemak) was supposed to resemble a lion with a human body. Since lions (as animals) symbolized the concept of power and strength, Apedemac was considered the war god of Nubia. The ancient Nubians believed that Apedemac brought victories to their armies and defeated their enemies. When Nubian pharaohs carried military campaigns, they often claimed the support and companionship of Apedemac.

Relieves of this God dominate the temple walls at Meroe and Musawwarat es Sofra as well as in many other temples in Nubia.

On a votive tablet found at Musawwarat es Sofra, King Tañyidamani expresses his gratification for the divine support of Apedemak. A translation of the tablet text, reads as follows:

1. You (it is Apedemak who) gives guidance.
2. Revitalize support (for me King Tañyidamani).
3. You guide (me) to satisfaction.
4. (And ) much reverence (for your patron).
5. Give (it) amicably (to me).
6. May (it go forth).
(Translation from Clyde A. Winters)1


Temple of Apedemac, Naqa, Sudan.
Photo by: Osman Elkhair and/or Imad-eldin Ali.