₦airaland Forum

Statue of Amenhotep I

Sai Island
in northern sudan


New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty (1525-1504 BC)



Sudan National Museum, Khartoum # 63/4/5



Description:



To either side of the king's legs, on the front of the throne and continuing on to the pedestal, are two neatly incised columns of inscription, enclosed in a narrow rectangular frame, the hieroglyphs facing inwards. The inscriptions, which read from top to bottom, give in each case the king's titulary, prenomen and nomen followed by an epithet and dedication to a god, one Egyptian, the other Nubian: 'The good god, lord of the two lands, lord of ritual, Djeserkara, son of Ra of his body, beloved of him. Amenhotep, given life, beloved of Amen-Ra, lord [of the thrones of the two lands]'; 'The good god, lord of the two lands, lord of ritual, Djeserkara, son of Ra of his body, beloved of him. Amenhotep, given life, beloved of Dedun, lord of

Ta-sety (Nubia)'.

gedi ruins in kenya builted by swalihis

this is the ruins of Gedi kenya builted during the 14th century AD, and later abandoned in the early 16th century.

these videos will apeal to rational thinkers against any form religious fanatism.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOy7Rj71m4k&feature=related

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeYGC0yHeHg&feature=related
her name is ayaan hirsi ali a former muslim now atheist, she is originally from somali. she has written a book called infidel, and written a movie called submission.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyYZulIxNCE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGtQvGGY4S4

seeker where do i begin with you. you are speaking like a true islamic fanatic. don't you know that there are millions of people in islamic coutries that are atheist and my father being among them. do you think all people take islam in face value but i sorry to disappoint many people truly don't. we are appalled when people in places like afganistan and saudi arabia oppress women in the name of religion. i was talking to a group or egyptians and northern sudanese about islam, and we all agreed that islam is nothing more than a cult. it would have been better it we stayed with the old pharaonic and ancient meroitic beliefs. here is a youtube video of a somali atheist Ayaan Hirsi Ali. i would call all former muslim to get her book, because it is definitely thought provoking.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyYZulIxNCE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0txwUT8Csh4&feature=fvw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtO5Zo9grz4&feature=related

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXR10XSFrVY&feature=related
it is judgment day for islam? people in so called muslim land is starting to turn it backs and go back to who we truly are. i was born nubian and will die being nubian first rather than a religious belief.

abuzola you must admit that the koran have many contradictions. trust me many northern sudanese is starting to realize this. some are even going back to be coptic christians like their egyptians brethrens. afterall northern sudan and nubia in general were christians at force before the islamic conquest. it seems that during the christian era of northern sudan it was more prosperous.

here is a article of the expedition of american DR. George A Reisner director of the harvard university- museum at the pyramid complex of nuri in northern sudan. his finding was good, but his racial interpetation is definitely unbecoming. however, besides his obvious racism he uncovered great deal in reference to the history of sudanese nile valley.

http://www.gizapyramids.org/pdf%20library/bmfa_pdfs/bmfa16_1918_67to82.pdf

ancient meroitic alphabet.

ancient meroitic writing. scholars are able to make out sounds and some meaning to somes words such as names, and gods, or prayers and libation, but outside of that much remains undeciphered, however there is a race among scholars across the world of the decipherment of the meroitic texts. there are many stone fragments and papyrus that remains decipherment. these texts could tell us the history of the african continent. the unraveling of the meroitic text is important to all africans, it is possible it can tell us our true origins and why did the vast majority of africans migranted out of the nile valley?

Stela of King Amanikabale, he ruled during the meroitic period in northern sudan.

King Amanikhabale
From the book Sudan: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile, Dietrich Wildung, 1997, p. 273
Steatite; From Meroe, Amun Temple; Oxford Excavations

(Garstang), 1911; Meroitic (50-40 BC)

Khartoum, National Museum



Amun, and on the right the goddess Mut in human form. Amun wears a feathered kilt and corselet, and on his head appears the double-plumed crown. Mut is shown with a winged garment and the Double Crown above a vulture diadem. While a star pattern adorns Amun's throne, a crouching winged sphinx, reminiscent of the Greek nemesis motif, appears on Mut's throne. Each deity is faced by the figure of a king presenting a triple-tiered broad collar. The fully preserved king at right bears on his ankle-length cloak a bird with outstretched wings in frontal view. Between Amun and Mut stands a tightly bound bundle of plants, whose uppermost end seems to be attached to Mut's crown. The beginning of the first two preserved lines of text, written in cursive script, reads: "King [Amanikha]-bale. . . [for his] wife Kaditede. . . ." The missing portion of the stela is probably located on a fragment in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg (K.-H. Priese). The richness of detail and powerful modeling place this stela among the very finest examples of Meroitic relief sculpture.

necklace spacer of king Armantelqo

Golden Necklace Spacer

568-555 BC

Material: Gold.



Collection: Brooklyn (New York), The Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund 49.29



Description: On the front: "Son of Ra, Lord of the Crowns, Aramatelqo, may he live forever; Beloved of Hathor, Lady of Dendera, Mistress of the Gods, may she give life." On the back: "King of Upper and of Lower Egypt, Lord of the Two Lands, Wadj-ka-ra, may he live for ever; Beloved of Ra-Harakhte, the Great God, Master of Heaven, may he give life." this was excavated at the city of meroe northern sudan.

again sammy sosa before and after

i have watch several of rita dominic movies both old and new, and i could reasonably say that she practically look pretty much the same. i mean complexion wise, but i think she wear a bit too much makeup. however, recently a controversy is brewing all over the web about ex american baseball player sammy sosa new skin color. his publicist says he is going through a skin rejuvenation, whatever the hell that mean! ok here is sammy sosa picture before and after. mind you, sammy sosa is not african american,but he is black latino from the dominican republic.


with this photo, you be the judge. did he bleach or is this skin rejuventation as his publicist says?

Bes
Close up of necklace (showing Bes). Silver. From Meroe. Harvard University-MFA Boston Exhibition. Khartoum, National Museum. Source: Wildung, Dietrich. Sudan: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile.
House god
Bes was a local God in ancient Nubia. This god was thought to protect from evil spirits and bring good luck. Representations of Bes were uncovered in numerous numbers from ordinary and rich graves alike, throughout Nubia.

The cult of Bes was associated with pregnancy and the health conditions of newborns. For that reason, Bes was particularly popular among women. His representations can be found in toilet items, such as mirrors, and jewelry.

Also, Bes was strongly associated with music, dancing, humor, and sexuality. He is often depicted dancing and/or playing with musical instruments.

Religion
Sebiumeker
Guardian God
Although Sebiumeker was a major god in Nubia, historians do not have a lot of information about how the ancient Nubians perceived him. Since representations of this god are often located near doorways, he is thought to resemble a guardian God.

Enormous statues of this God flanked the doorways of the Amon Temple at Tabo and the Eastern Temple at Musawwarat es Sofra. Sebiumeker, along with another unknown, deity are identified at Tabo as "guardians of the temple"

typo: reflects this diversity

thank you epi, however, to be perfectly honest sudan have all the faces of the african continent besides the khosians in south africa, and the population reflexs this diversity. anyone from other african countries can go to sudan without people really noticing.

Amulet (showing Horus). Faience. From Kurru. Harvard University-MFA Boston Exhibition. Twenty-fifth Dynasty. Source: Wildung, Dietrich. Sudan: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile.
Horus
Father of the Pharaohs
This God Represented the concept of pharaohnicship. He was believed to be the father of all the pharaohs. A new pharaoh would often identify him/her self with Horus. His images appear on, almost, every temple in Nubia.

A translation of an offering table inscription from Semna, in Sudan, reads as follows:

"Life (to) the Horus divine of forms, he of the Two Ladies Divine of births, the Golden Horus who has come into being, Dual King Khakaura, "
(Translation from GEM)1

Religion
Eye of Re
Shield ring (showing the Eye of Re). In Munich. Source: Wildung, Dietrich. Sudan: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile.
Protector of the pharaohs
This Goddess was depicted as a uraeus, and was sometimes accompanied with a disk-shape. The ancient Nubians believed that the Eye of Re watched and protected the pharaoh from enemies by spitting flames on them. Thus, to the rulers of Nubia, the Eye of Re resembled the concept of being heavenly -protected. Part of an inscription found in a large cliff temple at Napata reads: ", , Eye of Re, Mistress of Heaven, queen of gods, residing in Napata;"1

This Goddess also resembled the pharaohs realm of political control. For example, Nubian Pharaohs adorned their crowns with double uraeus motifs, so that one uraeus recognized their rule over Nubia and the other recognized their rule over Egypt (Ancient Nubians believed that the land of Egypt to be part of Nubia; hence, rejecting the notion of an independent Egypt).

Religion
Anubis
Doorjamb (showing Anubis). Sandstone. From Meroe. Excavations of the University of Pisa. Khartoum, National Museum. Source: Wildung, Dietrich. Sudan: Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile.
God of mummification.
Nubians believed that Anubis attended the funerary ceremonies of the diseased. Anubis was believed to give life to the spirit of dead. This god also had another important task, which was to weight the heart of the dead against Maat (the concept of righteousness and justice). If the heart was heavier than Maat, Anibus prevented the dead person from entering the afterlife. If the heart was lighter than Maat, Anibus would allow the person to enter.

Paintings of this god are present on the walls of, almost, every funerary chamber in Nubia. It is most likely that the cult of Anubis had originated in Nubia. Egyptian literature commonly associate his cult with Nubia. A poetic pyramid text from Egypt reads as follows:

"The jackal awakes, the moon arises,
The sleepers awake, the men of Nubia awake,
For the great bittern which came from the Nile,
For Anubis, who came from the tamarisk grove;
Pure is the mouth of the king…"

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.

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

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.'

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
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

thank you yeswecan.

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

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

Hellenistic style small temple kiosk in meroe northern sudan

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

faces of sudan

more faces of the sudan