The Jebel Barkal Archaeological Project (JBAP) invites you to explore its new website, launched on September 10.
Jebel Barkal ("Holy Mountain") is a sandstone outcrop along the Nile in northern Sudan that was sacred to ancient Nubians and Egyptians. At the base of this mountain was a succession of settlements, now covered by desert sands and sediment from the annual Nile flood. It was an important city in ancient Kush for more than 1,000 years (800 BCE–300 CE) and was also the southernmost outpost of the Egyptian empire when it had conquered Kush (1500–1069 BCE). In addition to the ancient city, the site is also home to the ruins of pyramid tombs, temples, and palaces.
The current excavations, begun in 2016, are directed by the Kelsey Museum's Geoff Emberling and El-Hassan Ahmed Mohamed of the National Corporation of Antiquities and Museums (NCAM), Sudan. Conservation efforts are directed by Suzanne Davis, also of the Kelsey Museum, and Mustafa El-Sharif, of NCAM. The project is an international collaboration involving scholars, staff, and students from Africa, the Americas, and Europe. It also engages a range of communities that have connections to the site, including residents of the nearby city of Kareima and the villages of Upper and Lower Jebel Barkal.
The JBAP website is a hub of information about the history of the site, current research, conservation initiatives, as well as resources for learning more about ancient Kush and Jebel Barkal. While you're there, you can subscribe to the JBAP blog and sign up to receive their newsletter.
