{"id":9592,"date":"2018-06-08T18:16:51","date_gmt":"2018-06-08T18:16:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/blog\/?page_id=9592"},"modified":"2018-07-11T16:49:23","modified_gmt":"2018-07-11T16:49:23","slug":"sudan-scouting-2018-daily-blog-leg-5","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/blog\/?page_id=9592","title":{"rendered":"Sudan Scouting 2018 — Daily Blog — Leg 5"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sudan Scouting 2018<\/h1>\n
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ON THE DESERT HIGHWAY<\/H4><\/p>\n

by JoMarie Fecci<\/h6>\n


EN ROUTE TO DONGOLA, SUDAN (5 April 2018) — After leaving the camel market behind we were pretty much on the edge of the open desert. The paved highway was well-maintained and the driving was easy, so we could knock out some kilometers as the sun started to bake down through the windshield reminding me how hot it actually was outside.

\nBeyond the urban area there were still a few spots of “civilization” where the government has encouraged agricultural activity using different kinds of irrigation methods to turn sandy desert into lush green farmland. It was quite similar in a way to the areas of southern California around Glamis where there are all these farms in the middle of the desert. I was surprised to see so much green here, but Sami explained to me that the region needed to become more agriculturally productive since the separation with the South, where much of the farming was traditionally done. This new farmland is intended to produce food for the ever-expanding urban population of Khartoum.

\nAnd the largest concentration of population outside Khartoum still remains clustered along the river Nile, where it is easily accessible via the paved highway, making transportation of produce to market relatively easy. The agricultural development of the desert seemed like a good idea.

\nWhere it wasn’t developed for agriculture the desert was sandy and mostly flat, often blowing onto the roadway as if to reclaim the space from the intrusion of the tar road. From time to time we encountered large trucks transporting camels to Egypt. It was strange for me to see the camels riding in the back of the trucks where once it was they who transported goods to Egypt. While there are still occasional caravans along the “Forty Days” route, moving huge herds of camels north for sale in Egypt, at this time of year when it is getting closer to summer’s extreme heat, the preference is to drive the camels north by the truckload.

\nSomeone made a joke that all the trucks going north were carrying valuable livestock destined for Egypt, but all the trucks coming south were bringing plastic “junk” in exchange. A parallel to the ancient system of the riches of Nubia going to Egypt as “tribute” but in its modern form.

\nWhen we reached the intersection with the main highway that follows the Nile, we turned to the west, now following the river and the towns along side it. The day was getting ahead of us, and we decided to look for a place to camp in the dunes rather than trying to reach Dongola tonite.

\nWe crossed a small bridge over the Nile and drove just beyond a town where there were some low spread out dunes that were just high enough to give us cover if we camped in the bowl. It was beautiful and I was happy to be in dunes that were easy to drive — though there were still very soft spots where the truck got bogged down from time to time. We found a good place to set up camp where we would have some morning shade, and I took a walk in the dunefield as the sun started to get low in the sky. I found a nice perch on top of one of the long dunes and watched my first Sudanese sunset…

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ABOUT THE EXPEDITION<\/strong><\/p>\n


\nJoMarie Fecci, of USnomads, sets off on an independent scouting trip across Egypt and Sudan in preparation for an up-coming Sahara expedition. Driving locally-sourced Toyotas and working with small local teams in each region, she will traverse a winding route that jumps off from key points along the Nile as far south as Khartoum, where the Blue and White Niles meet. During the journey she will visit a series of UNESCO world heritage sites focused on the ancient civilizations that occupied the region and meet with local communities. The primary goal of this mission is to assess terrain, security, driving conditions, logistical concerns and approximate timeframes for future travel.<\/p>\n

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WHERE WE ARE<\/strong><\/p>\n


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The Sudan in Northeast Africa is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west and Libya to the northwest. The country has a total area of 1.861.484 square kilometres (718.722 square miles), making it the third largest in Africa. The terrain is generally flat plains, broken by several mountain ranges. In the west the Deriba Caldera (3,042 m or 9,980 ft), located in the Marrah Mountains, is the highest point in Sudan. In the east are the Red Sea Hills. The name Sudan derives from the Arabic “bil\u0101d as-s\u016bd\u0101n” or “the lands of the Blacks.” The population of roughly 37 million people is made up of 597 different ethnic or tribal groups speaking over 400 different languages and dialects. Sudanese Arabs are by far the largest ethnic group, estimated to account for 70% of the population. They are almost entirely Muslims. The majority speak Sudanese Arabic, with some different Arabic dialects, while many Arabized and indigenous tribes like the Fur, Zaghawa, Borgo, Masalit and some Baggara ethnic groups, speak Chadian Arabic. The nation’s official languages are Arabic and English. Sudanese history goes back to Antiquity, when the Meroitic-speaking Kingdom of Kush controlled northern and central Sudan and, for nearly a century, Egypt.<\/p>\n

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