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| '''Meinarti''' (also '''Mainarti''') was an island with a ] village in northern ]. Situated in the ], Meinarti was just north of the ], a few kilometers upstream of the Sudanese border town of ]. |
'''Meinarti''' (also '''Mainarti''') was an island with a ] village in northern ]. Situated in the ], Meinarti was just north of the ], a few kilometers upstream of the Sudanese border town of ]. On the island was a an artificial mount 175m long and 12.5m high, consisting of stratified archaeological remains. When excavated it proved to contain 18 recognizable levels, the result of six separate and distinct phases of occupation. Each phase was followed by a period of abandonment and then a complete rebuilding. Structural remains at all phases were entirely of mud brick. Meinarti was excavated by William Yewdale Adams from 1962 to 1964, prior to perishing in the 1960s with the rising of ] due to the ]. | ||
| The earliest occupation, Phase 1 (= Levels 16-18) occurred during the later, Meroitic phase of the great Nubian empire of Kush. Its beginning coincided more or less with the Roman occupation of Egypt, in 30 BC. The surviving remains included no residences, but three stoutly built public or commercial buildings. The largest was too poorly preserved for definite interpretation. Nearly as large was a walled market compound consisting of shops on either side of a plaza, while nearby was the best preserved wine press ever found in Nubia. It was used only for a short time, and was abandoned and filled with trash well before the end of Phase 1, which seems to have been the result of flood destruction. The remains were entirely sanded over before the beginning of Phase 2 (Levels 13-15), which probably occurred around AD 350. This was a time when the Empire of Kush collapsed, leaving only the somewhat impoverished remnant kingdom of Ballaña in the region around Meinarti. The surviving remains bore no resemblance to those of Phase 1, consisting entirely of a tight cluster of small and irregular peasant dwellings. Like those of earlier times, they were eventually abandoned and sanded over. | |||
| The oldest settlement dates back to the late Meroitic period around 300 AD. The early settlement seems to have been destroyed by a flood of the Nile. Around 660 AD, during the Christian period, the city of Nobatia was built, measuring 200 x 80 meters. The main construction material, mud bricks, were used on low stone base dwellings. The population is estimated to have been 200 to 400. The church was situated east of the village. During its renovation, a tile floor of quarry stones was applied over a concrete floor. There was also a 12th or 13th century monastery on the south side of the island, dedicated St. Michael. The village was probably abandoned in 1286 by order of King Semamun due to an impending attack by the Mamluks. The town was re-settled afterwards as, in the middle of the 14th century, it was known to be inhabited by Arabs. The Arabs were expelled in 1500 and a Christian population returned. The island remained populated until the middle of the 19th century. During the Turkish-Egyptian rule, the soldiers of the garrison at ] held he medieval fortress island before the defeat of the Mahdi uprising.<ref>William Ywedale Adams: ''Nubia Corridor to Africa''. Princeton University Press, Princeton 1977, p. 488</ref> | |||
| Christianity was introduced to Nubia in the later fifth century, and Meinarti was reoccupied not long afterward, perhaps around AD 650. Phase 3 (Levels 11-12). The remains at these levels were extremely poorly preserved, with few walls standing above 40cm, as a result of repeated flooding. The place appeared to have been once again a peasant village, although there were denuded foundations of a couple of larger and more stoutly built buildings, of undetermined function. Clearly recognizable however were the foundations of Meinarti's first church, which had a flooring of red cobblestones with a cross pattern in the center. The church when first built had a curiously skewed plan, the corners deviating by more than 15 degrees from a right angle, but it was very soon rebuilt with a more regular plan. | |||
| During the Turkish-Egyptian rule, the soldiers of the garrison at ] held he medieval fortress island before the defeat of the Mahdi uprising.<ref>William Ywedale Adams: ''Nubia Corridor to Africa''. Princeton University Press, Princeton 1977, p. 488</ref> | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 17:35, 28 May 2017
Meinarti (also Mainarti) was an island with a Nubian village in northern Sudan. Situated in the Nile, Meinarti was just north of the 2nd Cataract, a few kilometers upstream of the Sudanese border town of Wadi Halfa. On the island was a an artificial mount 175m long and 12.5m high, consisting of stratified archaeological remains. When excavated it proved to contain 18 recognizable levels, the result of six separate and distinct phases of occupation. Each phase was followed by a period of abandonment and then a complete rebuilding. Structural remains at all phases were entirely of mud brick. Meinarti was excavated by William Yewdale Adams from 1962 to 1964, prior to perishing in the 1960s with the rising of Lake Nubia due to the Aswan Dam.
The earliest occupation, Phase 1 (= Levels 16-18) occurred during the later, Meroitic phase of the great Nubian empire of Kush. Its beginning coincided more or less with the Roman occupation of Egypt, in 30 BC. The surviving remains included no residences, but three stoutly built public or commercial buildings. The largest was too poorly preserved for definite interpretation. Nearly as large was a walled market compound consisting of shops on either side of a plaza, while nearby was the best preserved wine press ever found in Nubia. It was used only for a short time, and was abandoned and filled with trash well before the end of Phase 1, which seems to have been the result of flood destruction. The remains were entirely sanded over before the beginning of Phase 2 (Levels 13-15), which probably occurred around AD 350. This was a time when the Empire of Kush collapsed, leaving only the somewhat impoverished remnant kingdom of Ballaña in the region around Meinarti. The surviving remains bore no resemblance to those of Phase 1, consisting entirely of a tight cluster of small and irregular peasant dwellings. Like those of earlier times, they were eventually abandoned and sanded over.
Christianity was introduced to Nubia in the later fifth century, and Meinarti was reoccupied not long afterward, perhaps around AD 650. Phase 3 (Levels 11-12). The remains at these levels were extremely poorly preserved, with few walls standing above 40cm, as a result of repeated flooding. The place appeared to have been once again a peasant village, although there were denuded foundations of a couple of larger and more stoutly built buildings, of undetermined function. Clearly recognizable however were the foundations of Meinarti's first church, which had a flooring of red cobblestones with a cross pattern in the center. The church when first built had a curiously skewed plan, the corners deviating by more than 15 degrees from a right angle, but it was very soon rebuilt with a more regular plan.
During the Turkish-Egyptian rule, the soldiers of the garrison at Wadi Halfa held he medieval fortress island before the defeat of the Mahdi uprising.
References
- William Yewdale Adams: Sudan Antiquities Service Excavations at Meinarti, 1963–64. Kush 13, 1965
- William Yewdale Adams: Meinarti II: The Early and Classic Christian Phases. Sudan Archaeological Research Society Publication 6, 2001, ISBN 1841712531
- William Yewdale Adams: Meinarti III: the late and terminal Christian phases. Archaeopress, Oxford 2002, ISBN 1841714518
- William Yewdale Adams: Meinarti IV and V: The Church and the Cemetery. The History of Meinarti, An Interpretive Overview. Sudan Archaeological Research Society Publication Number 11, 2003, ISBN 184171545X
- Derek A. Welsby: The Medieval Kingdoms of Nubia. London 2002, S. 124–27, ISBN 0-7141-1947-4
- William Ywedale Adams: Nubia Corridor to Africa. Princeton University Press, Princeton 1977, p. 488
| Islands of Sudan | |
|---|---|
 Islands of Sudan at commons |
21°00′25″N 30°34′40″E / 21.00694°N 30.57778°E / 21.00694; 30.57778
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