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The blessed land
I inadvertently began observing the people around me and tried to understand them and how they loved their country so much they even had a craving for its mud.
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I remember when I was at university my friend suddenly cried, “oh, I’m really craving some silt from the river”. At the time, this sounded very strange to me as I was still discovering Sudan and the Sudanese because I was what’s known as ‘shahada Arabia’ - a Sudanese expatriate living in the Arabian Gulf. My knowledge of Sudan was still limited to my village, Ishkit, south of Village 13 in Kassala State and I wasn’t very familiar with Khartoum.
However, after what my friend said, I inadvertently began observing the people around me and tried to understand them and how they loved their country so much they even had a craving for its mud. I admired their deep connection to Sudan, and this feeling became the driving force behind the foundation of ‘Shorrti : Spirit of the place,’ a project which aims to introduce Sudanese people to Sudan and its cultural, environmental and ethnic diversity through events and cultural trips where we explore the different elements of this homeland, including music, heritage, and history.
Shorrti launched in 2016 and since then, we have organized over 54 events in Khartoum and other cities, and have visited over 30 villages and cities in 11 states. In every village or city we visited, more people joined our Shorrti community until eventually, we created our own small village that represented the entire Sudan and dissolved the boundaries of our home towns and cities. We became more connected to the different forms of heritage and to Sudan as a whole and every new person I meet, my understanding of the connection to this land deepens.
I remember that at one particular Shorrti event, I spoke with a man from the Jabal Marra region who told me about an old custom from the time of his ancestors, where they would plant a tree for every newborn and name it after the child. It was as if they were linking their children to the land, creating in them a sense of belonging and connection to their roots. I felt then that the Sudanese people not only love their land, but also carry a special connection to their predecessors buried there. This is reflected in our social and family structures, where we place great importance on the blessing and prayers of our elders. Through our journeys criss-crossing Sudan, I learned that most communities maintain a close connection to their forebears and always have a strong need to receive their blessings.
On our first trip to the Nuri area, specifically to the island of Tarag, there is a mosque and a number of shrines most notably built for the sons of Jaber who were among the first to be taught by Sheikh Ghulam al-Din bin Ayid, founder of the first khalwa in Dongola. However, what caught my attention was the shrine of a sheikh that did not have a dome and which was surrounded by a metal fence with palm fronds attached randomly. When I asked about the reason the fronds were tied there, our guide told me that those who wanted to marry would come here and tie their fronds to the fence and pray to God to grant their wish. This reminded me of the Lovers' Bridge in France where lovers attach padlocks as a symbol of their bond.
As we headed north, accompanied by the melodious sound of the Nile cascading over the sixth to the third cataract, we arrived in Tumbus and the site of 'Okji Nunondi,' a statue lying in the sand. We were told that the statue’s name translates into 'nobleman' or 'knight,' although a more literal translation would be ‘virile man’. This unidentified statue is not only a tourist attraction but has also been a symbol of hope and fertility for thousands of years and has been visited by countless men and women from the region hoping to enhance their fertility. As Sudanese we always turn to our heritage as a form of consolation when we feel despair or when our hearts are heavy with sorrow or grief.
At the site of Tumbus you will see carvings on the grey granite stones and it is said that this was the place of a quarry where most of the temple columns were cut before they were transported by boat along the Nile. It is believed that quarry activities began here in the 18th dynasty and that the statue of 'Okji Nunondi’ belongs to King Thutmose III and that the name Tumbus is a distortion of the pharaoh's name.
On our journey to the east of Sudan we visited Kassala city, situated at the heart of Jabal Totil. There we explored the mosque of Al-Sayid al-Hasan where I discovered small bundles of hair tucked into the cracks in the brickwork under the mosque’s windows. I learned that families would visit the mosque with locks of hair from the heads of their newborn children which they would tuck into the mosque’s walls accompanied by supplications for blessings from God. I realised then that even if they were married and had children the heart of devoted followers remained troubled with concerns for the wellbeing offspring.
The story of the founder of the mosque of Al-Sayid al-Hasan is truly remarkable and it is said that he is known as sheikh Abu Jalabiya after one of his miracles. The sheikh is said to have only possessed a single jalabiya which had always fitted him ever since he was a child and that this garment grew as he grew. It is said that the sheikh’s mother knew then that her son was no ordinary child as he was the son of Sayid Mohamed Osman al-Mirgani, the founder of the Khatmiya Sufi order in Sudan.
Through our voyages of discovery in Sudan we came to understand that the Sudanese find profound spiritual peace in their heritage. It connects them to their land and their ancestors, and provides them with strength and hope in their daily life. Every place we visit carries stories and traditions that make us appreciate this homeland more and feel grateful for its legacy that brings us together.
Cover and gallery pictures: The Mosque and Shrine of Elsayed Mohamed al-Hasan Abu Jalabiya, son of the founder of Khatmiyyah Sufi Order © Mohammed Osman, Kassala
I remember when I was at university my friend suddenly cried, “oh, I’m really craving some silt from the river”. At the time, this sounded very strange to me as I was still discovering Sudan and the Sudanese because I was what’s known as ‘shahada Arabia’ - a Sudanese expatriate living in the Arabian Gulf. My knowledge of Sudan was still limited to my village, Ishkit, south of Village 13 in Kassala State and I wasn’t very familiar with Khartoum.
However, after what my friend said, I inadvertently began observing the people around me and tried to understand them and how they loved their country so much they even had a craving for its mud. I admired their deep connection to Sudan, and this feeling became the driving force behind the foundation of ‘Shorrti : Spirit of the place,’ a project which aims to introduce Sudanese people to Sudan and its cultural, environmental and ethnic diversity through events and cultural trips where we explore the different elements of this homeland, including music, heritage, and history.
Shorrti launched in 2016 and since then, we have organized over 54 events in Khartoum and other cities, and have visited over 30 villages and cities in 11 states. In every village or city we visited, more people joined our Shorrti community until eventually, we created our own small village that represented the entire Sudan and dissolved the boundaries of our home towns and cities. We became more connected to the different forms of heritage and to Sudan as a whole and every new person I meet, my understanding of the connection to this land deepens.
I remember that at one particular Shorrti event, I spoke with a man from the Jabal Marra region who told me about an old custom from the time of his ancestors, where they would plant a tree for every newborn and name it after the child. It was as if they were linking their children to the land, creating in them a sense of belonging and connection to their roots. I felt then that the Sudanese people not only love their land, but also carry a special connection to their predecessors buried there. This is reflected in our social and family structures, where we place great importance on the blessing and prayers of our elders. Through our journeys criss-crossing Sudan, I learned that most communities maintain a close connection to their forebears and always have a strong need to receive their blessings.
On our first trip to the Nuri area, specifically to the island of Tarag, there is a mosque and a number of shrines most notably built for the sons of Jaber who were among the first to be taught by Sheikh Ghulam al-Din bin Ayid, founder of the first khalwa in Dongola. However, what caught my attention was the shrine of a sheikh that did not have a dome and which was surrounded by a metal fence with palm fronds attached randomly. When I asked about the reason the fronds were tied there, our guide told me that those who wanted to marry would come here and tie their fronds to the fence and pray to God to grant their wish. This reminded me of the Lovers' Bridge in France where lovers attach padlocks as a symbol of their bond.
As we headed north, accompanied by the melodious sound of the Nile cascading over the sixth to the third cataract, we arrived in Tumbus and the site of 'Okji Nunondi,' a statue lying in the sand. We were told that the statue’s name translates into 'nobleman' or 'knight,' although a more literal translation would be ‘virile man’. This unidentified statue is not only a tourist attraction but has also been a symbol of hope and fertility for thousands of years and has been visited by countless men and women from the region hoping to enhance their fertility. As Sudanese we always turn to our heritage as a form of consolation when we feel despair or when our hearts are heavy with sorrow or grief.
At the site of Tumbus you will see carvings on the grey granite stones and it is said that this was the place of a quarry where most of the temple columns were cut before they were transported by boat along the Nile. It is believed that quarry activities began here in the 18th dynasty and that the statue of 'Okji Nunondi’ belongs to King Thutmose III and that the name Tumbus is a distortion of the pharaoh's name.
On our journey to the east of Sudan we visited Kassala city, situated at the heart of Jabal Totil. There we explored the mosque of Al-Sayid al-Hasan where I discovered small bundles of hair tucked into the cracks in the brickwork under the mosque’s windows. I learned that families would visit the mosque with locks of hair from the heads of their newborn children which they would tuck into the mosque’s walls accompanied by supplications for blessings from God. I realised then that even if they were married and had children the heart of devoted followers remained troubled with concerns for the wellbeing offspring.
The story of the founder of the mosque of Al-Sayid al-Hasan is truly remarkable and it is said that he is known as sheikh Abu Jalabiya after one of his miracles. The sheikh is said to have only possessed a single jalabiya which had always fitted him ever since he was a child and that this garment grew as he grew. It is said that the sheikh’s mother knew then that her son was no ordinary child as he was the son of Sayid Mohamed Osman al-Mirgani, the founder of the Khatmiya Sufi order in Sudan.
Through our voyages of discovery in Sudan we came to understand that the Sudanese find profound spiritual peace in their heritage. It connects them to their land and their ancestors, and provides them with strength and hope in their daily life. Every place we visit carries stories and traditions that make us appreciate this homeland more and feel grateful for its legacy that brings us together.
Cover and gallery pictures: The Mosque and Shrine of Elsayed Mohamed al-Hasan Abu Jalabiya, son of the founder of Khatmiyyah Sufi Order © Mohammed Osman, Kassala
