Bayuda Desert
The Bayuda Desert, located at 18°N 33°E / 18°N 33°E, is in the eastern region of the
Gold mining occurs today from October to March, as labourers work
The Bayuda Desert route
Throughout the Meroitic civilization the Bayuda Desert became the lifeline connecting the northern and southern districts of the Kingdom of Kush, with Napata and Meroe as the termini. The king Nastasen Stela provides testament of the existence and use of this route, describing his progress across the desert from Meroe to Napata for his coronation.[5]
The Mahdist War
The Bayuda Desert was crossed by the Desert Column of the Gordon Relief Expedition in January 1885 in a failed attempt to relieve the Siege of Khartoum. The Desert Column was led mainly by Major General Sir Herbert Stewart but after he was mortally wounded, command passed to Brigadier General Charles Wilson, the column's intelligence officer. The Expedition saw the Battle of Abu Klea and the Battle Abu Kru.
References
- ^ Description of the Bayuda Desert
- ISBN 9783642225079.
- ^ Ketz, Sammy (August 23, 2020). "Gold-hunting diggers destroy Sudan's priceless past". news.yahoo.com. AFP. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
- ^ "Illegal gold diggers destroy ancient Sudanese site". BBC News. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
- ^ Intisar Soghayroun, Elzein Soghayroun: Trade and Wadi Systems in Muslim Sudan, Kampala 2010