Shendi
Shendi
شندى Shandi | |
---|---|
Town | |
Coordinates: 16°41′N 33°26′E / 16.683°N 33.433°E | |
Country | Sudan |
Stateslay | River Nile State |
Population (2007) | |
• Total | 55,516[citation needed] |
Shendi or Shandi (
Etymology
There are several theories as to the origin of Shendi's name.
One theory claims that the name comes from an old Nubian word for "lip" because the town is located in the bend of the Nile River, which is similar to the shape of lips.[citation needed]
Another theory claims that the name came from a word in the
A third theory claims that the name, is derived from the Beja language word "Shanda", which means "the long winter".[citation needed]
Referring to the ancient Egyptian
History
Shendi's location in the middle of several geographical areas and tribal entities along with being at the crossroads of trade routes has led to the city playing a great political and commercial role.
Ancient history
It is not known exactly when Shendi began to be inhabited, but it is certain that the area currently located between the "Al-Kawthar Hotel" near the Shendi High School in the north of the city and the outskirts of "Shanan Castle" in the south has been inhabited by humans semi-continuously throughout the past four thousand years. This is due to multiple factors; the area being located near the river, the relative height being higher than the lowlands submerged by the seasonal flood waters of the Nile, its suitability for continuous cultivation and the availability of grasses and pastures in it that help graze and domesticate animals.
The archaeological excavation at the site of Shanan Castle revealed a wide spread of Neolithic man activities in the Shendi area, and the quantity and quality of the archaeological artifacts extracted from the site indicate a large settlement that existed in the place, whose inhabitants exploited the natural resources of the area.[4]
Medieval period
During the
The English traveler
The German traveler and orientalist
The Shendi king, like the Berber rulers, owed allegiance to the ruler of Sennar, and with the exception of the amount of money that he paid to the ruler of Sennar annually and some mutual visits from both sides, the Shendi king enjoyed complete independence from Sennar in the entire territory of his region extending north for a two-day march.
The Battle of Ismail Kamel Pasha
In 1820, Khedive
According to Sudanese historian Makki Shabeika, the Pasha had left his cavalry in a place about 20 miles (32 km) south of Shendi and hurried with a number of his entourage, his bodyguard and his doctor to Shendi. Twenty thousand Egyptian pounds, and when Mek Nimr concluded from the enormity of the request and objected to the Pasha slap him in the face with his long pipe, and the king was about to respond to the insult with the sword, but the king assistant winked him with his hand, and in another narration he spoke to him in the dialect of the Basharin and asked him to postpone revenge.
Muhammad Ali Pasha's reaction to the killing of his son was devastating, as he ordered his son-in-law Muhammad Bey Al-Daftardar to return from Kordofan to launch a disciplinary campaign during which the city of Shendi was destroyed and ruined in 1823, and most of its inhabitants were killed. Al-Mak Nimr withdrew from the city to the south towards Sennar and the border of Abyssinia, where he settled and his followers established a city they called Al-Matumma, after Al-Matma in Shendi.
Shendi remained for the rest of the nineteenth century an unknown village to the invaders, and its market shifted north to Khartoum, the capital of the Turkish-Egyptian rule at the time. The city no longer had any economic importance and its agricultural production was no longer sufficient to feed the population of its countryside.
The German traveler Alfred Brim described in his book, Plans of a Journey from Northeast Africa, the city of Matma, located on the left bank of the Nile, as an extension of the New Shendi, and its wealth of gold, silver, and leather tanning.
Climate
Shendi experiences a
characterized by high temperatures and minimal precipitation. Summers are long and scorching, with June recording the highest temperatures, while winters remain very warm. Annual rainfall is meager, amounting to less than 100 millimetres (3.9 in), with sporadic showers concentrated in the late summer months. Humidity levels remain low throughout the year. Shendi has abundant sunshine, with an annual total exceeding 3000 hours.[10]Climate data for Shendi (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 40 (104) |
42.7 (108.9) |
45.5 (113.9) |
47 (117) |
48.9 (120.0) |
47.5 (117.5) |
46.5 (115.7) |
45 (113) |
45 (113) |
45 (113) |
43.6 (110.5) |
38 (100) |
48.9 (120.0) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.4 (86.7) |
32.9 (91.2) |
36.3 (97.3) |
39.8 (103.6) |
42.5 (108.5) |
42.6 (108.7) |
40.3 (104.5) |
38.9 (102.0) |
40.0 (104.0) |
39.6 (103.3) |
35.4 (95.7) |
31.7 (89.1) |
37.5 (99.5) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 22.1 (71.8) |
24.1 (75.4) |
27.3 (81.1) |
31.1 (88.0) |
34.3 (93.7) |
35.1 (95.2) |
33.6 (92.5) |
32.6 (90.7) |
33.4 (92.1) |
32.4 (90.3) |
27.9 (82.2) |
23.6 (74.5) |
29.8 (85.6) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 13.9 (57.0) |
15.2 (59.4) |
18.3 (64.9) |
22.5 (72.5) |
26.2 (79.2) |
27.5 (81.5) |
27.0 (80.6) |
26.4 (79.5) |
26.7 (80.1) |
25.2 (77.4) |
20.3 (68.5) |
15.6 (60.1) |
22.1 (71.8) |
Record low °C (°F) | 3.7 (38.7) |
3.3 (37.9) |
8.4 (47.1) |
13.4 (56.1) |
17 (63) |
18.5 (65.3) |
18.2 (64.8) |
18.7 (65.7) |
18.4 (65.1) |
14.9 (58.8) |
10.3 (50.5) |
7 (45) |
3.3 (37.9) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
2.1 (0.08) |
2.1 (0.08) |
26.5 (1.04) |
35.0 (1.38) |
18.4 (0.72) |
6.4 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.9 (0.04) |
91.4 (3.60) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 8.1 |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
28 | 25 | 21 | 18 | 20 | 23 | 33 | 41 | 34 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 27 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 282.1 | 254.8 | 282.1 | 282.0 | 263.5 | 204.0 | 195.3 | 189.1 | 240.0 | 285.2 | 285.0 | 285.2 | 3,048.3 |
Source: NOAA[10] |
Demographics
Year | Population |
---|---|
1973 (Census) | 24,161[citation needed] |
1983 (Census) | 34,505[citation needed] |
2007 (Estimate) | 55,516[citation needed] |
Economy
Agricultural sector
Shendi is considered one of the most important agricultural cities in northern Sudan and has the largest mango cultivation area in Sudan. Its products also include Egyptian beans, onions, and other vegetables and fruits that supply the capital and the neighboring major cities.
There are several projects for irrigated agriculture from the Nile River affiliated to the public and private sectors, most notably:
Government projects include: Capuchin, and Qandto, and Al-Bagrawiyah, and Jihad, and the martyr.
Private Sector Projects: The Misiktab, Sardia, Shaqlawa, Capuchin, Al-Jazirah Al-Sibyliyah, Wood Banga, Honey Stone, and Al-Basabir.
Existing investment projects: Doxan, Tala, Karawan, Coral Company for Agricultural and Livestock Production, Fayet Project for Agricultural Production.
Industrial sector
Shendi industry was known from an early age and there are several industries, the most important and oldest of which is the spinning and weaving industry, where there is a textile factory considered one of the first textile factories established in Sudan. It also has a soap factory. Some factories have also been established recently, including the Fayet Dairy Factory, which covers the city of Shendi and supplies the capital with products, as well as the cities of Atbara and Damer, as well as the establishment of a Rawabi factory, west of the city of Shendi
Infrastructure
Roads have begun to be laid cross the city. The railway station in the city is no longer used for passenger travel, although freight trains continue to use the tracks. Local taxis and buses are available.
Mobile telephone coverage exists within the city, the neighboring towns of Al-Misiktab and Al-Mattamah, the outlying villages, and at the ancient Meroitic pyramids to the north. Internet connectivity is limited to the city.
Institutions
Schools exist within the town and local villages.
A UNESCO funded center exists within the town to promote education in foreign languages and Information Technology.
Shendi University is a public university that was established in 1994.[11] The university draws students from across Sudan to study there.
References
- ^ "Omar al-Bashir Fast Facts". CNN. C. N. N. Library. December 10, 2012.
- ^ "رووداو سەردانی گوندەکەی عومەر بەشیر دەکات". Rudaw (in Kurdish).
- ISBN 9781473854963.
- ^ The importance of Shanan Castle site for Neolithic studies in Shendi area archive.org/web/20171227235746/http://ahmedkabushia.blog.3abber.com/post/84610 Archived December 27, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Shendi City - Helalia Forums - Sudan Archived August 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Peter Malcolm Holt: A History of the Sudan. From the Coming of Islam to the Present Day. Addison-Wesley Pub Company, Reading, Massachusetts 2000, S. 8–10
- ^ Jean Louis Burckhardt: Travels in Nubia. London 1819 eBooks@Adelaide 2004
- ^ Karl Baedecker: Egypt and the Sudan: Handbook for Travelers. 7. Auflage, Leipzig - London - New York 1914, S. 422 Als PDF
- ^ "Table 1 Overview of the Köppen-Geiger climate classes including the defining criteria". Nature: Scientific Data. October 23, 2023.
- ^ a b "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Shendi". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ "The emergence of the university". Shendi University. Retrieved September 17, 2011.