FOURTH CATARACT
SUDAN
CHRISTIAN STRONGHOLDS DOWNRIVER FROM
SHEMKHIYA TO ES-SADDA
The reconnaissance in December 20043
brought to light a chain of Transitional/
Christian cemeteries and three strongholds
of matching period on the left bank of the
river: El Ar, the biggest and no doubt the
most important; Hillet et-Tibra (=Shemkhiya
8);4 and Tanta Island, possibly the smallest
and the latest of the lot. The average
distance between the three forts in question
is 5.9 km between the first two and 3.7 km
Fig. 1. Aerial view of the fortress ofDar el-Arab (=Swueqi el-Gharb), taken in February 2003
(Photo B. Zurawski)
3 M. Chiodnicki, B. Zurawski, "From Khor Umm Ghizlan to Shemkhiya. Archaeological survey in the Fourth Cataract
region, December 2004", PAAl XV/. Reports 2004 (2005), 369-383.
4 See site gazetteer in PAAl XVI, 382-382 and Fig. 10.
324
SUDAN
CHRISTIAN STRONGHOLDS DOWNRIVER FROM
SHEMKHIYA TO ES-SADDA
The reconnaissance in December 20043
brought to light a chain of Transitional/
Christian cemeteries and three strongholds
of matching period on the left bank of the
river: El Ar, the biggest and no doubt the
most important; Hillet et-Tibra (=Shemkhiya
8);4 and Tanta Island, possibly the smallest
and the latest of the lot. The average
distance between the three forts in question
is 5.9 km between the first two and 3.7 km
Fig. 1. Aerial view of the fortress ofDar el-Arab (=Swueqi el-Gharb), taken in February 2003
(Photo B. Zurawski)
3 M. Chiodnicki, B. Zurawski, "From Khor Umm Ghizlan to Shemkhiya. Archaeological survey in the Fourth Cataract
region, December 2004", PAAl XV/. Reports 2004 (2005), 369-383.
4 See site gazetteer in PAAl XVI, 382-382 and Fig. 10.
324