Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (5.1993(1994))

OLD DONGOLA TOWN FORTIFICATIONS, 1993
by Wlodzimierz Godlewski
Investigations of the northwestern part of the town fortifica -
tions discovered in the 1990 season were continued in 1993.1
Work proceeded in a sector of the northern wall 110 m
long. The top of this part of the wall was cleared on almost the
entire length, and the two comer towers, on the northeast and
northwest, were explored.
On top of the wall and the towers there were traces of
habitations belonging to the last phase of settlement in Dongola,
presumably in the 17^-18^ century. It was also found that the old
fortifications had been reinforced; the character of the reinforce-
ments as well as the construction technique would indicate a date
in the Post-Christian period, in the 15 -16in century.
The original fortifications were observed only on the
eastern side of the northwestern corner tower. The walls were of
mudbrick faced on the outside with undressed stone blocks from
the local limestone quarries. The width of the wall has been
determined as 5.30 m, with the exterior stone facing being
0.80-0.90 m wide at a height of around 6 m. It is not to be
excluded that in the lower parts of the walls this outer stone facing
was even wider.
Elongated and rounded towers projecting up to 9 m were
set at intervals along the northern stretch of the town walls. Beside

’ W. Godlewski, The fortifications of Old Dongola. Report on the 1990
Season, Archeologie du Nil Moyen 5, 1991, 103-128. Excavations were directed
in the 1993 season by W. Godlewski. Miss Agnieszka Gryglewska of the Wroc-
law Technical Highschool was responsible for the architectural documentation.

129