National Museum of Sudan

The National Museum of Sudan or Sudan National Museum, abbreviated SNM, is a two-story building, constructed in 1955 and established as national museum in 1971. The building and its surrounding gardens house the largest and most comprehensive Nubian archaeological collection in the world, including objects from the Paleolithic through to the Islamic period, originating from every site of importance in Sudan. A significant catalyst for the museum's creation was the large number of relocated artefacts as a result of the International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia. In particular, it houses collections of these periods of the history of Sudan: Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, A-Group culture, C-Group culture, Kerma Culture, Middle Kingdom of Egypt, New Kingdom of Egypt, Napata, Meroë, X-Group culture and medieval Makuria. The museum is located on Nile Avenue in Khartoum in al-Mugran area, close to the confluence of the White and the Blue Nile. During the 2023 Sudan conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, the National Museum of Sudan was the scene of heavy fighting, followed by damages and looting. The objects of the museum are displayed in four areas: The Main Hall on the ground floor The gallery on the first floor The Open Air Museum in the garden The Monumental Alley outside the museum building Highlights of the collections include: The Taharqa statue. A 4-meter high granite statue of Pharaoh Taharqa, penultimate Pharaoh of the 25th Egyptian dynasty, facing the main entrance, welcomes the visitors to the museum. The statue was broken by the Egyptians when they sacked Napata in 591 BCE under the reign of Psamtik II, then buried in a pit by Kushite priests and excavated by George Reisner in 1916. Neolithic black-topped red burnished pottery and ram statuettes of the C-Group culture. Funerary artefacts and ceramic art dating from the Neolithic, A-group, C-Group, Kerma, and Kushite periods.