At first glance the newly widened Nile Avenue Road looks like a pleasant place to continue a Friday morning stroll but look again and there is no escaping the signs forbidding pedestrians, rickshaws and horn blowing. A short detour can be made easily enough by turning left at the old Public Works Department, a building whose roof tiles seem ironically to be in a constant state of sliding off.
At the end of this short road, I turn right into one of the most beautiful tree-lined roads in Khartoum, Gami’a Avenue. The first building on the right hand side used to house the NCO’s mess while a little further on there is a barracks that still houses the Republican Guards. Opposite them is an orange cubic building that used to be the Khartoum Club.
More aesthetically pleasing though is the fine sandstone building of the former Anglican Cathedral of All Saints that now serves as the Republican Palace Museum. Continue reading
Khartoum
A Friday morning stroll in Khartoum (part one)
Early Friday mornings are the best time to explore central Khartoum free from the manic driving and impatient horn beeping that can test the nerve of even the most carelessly shuffling jaywalker.
My occasional Friday morning stroll usually starts not far from my home in Khartoum North, an industrial and residential area that sadly lacks a public river side walk of its own. I cross the Blue Nile Bridge that vibrates alarmingly as buses, lorries, cars and the occasional train trundle across it. Strangely the oldest bridge in Khartoum still takes the strain while the modern Mak Nimr Bridge is reserved for lighter private cars. But this 1910 steel construction still looks reassuringly solid even if the wooden path for pedestrians (and animals) has wobbly planks. Apparently at one time the middle span lifted for river navigation but it hasn’t done so since at least the 1950s and its hard today to see exactly how it ever unlocked itself. Continue reading
House for Sale in Khartoum North!
Front elevation of the house in Gharb Bahri in Khartoum North. Offers around $280,000
This is a rare opportunity to purchase a well-finished and modern residential building within the commercial area of Gharb Bahri (in a street parallel to the street with the hospital).
It is conveniently located close to the main hospital, Bahari market and enjoys good road links into the centre of Khartoum.
The building was completed in November 2011 by the owners and has been used for private residential purposes ever since then. There is potential to build at least 2 more floors as the building has a concrete frame and foundations designed to support a larger structure. The building plans for this extension are available for inspection.
Due to its location, the building could be used as doctors’ clinics or offices as well as two separate flats.
The building is located off Sharia El Ma’uuna, close to the Agricultural Bank
The total area of the plot amounts to 200m²
Please e-mail for further details or to arrange a viewing with my local agent.
Muna Zaki
The Sudan Bookshop is closing
Called in today at the Sudan Bookshop in the hope of finding another outlet for my Arabic workbook. Although it was only just midday, I found that the shutters were already being pulled down and interior gloomy. The manager informed me that the shop will soon be permanently closed. Continue reading
Review of Bradt Guide Book to the Sudan
Sudan: the Bradt Travel Guide by Sophie Ibbotson and Max Lovell-Hoare (3rd edition, pub. 2012)
This is an excellent book in so many ways. Firstly, it is beautifully written with the descriptions of places balanced by factual information and practical tips. I liked the short articles within the main text that provide at least a start for those wishing to understand more about Sudan, its history and its culture.
There is a short bibliography at the back that usefully includes a short summary of what each recommended publication is about. This guidebook is well designed, easy to follow and lavished with some wonderful coloured photographs. Continue reading
Kitchener’s last gunboat – Al Melik
Kitchener’s last gunboat lies half hidden under some trees on the banks of the Blue Nile in Khartoum. Silent and slowly decaying.
The Melik has served as the headquarters of the Blue Nile Sailing Club since its retirement from military service in the 1920s. It was moored in the river until an unusually heavy flood in the late 1980s left it high and dry. Ironically, the flood may have saved it from slowly rusting away. Continue reading
Queen Vic and the Grand Holiday Villa
The Grand Holiday Villa is a lovely hotel built on the banks of the Nile. It has plenty of old world charm and has been sympathetically restored and extended. I stayed there once with my husband and found the service and food all 5 stars+.
But…
The hotel for some reason makes a couple of fantastic historical claims that are well surely just fantasy. Continue reading
Muna Zaki 