Ain Farah
Geography
It lies in the Furnung Hills some 130 kilometres (81 mi) northwest of El Fasher, and 600 miles (970 km) to the southwest of Dongola. The region is picturesque, with relatively fertile hills and spring sources. The archaeological site is situated close to a hill, about 100 metres (330 ft) above the source lakes. Date palms thrive in the lakes. From there, the access goes through a dry valley, which was previously secured in the back by a wall.
Archaeology
Archaeological work is in early stages. A survey of a sample of houses and excavation of a grave was undertaken by Ibrahim Musa Mohammed (1986) during his survey of Darfur. The grave contained a flexed burial and over 200 iron beads, an ostrich eggshell necklace, a perforated cowrie shell, and iron jewellery. One of the corroded iron objects yielded a surprisingly early date (1500 +/- 200 bp, Q 3155), falling at least six and perhaps as many as eleven centuries before the likely time of the Tunjur; Mohammed interprets this as signifying a pre-Islamic presence and continuation into Islamic times. Christian Nubian pottery has been found at the site in the ruins of a brick-built monastery.
References
- ^ Oliver, Roland; Fagan, Brian M. (29 October 1975). Africa in the Iron Age: c.500 BC-1400 AD. Cambridge University Press. pp. 125–. ISBN 978-0-521-09900-4. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ Mohammed, Ibrahim Musa (1986). The archaeology of Central Darfur (Sudan) in the 1st millennium A.D. B.A.R. Retrieved 5 August 2012.