The port city of Suakin, Sudan was formerly an outpost during the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish government has offered to assist Sudan in the restoration of the town as an historic landmark. , a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Turks help Sudan restore an ancient city
Monday, 09 January 2012
By Nadia Idriss Mayen
Al Arabiya with Agencies
The ancient port city of Suakin in Sudan dates back to the 15th century Ottoman Empire but over the past few decades it has been neglected and left to decay.
Now, with the help of Turkish experts, the Sudanese government has begun work on its restoration in a bid to boost tourism.
However, tight security measures on foreign visitors into Sudan has made the restoration efforts that much more difficult.
Suakin once served as the region’s main port and was a major trade hub along the Red Sea as the route was used to transport slaves and ship Muslim pilgrims to the Arab peninsula. Today, it has all but lost its once grandeur as is evident by the buildings’ crumbling exterior and the lack of maintenance.
“We expect that after the restoration tourists will come from Turkey because these ancient monuments are of Turkish origin. It is for sure that the Turkish government is concerned about the buildings it repaired. We expect large numbers of tourists after the restoration,” said Nasser el-Din Ahmed, head of the local tourism authority.
Ahmed said an estimated 3,000-4,000 foreigners visit the port in the winter season.
With centuries of strong ties with Turkey, the Sudanese government has paid a Turkish company to help with the restoration as well as hired 60 Sudanese workers for the task.
“These buildings, the Ottoman Empire built ... We built it in the 15th century. Now we have come and want to restore all of these buildings to their original. Now we want to make good project restoration and our aim is, we want to teach Sudanese people how to do this restoration,” said El-fatih Solak, a Turkish architect supervising the restoration.
The beaches and largest port on the coast of the Red Sea coast north of Suakin, is a popular tourist destination for the Sudanese.
Sudan hopes the reconstruction will not just help promote tourism but assist in overcoming its current economic crisis which has seen a rise in inflation since the country’s independence in July from South Sudan which holds more oil.
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