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Tag Archives: Kassala

Rashaida

14 Saturday Feb 2009

Posted by nubiaNomad in Travel

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Kassala, Rashaida, Sudan, tribes

Among the numerous ethnic groups/tribes in the Kassala region, one I was particularly intrigued by was the Rashaida; sometimes referred to as Zebedia. This tribe traces its origins to the Arabian peninsula from which they migrated over a century ago. They claim to be ancestors of Haroon Al Rashid, some argue that their lineage stems from his wife Zubida. They are offended if you refer to them as Zebedia.

Although many centuries have passed, they have managed to grip onto their way of life and culture. They still maintain their nomadic lifestyle. Their Arabic accent is akin to those dialects of Gulf nations (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Yemen, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman). Their women always veil their faces in public. As a people they are fairly secluded and rarely marry from outside their ethnic group. Never really live in cities or urban areas and only enter Kassala proper to obtain goods, food, etc. Although, in recent years I have been told they started opening up to people and cordially interact with other ethnic groups in the region. They have increased their contact with people of the outside their circle.

As you enter Kassala you begin to see their settlements, usually a series of tents. They are a relatively wealthy tribe as they many are involved in smuggling of counter-bands. So their dwellings have been upgraded with the addition of satellite TVs and their preferred mode of transport, which in most cases are land cruisers or pickup trucks. Top of the line of course. I kid you not, as we drove each settlement of tents had a fairly brand new 4 wheel drive vehicle or pickup truck. It was such an odd paradox.

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A tasty bite of Kassala

14 Saturday Feb 2009

Posted by nubiaNomad in Travel

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Kassala, souq, Sudan, Toteel mountain

Toteel:
We met up with the rest of our group at the cafe near the base of Toteel Mountain. A pleasantly arranged set of cafes huddled on large rock formations. Of course coming to Eastern Sudan and not tasting coffee is missing out on oh so much. Neighboring the region that discovered coffee, you better believe coffee culture is serious business around these parts. Many of the ethnic groups Beja (mainly comprised of Beni Amer, Hadandawa and Halanga in addition to a myriad of other smaller tribes) roast, grind and brew their own coffee on the spot. Many carry around with them miniature mortar and pestle in order to grind the beans. Freshness is key.

So we climbed up to the base side cafes and decided to climb further to get a panoramic view of the city. Our climb took us to the Well of Toteel, a ground water aquifer that is recharged by rains, is a famous well. Locals say that if you drink from Toteel’s water you are bound to return. So of course we abided by our hosts request to have a some water in order to ensure our return. Once we soaked up the majestic view of the city and all the way to the empty Gash River basin, we walked down to one of the cafes and ordered some coffe. They really do know how to brew some good coffee. We stayed at the café and watched the sunset, with its vivid streaks of oranges and yellows painting the sky. After which we headed down towards the city to took yet another prominent region of the city.

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Al Sawagi:

Al Sawagi are a series of family owned orchards that line southern end of the city, along side of the Gash River Basin. The orchards extend for miles and grow a multitude of fruits and veggies including the famous Kassala “dotted” bananas. We drove along a 2 story high flood prevention dam that is meant to protect Al Sawagi’s residents from the wrath of the Gash River. Driving along the orchards the air was fresh and clean, and much cooler than the temperatures in the city. We drove to a look out point, overlooking the empty Gash River basin and the mountains in the distance. At sunset, the view was surreal. When looking at the pictures taken at this location. It is as if, my colleagues pictures were photoshoped behind this backdrop.

Soug Kasala:
We hit the souk to get a taste and feel for pulse of the city. At night the souk is more effervescent. The rhythms of cars, vendors, music from shops and the mundane movement of people coalesced melodiously to generate a unique and pleasant soundtrack. The auditory experience was further enhanced by the distinctive smells of spices, coffee, incense and food freshly prepared by street “hawkers”. Each regional city’s central souk has its unique features but Kassala’s souk is a different world. One that not only blends the goods of the colorful ethnic groups in the region but also numerous shops of Kassala’s sizable Indian population. Indians here specialize and are well known for their Sari and textile shops. Most women purchase the Saris and wear them as our traditional Toubs. They are for the most part the same length. We zigzagged through various shops, mingling with the Indian owners to find good bargains. It was a really interesting case study to see how these Indians have assimilated into Sudanese culture. Yet at the same time maintained to retain their distinct Indian heritage. Their connection with their homeland is evident with the numerous Bollywood posters that decorated their shops in addition to pictures of devoted gods. Although walking through the souk and taking in first hand the interesting menagerie of shops and peoples, I quickly grew tired of looking at goods. I bought a few things early on but was obliged to continue through the maze of shops as others with me were still in the process of making purchases. After a long and exciting day, we bid farewell to our hosts who graciously chauffeured us around and showed us some of the best their city had to offer.

Upon our return to our guest house, we were greeted by a peculiarly organized poetry reading session. To be honest we were exhausted at this point, but at the insistence of the owner’s numerous requests, we appeased him by sitting in and listening to some of the poetry. After which we called it a night.

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Seedi Hassan

12 Thursday Feb 2009

Posted by nubiaNomad in Travel

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Kassala, Khatmia, Sayid Hassan Mosque, Sudan

Day 2, started off with the continuation of the workshop. After the conclusion of the workday, this wrapped up early around 3pm. We were invited to a meal by our Kassala counterparts for all the workshop participants. The meal was organized in one of the many orchards in the city. Somewhat similar to our outing in Kadougli, but here we had an uninterrupted view of Taka and Toteel Mountains. The backdrop this chilled out finale of our work.

We decided to make the most out of our time and immediately after the meal our hosts were eager to show us around. We hopped into our cars and began our tour.

Sayid Hassan Mosque

At the foot of Jabel Toteel, is the ancient mosque of Sayid Hassan (referred to as Seedi Hassan). The unroofed mosque is centuries old and houses the remains of Sayid Hassan in a “darieeh” or a mausoleum type structure. Residents of this region of sufi pilgrims travel to come pay their respects to Sayid Hassan. In addition to paying their respects many vie to obtain a bit of sand that covers the ground of the mausoleum.

The structure is quiet spectacular. Remains of wooden planks bulge out from the structure. These wooden posts were used as ladders to stand on during the building process. Legend says, that although the mosque is unroofed that it rain never falls down onto the inside of the structure.

Walking towards the mosque, a feeling of bewilderment at how this structure was erected and how it stands side by side of the mountain, as if challenging the Toteel submits’s height. It’s a pure show of audacity and boldness. The structure itself was created from simple copper-toned bricks and the pillars seem to have been of marble or a finely polished caramel-colored granite rock.

To pay our respects we took off our shoes, prior to entering the compound of the mosque and walked over the hot, grainy sand towards the part of the mosque that housed Seedi Hassan’s remains. After walking in and sending a few minutes with that structure we toured the remainder of the mosque. The structure is largely unused but during large festivals (Eids), the mosque is used for regular prayer services and its largely vacant lots are packed with followers and parishioners.

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¨for you Kassala, I fell in love¨

09 Monday Feb 2009

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Gadarif, Kassala, Sudan

This time, work took me to one of the most eastern regions of Sudan. Kassala is a popular local tourist destination, oddly with a disproportionate percentage of newlyweds. Many come to be enchanted by the mesmerizing Taka and Toteel “sugar loaf” mountains.

The post title “for you Kassala, I fell in love” is a rough translation of famous song lyrics that signify that one fell in love just so that he can come with his loved one to Kassala to share in its natural beauty.

The city of Kassala is on the border with Eretria, roughly 4 hours away from Asmara. It is about 600 km east of Khartoum. The city is split in half by the merciless Gash River. For most of the year the Gash River basin is a sandy, dry gorge that overwhelmed by water pouring down from the Ethiopian and Eritrean highlands during the rainy season. Unlike other seasonal rivers in the region, like the Atbara River, the Gash River has a habit of continually changing course and wreaking havoc on the city’s residents.

We started off on the wrong foot by leaving relatively late in the afternoon for our trip. Mid afternoon heat waves indicated that it would be a long journey. Leaving Khartoum, we took the familiar path towards Wad Medani in Gezira State (southeast of Khartoum). From Wad Medani we broke eastwards heading towards Gadarif State. Unfortunately along the way, the intense heat left its mark on our car. Till this point we were relatively unaware of the extent of the heat from the comfort of our fully air conditioned car. After crossing Gadarif state borders, our car started to show signs of fatigue. First our air conditioning system gave way, then the engine itself began to wail. The parched engine quickly evaporated all our excess water supply. In an effort to remedy the situation even our drinking water was exhausted in the process of cooling the engine. We finally gave way and stopped the car for some time. When this procedure led to limited success, we began driving slowly till we lucked out on an agricultural camping post. There we were saved by 2 generous guys who supplied us with water to remedy the situation. To give you an idea of the course travelled, take a look at the map below.

We hit the road again and made a pit stop in the outskirts of El Gadarif for food and prayer. From there we cruised into Kassala fairly late in the evening. Even in the midst of night, the prominent mountains stood in a dark haze, as though keeping watch on the city’s dwellers and visitors. The breeze was cool and refreshing a welcome change from the heat we were exposed to throughout the trip. The lush green savannahs juxtaposed to the Ethiopian highlands have a special blend of scents and gentle winds that are very welcoming and comforting to any newcomer.

Exhausted from our 11 hour journey, we made our way to our guest house and after settling in crashed for the evening. A long day awaited us in the opening day of our Eastern Region workshop.

Today the workshop started with the same routine followed in previous sectors. Members representing all institutions/ entities in the WASH sector in this region congregated to discuss and review the policy at hand and lend voice their concerns and suggestions. I stole away in the late afternoon in a gap where, with access to internet to update on my first leg of the journey. We shall see what else the lies ahead today….

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