In a quiet corner of the French National Institute for Art History, Sudanese archaeologist Shadia Abdrabo works against time. The dim light illuminates photographs of ancient pottery dating back to 7,000 B.C. as she meticulously catalogues each artifact into a digital spreadsheet.
The Desperate Mission to Save Sudan's Cultural Legacy
As the brutal conflict between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) continues to ravage her homeland, Abdrabo has embarked on a critical year-long research mission in France. Her urgent task: building a comprehensive online database of Sudan's archaeological sites, museum collections, and historical archives before more of the nation's cultural heritage disappears forever.
The devastation began shortly after the war erupted in April 2023. Museums across Sudan faced systematic looting and destruction, though the full extent of what has been lost remains unknown. "We have to work fast to secure our collections," Abdrabo told The Associated Press. "We've already lost two museums and we don't want to lose more."
Cultural Catastrophe Unfolding
The scale of destruction is staggering. Two regional museums in El Geneina and Nyala were almost completely destroyed. In the capital Khartoum, the National Museum suffered devastating losses. Before the conflict, this institution housed approximately 100,000 objects spanning Sudan's rich history.
Militias ransacked the building and even posted videos online showing fighters inside the storerooms. The museum contained priceless artifacts from:
- The prehistoric Kerma Kingdom
- The Napatan era of Kushite kings
- The Meroitic civilization that built Sudan's pyramids
- Later Christian and Islamic periods
Among the most significant losses were mummies dating back to 2,500 B.C. – some of the oldest and most archaeologically important in the world – along with royal Kushite treasures.
"My heart was broken, you know? It's not just objects that we lost. We lost research, we lost studies, we lost many things," Abdrabo said, her voice heavy with emotion.
Personal Connection Drives Preservation Efforts
For Abdrabo, this work is deeply personal. "I'm from Nubia, from the north, an area filled with monuments, archaeological sites and ancient life," she explained. This region was once home to some of the world's earliest kingdoms that rivalled ancient Egypt in both power and wealth.
She was working at the national museum in Khartoum when the war began. "We thought it would finish soon... but then life started getting really difficult: not just the bombing, but there was no electricity, no water," she recalled. She eventually fled north with her three sisters, first to Atbara, then to Abri, and finally to Port Sudan.
During this chaotic period, Abdrabo and her colleagues from Sudan's National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums (NCAM) worked tirelessly to protect the country's 11 museums and UNESCO World Heritage sites. They moved precious artifacts to safe rooms and secret locations, but their efforts couldn't keep pace with the destruction.
Ali Nour, a Sudanese cultural heritage advocate, highlighted the urgency of the situation: "While applications were being drafted, sites were being emptied. While risk assessments were reviewed, entire archives vanished."
International Response and Recovery Challenges
UNESCO has raised alarms about the unprecedented level of cultural destruction and has undertaken several initiatives, including:
- Conducting inventories of remaining artifacts
- Training police and customs officers to recognize stolen antiquities
- Appealing to collectors to avoid acquiring Sudanese cultural property
However, researcher Meryam Amarir notes that unlike similar cultural emergencies following conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, "Sudan has not benefited from strong media coverage denouncing the degradation and plundering of its cultural heritage. This lack of visibility has reduced the international response."
The historical significance of what's at stake cannot be overstated. According to Geoff Emberling of the University of Michigan's Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, ancient Sudan was connected through trade and military activity with Egypt, the Mediterranean world, and Mesopotamia. It was also the source of much of the region's gold.
"If we're interested in these ancient cultures, then we have to be interested in Sudan," said Emberling, who is involved with the recently established Sudan Cultural Emergency Recovery Fund.
This task force, requested by NCAM, aims to unite institutions, scholars, and donors around the urgent recovery of Sudan's heritage. "What Shadia Abdrabo is doing is urgently essential – establishing what's missing," Emberling told the AP.
The Race Against Time Continues
Abdrabo has funding until April 2026 to complete her database, but she worries this won't be enough time. The work is painstakingly complex – some datasets arrive as spreadsheets, others as handwritten inventories or decades-old photographs.
Although colleagues at prestigious institutions like the Louvre and British Museum offer support, she works mostly alone. "I'm trying to finish this database but it's a lot," she explained. "I've done about 20% of the work. Just for the national museums, I've recorded 1,080 objects so far... and then I have to do other museums, sites, archives... I need to add pictures, ID numbers, coordinates..."
As winter settles over Paris, the crisis in Sudan remains Abdrabo's driving force. "We are working on tracking what has been looted," she said. "I cry when I talk about this. My only goal and message is to bring back as much as possible, to do as much as I can for Sudan, but it's not easy for us."
The consequences extend beyond direct war damage. "Militias, people displaced... it's not safe for the art to be in unsecure locations," she added. "Until the war finishes we just don't know what is going to happen."
Meanwhile, a team of about 15 Sudanese colleagues continues working at the museum in Khartoum, cleaning and restoring what damage they can, preparing for the day when Abdrabo's database can help reunite Sudan with its stolen heritage.
