Paper short abstract:

The paper examines the shifting interpretations of the Soba archeological site (medieval capital of the Nubian kingdom of Alwa)) from an ethnographic perspective. This presentation aims to discuss the findings of a research on the relations between an archaeological site and the local community.

Paper long abstract:

The paper examines the shifting interpretations of the Soba archeological site (medieval capital of the Nubian kingdom of Alwa)) from an ethnographic perspective. This presentation aims to discuss the findings of a research on the relations between an archaeological site (“Soba past”) and today’s population – the remains of the medieval city are today part of a rapidly developing suburb of the capital of Sudan – Khartoum (that’s “Modern Soba”). What is the attitude of the residents to archaeological traces, can we treat them both as archaeological and anthropological traces, to what extent can Soba past be helpuful in projecting the life within urban setting? ‘Past Soba’ and ‘Modern Soba’ are two intertwined space-time continuums, whose ‘relations’ are complex. The first impression is that due to accelerating urbanization processes the attitude of the residents of the Modern Soba towards the remains of medieval Soba is clearly antagonistic. A sort of “anomaly”, “disruption” or “thing left behind”. However, at the same time the Past Soba occupies a certain place in the local residents’ cultural memory. The “Soba past” has begun to speak and is being re-used for individual or group formation within urban setting. Moreover, many of the inhabitants of modern Soba have direct contact with the antiquities on a daily basis. This has an impact on the way they see and understand the place and its history. The ongoing ethnographic research is linked with an archaeological project entitled Soba – the heart of the Kingdom of Alwa.