At the base of Jabal
Barkal, a sacred
mountain and World
Heritage site, workers
dig to uncover one
of Africa’s great civ-
ilizations. Variously
known as Kush or
Nubia, the kingdom
was long depicted as
a mere appendage of
neighboring Egypt.
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Ahmed Ibrahim Alkhair
(at far left), wrapped
in the first flag of inde-
pendent Sudan, and
Awab Osman Aliabdo,
with the current flag,
take in the view from
Jabal Barkal. Sudan’s
2019 revolution ousted
its Islamist dictator
and stirred hopes for
democratic rule. But
after a military coup
last fall, the nation
now teeters between
the possibi l ity of
peace and the threat
of more violence.