The outdoor exhibition “Old Dongola. Heritage, Community, Archaeology. 60 Years of Sudanese–Polish Cooperation” is on display in front of the University of Warsaw Museum at 32 Krakowskie Przedmieście and will be on view until 28 September.
The exhibition is part of the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of PCMA UW research in Old Dongola – one of the most important archaeological sites in Sudan. They are held under the Honorary Patronage of the Rector of the University of Warsaw, Prof. Alojzy Z. Nowak.
The exhibition consists of 15 panels with texts available in Polish and English; anArabic has been provided for download (PDF).
One side of each panel highlights the history of Old Dongola and the story of Sudanese–Polish excavations carried out at this exceptional site from 1964 until the outbreak of the civil war in 2023. Old Dongola, the capital of the medieval kingdom of Makuria, was one of the key centres along the Nile from the late 5th to the 14th century. This part of the display also illustrates everyday life at the excavations, the shared concern for heritage and the challenges of protecting it, as well as other projects conducted by the PCMA UW in Sudan. Separate panels are devoted to the current situation of Sudan’s cultural heritage during the ongoing conflict.
The reverse side presents some of the most striking discoveries: medieval wall paintings from Dongola’s churches and monasteries. These works showcase the richness of Nubian art, from monumental representations of Christ and the Archangels, through depictions of rulers and donors, to narrative biblical cycles. Unique motifs include a dance scene combining local traditions with Marian devotion, Nubian kings wearing horned crowns symbolising divine legitimisation of power, and innovative depictions of the Holy Trinity as three identical figures of Christ. Together, they underscore the unique character of this heritage and its significance for both history and contemporary Sudanese identity.
The exhibition was curated by Prof. Artur Obłuski, head of the Old Dongola exoedition, Magdalena Skarżyńska, the expedition’s conservator and art historian, and Dr Dorota Dzierzbicka, its field director, with graphic design by Natalia Kulka.
- Exhibition organizers:
Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw
University of Warsaw Museum - Texts by: Tomasz Barański, Adrian Chlebowski, Ewa Czyżewska-Zalewska, Lorenzo de Lellis, Katarzyna de Lellis-Danys, Agata Deptuła, Mariusz Drzewiecki, Tomomi Fushiya, Huyam Khalid, Magdalena Skarżyńska, Artur Obłuski, Maciej Wyżgoł
- Arabic translation: Nahid Abdelatif
- Communication and organizational support: Agnieszka Szymczak, Barbara Szymańska
- Funding: The anniversary events have been financed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Poland for the task: “Internationalization of the results of research conducted by archaeological research centers of the University of Warsaw” and “The Excellence Initiative – Research University” II.4.1 program.
