Shendi
Encyclopedia
Shendi or Shandi is a town in northern Sudan
, situated on the east bank of the Nile
150 km northeast of Khartoum
. Shandi is also about 45 km southwest of the ancient city of Meroe
. Located in the River Nile
wilayah
, Shandi is the center of the Ja'aliin tribe and an important historic trading center. Its principal suburb on the west bank is Al-Matamma. A major traditional trade route across the Bayuda desert connects Al-Matamma to Marawi and Napata
, 250 km to the northwest. An unknown public domain source provides the following historical details:
Roads have begun to be laid cross the city however these remain largely unsafe, as is the road to Khartoum. The railway station in the city is no longer used for passenger travel, although freight trains continue to use the tracks. Shendi is home to an airport
(ICAO code HSND).
Mobile telephone coverage exists within the city, neighboring towns of Misiktab and Al Mattamar, outlying villages and the ancient Meriotic pyramids to the north.
A UNESCO funded center exists within the town to promote education in foreign languages and Information Technology.
Shendi University
is a public university that was established in 1994.
The university draws students from across Sudan to study there, though the student body is of entirely Muslim extraction.
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, situated on the east bank of the Nile
Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
150 km northeast of Khartoum
Khartoum
Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
. Shandi is also about 45 km southwest of the ancient city of Meroe
Meroë
Meroë Meroitic: Medewi or Bedewi; Arabic: and Meruwi) is an ancient city on the east bank of the Nile about 6 km north-east of the Kabushiya station near Shendi, Sudan, approximately 200 km north-east of Khartoum. Near the site are a group of villages called Bagrawiyah...
. Located in the River Nile
River Nile (state)
River Nile is one of the 15 wilayat or states of Sudan. It has an area of 122,123 km² and an estimated population of 1,027,534 . It consists of 6 localities Ad-Damir is the capital city of the state...
wilayah
Wilayah
A wilāyah or vilâyet , or vilayat in Urdu and Turkish, is an administrative division, usually translated as "province", rarely as "governorate". The word comes from the Arabic "w-l-y", "to govern": a wāli — "governor" — governs a wilayah, "that which is governed"...
, Shandi is the center of the Ja'aliin tribe and an important historic trading center. Its principal suburb on the west bank is Al-Matamma. A major traditional trade route across the Bayuda desert connects Al-Matamma to Marawi and Napata
Napata
Napata was a city-state of ancient Nubia on the west bank of the Nile River, at the site of modern Karima, Northern Sudan.During the 8th to 7th centuries BC, Napata was the capital of the Nubian kingdom of Kush, whence the 25th, or Nubian Dynasty conquered Egypt...
, 250 km to the northwest. An unknown public domain source provides the following historical details:
"The origin of the name of the town came from the Daju tribe which inhabited it after being forced to migrate south & south-westward after the fall of Meroé in A.D. 350 which had been invaded by the army of Ezana, king of Axum (Ethiopia). The word 'sugaŋdé' or 'chendé' means in the Daju language: 'a sheep' (See Browne, W. G. 1806); this indicates that they were herders who moved south & south-westward to Kordofan and Darfur looking for abundant pasture. The AbabdaAbabdaThe Ababda or Ababde – the Gebadei of Pliny, and possibly the Troglodytes of other classical writers – are nomads living in the area between the Nile and the Red Sea, in the vicinity of Aswan in Egypt...
tribe of BedouinBedouinThe Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
s settled there in the early 19th century. Johann Ludwig BurckhardtJohann Ludwig BurckhardtJohann Ludwig Burckhardt was a Swiss traveller and orientalist. He wrote his letters in French and signed Louis...
passed through on his way to the Red SeaRed SeaThe Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
in 1812, and Charles RothschildCharles RothschildNathaniel Charles Rothschild , known as "Charles", was an English banker and entomologist and a member of the Rothschild family.-Family:...
discovered the plaguePandemicA pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that is spreading through human populations across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or even worldwide. A widespread endemic disease that is stable in terms of how many people are getting sick from it is not a pandemic...
vector fleaFleaFlea is the common name for insects of the order Siphonaptera which are wingless insects with mouthparts adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood...
Xenopsylla cheopis there in 1901."
Demographics
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1973 (Census) | 24.161 |
| 1983 (Census) | 34.505 |
| 2007 (Estimate) | 55.516 |
Economy
Very basic services and infrastructure mean that Shendi exists mainly as a center for trade in agricultural goods from nearby farms. Regular power cuts mean that expansion of the economy into industry remains impossible at the present time. Tourism related activity from the nearby Meriotic ruins is minimal due to a lack of facilities within the town. There is poor or non-existent sanitation and a lack of running water in most homes and businesses.Communications
Shendi Airport
Shendi Airport is an airport serving Shendi in Sudan....
(ICAO code HSND).
Mobile telephone coverage exists within the city, neighboring towns of Misiktab and Al Mattamar, outlying villages and the ancient Meriotic pyramids to the north.
Institutions
Schools exist within the town and local villagesA UNESCO funded center exists within the town to promote education in foreign languages and Information Technology.
Shendi University
Shendi University
Shendi University is a public university that was established in 1994, located in Shendi Sudan.It is a member of the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World....
is a public university that was established in 1994.
The university draws students from across Sudan to study there, though the student body is of entirely Muslim extraction.