As early as a thousand years ago, green spaces were designed deliberately in cities. This is evidenced by Polish archaeologists who found the remains of a garden in the medieval town of Soba next to Khartoum in Sudan.
Soba is now located on the outskirts of Khartoum and is one of the largest archaeological sites in Sudan. In the period from the 5th / 6th to the 13th / 16th century, it was the capital of the kingdom of Alwa. The metropolis is portrayed in written sources as a city with many churches, mansions, beautiful gardens, and a Muslim neighborhood.
In 2020, Polish scientists discovered, thanks to the use of geophysical surveys, two distinct districts belonging to a huge medieval city. Homes were mainly made of dried mud bricks. Researchers estimate that the city covered up to 200 ha.
This year, scientists decided to excavate some of the most interesting places. They discovered part of the former garden.
“This is the first discovery of this type in Soba and one of the few in Sudan,” told PAP (Polish Press Agency) head of research, Dr. Mariusz Drzewiecki, from the Center of Mediterranean Archeology of the University of Warsaw.
This institution is the leader of the consortium, which also includes the Institute of Archeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences.