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 | Khartoum Off the Beaten Path | Tips 1 - 10 of 14 |  |
Popular Off the Beaten Path | Miscellaneous Off the Beaten Path Tips | All Tips (14) Next to the new Chinese Bridge, on the banks of the White Nile, lies Sunt Forest, a popular local picnic spot. Calling it a forest is a bit optimistic, but yes, there are trees here, and it can be pleasant to sit in the shade and relax...there isn't anything else to do! Be wary of the monkeys above, particularly if you plan on having a bite to eat...they will want to join in, and are obviously used to getting their own way. Rather like the dodgy figures who patronise the forest towards sunset...we ran into some would-be thieves, which spoiled our day, even though they got away with nothing more than a quick grope...don't come alone, and don't be fooled by the "we're police" line...just keep walking! Leave a Comment
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 | |  |  | Khartoum 2, Amarat and beyond... | Tip Rating:    |  |  | |  |
South of the railway line, you enter the richer areas of Khartoum, the first one imaginitively named Khartoum 2. Filled with fenced0off villas, posh clubs and well-guarded embassies, there isn't much to really see around here, but if you've spent a long time in Sudan, a walk up the main shopping street towards Amarat, another upmarket suburb, will give you a taste of life beyond Sudan's borders. Supermarkets are big enough to warrant the use of a trolley, which you can fill with all sorts of imported nonsense if you've enough dinars (or dollars) for it. This is where you'll find music shops selling copied CDs instead of badly-produced cassettes, white chocolate Kit-Kats outnumber the more humble Nity in shop fridges, and boxes of Pringles and even pork products can be tracked down if you know where to look. Restaurants abound, mostly of the fast-food variety (look out for Pizza-Hat and Lucky M with its golden arches) but Indian, Chinese, Korean, Turkish and Ethiopian are all represented here. Further south, you come to Arkawit (where I used to teach in a secondary school) and the huge new Akmerkez Turkish Shopping Mall...not for tourists, but expats and rich Sudanese flock here every day for the multi-plex cinema, the bowling alley, designer clothes shops and capuccino bars. Nearby are two large funfairs, designed with kids in mind but attracting mainly young couples and groups of students. Leave a Comment
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Tutti Island lies in the Nile between Khartoum, al-Bahri and Omdurman. Surrounded by city on all sides, Tutti has one very small village and lots of open fields. A very traditional place, but bring drinks etc, as there is not much here. You can get there by taking a boat from Khartoum or Omdurman. For more photos, visit my travelogue below ;@P Leave a Comment
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| | | | Tutti Island : A quiet excursion from the city | | | | | |
Tuti Island is a crescent shaped island situated at the confluence of the White & Blue Niles, and is surrounded by the three major areas of Khartoum that are Khartoum city, Omdurman & Bahri. For 1½ years, I've only been able to look at this island from across the banks but I finally got the chance to step on the island and do a little exploring
This is a great place to "get away" from Khartoum without getting away from Khartoum because the island not linked to the mainland by any bridges. To get there, you will have to take a short boat ride across the Nile, either from Nile Street or Omdurman.
Tuti Island is mainly agricultural and where Khartoum gets most of its supply of fruits & vegetable and therefore, you can find many farms situated all around the island, many of them still using manual methods of farming. You will find acres of green fields & lime groves and riding through them, I sometimes forget that I am actually in the heart of Khartoum!
Life here is slower and people are friendly, no one will harass you or ask you for money except that they will be curious about you, especially if you're a foreigner. This is a lovely escape from the traffic, noise & monotonous brown color of Khartoum. However, a bridge between Khartoum & Tuti Island is currently under construction and I don't know how long before this way of life will change
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Muhammad Ahmad Ibn As-sayyid 'abd Allah or El Mahdi was a great man in Khartoum who unfortunately died 5 months after the fall of Khartoum in 1885. In his honor, the people built a spectacular tomb for him with a silver dome. During the Battle of Omdurman in 1898, Lord Kitchener destroyed Mahdi's Tomb but later was restored to its present state.
The local Sudanese muslims consider this tomb as very important and every Friday, religious men come to the tomb's compound to sing songs of the man.
There is no admission fee to enter the compound but you are not allowed into the building, unless invited. Luckily while I was there, one of the religious men let me in to get a closer look at the tomb. Please remember that this is considered a sacred place and therefore, you must cover your arms & legs as a sign of respect
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