Nubian Heritage and the Living Memory of Sudan

In the Nubian section of the Neues Museum, a group of objects from Kerma, Napata, and Meroe offers a concise yet powerful glimpse into the cultural history of Sudan. The collection, part of the Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, includes royal sculptures, Meroitic pottery, and materials that reflect the everyday life and long continuity of life along the Nile.

Text: Khadiga Mustafa (German version)

A group of objects from the Sudanese regions Kerma, Napata, and Meroe in the Neues Museum evoke familiar textures and scenes for many Sudanese visitors. The pieces include pottery reminiscent of village households, decorative motifs found on mud‑brick architecture, and stories of queens and ancestors shared across generations.

Key objects revealing living continuities from Kushite heritage

The objects speak to long-standing cultural practices that remain present in Sudan today. Their forms, motifs, and techniques echo traditions such as clay work, the use of colour in everyday materials, the symbolism embedded in patterns, and the oral narratives that carry memories of places and ancestors. From an anthropological perspective, the material heritage on display offers insight into the living practices, crafts, and communal memories that continue to shape cultural identity.

Among the objects is a carved relief depicting a Meroitic queen named Amanishakheto, representing the political and ritual authority held by women in the Kingdom of Kush. Its stylistic features reflect the distinct aesthetics of Meroitic art.

Another example is a stone sphinx depicting the daughter of King Piye and sister of King Taharqa, Shepenupet II. It embodies the Kushite 25th Dynasty, a period when Nubian rulers governed Egypt, and highlights the deep historical connections between Sudan and Egypt. 

In the collection one can also find handmade vessels decorated with geometric patterns and painted surfaces, that echo techniques still practiced in Sudanese pottery traditions today. 

The same continuity can be found in several small tools, domestic items, and stone fragments from early Sudanese kingdoms, some of which are on display, while others were viewed during guided visits to the museum’s storage.

Sudanese Voices: Memory, Loss, and Connection

Recent tours of the Nubian collection brought together members of the Sudanese community in Berlin. Their reflections centered on the fate of museums and archaeological sites in Sudan, the impact of the ongoing conflict, and the question of how heritage can be protected. Some spoke about the villages they left behind, the objects that once filled their homes, and the fear of losing cultural memory. Others described the comfort of seeing these materials preserved, offering a connection to a past that feels increasingly distant.

Their presence underscored a central idea: heritage gains its meaning through the people who see their histories reflected in these objects.

The tours also offered an opportunity to observe how visitors engage with the collection in real time. Their comments, questions, and emotional responses provided valuable insight into the ways heritage is interpreted within a diasporic context. For the museum team, these encounters contributed to a deeper understanding of how the Nubian collection functions as a point of connection, prompting further reflection on interpretation, accessibility, and future collaborative work with Sudanese communities.

The Museum’s Perspective

Ilona Regulski, Curator of Egypt and Sudan at the Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, emphasised the importance of understanding these objects within their broader cultural and social contexts. During guided tours in the gallery and in the storage – she presented rare materials from different Sudanese sites and discussed ongoing research and documentation efforts. These tours were organized within the framework of the project “Stories across borders. Reimagining Sudan’s distant and lost heritage”, supported by the Agency for International Museum Cooperation with funding from the German Federal Foreign Office.

Her approach underscores the museum’s commitment to engaging with both the academic field and the communities connected to the collection.

A Visit of Sudanese Scholars: Collaboration in Practice

The recent visit of Shadia Abdul Rabo, Deputy director of the National Museum of Sudan, added another layer to this engagement. Her tours through the gallery and storage opened conversations about documentation, preservation, and future collaboration between Sudanese and German institutions.

Offering the tour in Arabic created a more accessible and meaningful experience for Sudanese participants. Using Arabic allowed visitors to engage with the objects more comfortably, express their thoughts freely, and connect the pieces to their own cultural knowledge and lived experiences. It opened space for conversations that would not have emerged with the same depth in another language, and it strengthened the sense of belonging and recognition within the museum. This approach supports genuine community engagement and brings the museum closer to the audiences represented in its collections.

About the Author:

Khadiga Mustafa is a Sudanese cultural anthropologist interested in intangible heritage, storytelling, and the ways communities keep their traditions alive. She studies theatre as cultural practices that carry memory and meaning. Her work explores how people express identity and belonging through everyday creative forms.

This text was produced as part of the project „Stories across Borders. Reimagining Sudan’s Distant and Lost Heritage“, funded by the Agentur für Internationale Museumskooperation with support from the German Federal Foreign Office. At the heart of the project is the question of what significance our collection can hold for a community of origin living in exile—for people who have been forced to leave their cultural heritage behind as a result of war. Further workshops and outreach activities will take place in August and September 2026.