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Letter from the Editor:
Eshkait - Qustul Land Crossing After Decades of Land Disconnect Between Egypt and Sudan
Sep 04, 2014
Gms: Wadi Halfa, 4 Sept (SUNA)
The Sudanese Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Ahmed Saad Omer, said that the Inauguration of the Land Eshkeet -Qustul Crossing that links Sudan and Egypt is considered a significant success and affirmation of the distinguished relations between Sudan and Egypt.
For centuries Egypt intentionally blocked this land crossing to prevent the seeping of international tourism into Nubia suffocating the Sudanese Nubian territoritory and forcing the Nubians to leave their ancestral lands in an attempt to create a "No Man's Land" and avoid any future trouble from the only non-Arab pocket between Egypt and Sudan.
Though the whole Egyptian Nubian population were removed from their lands which
were submerged by the waters of Aswan and the High Dam from 1902 to 1960, the Sudanese Nubians who sacrificed a big part of their lands to Egypt and its High Dam were able to resist marginalization, isolation and impoverishment for decades, living in darkness deprived from electricity and even water near the High Dam which Egypt exported its surplus electricity to the neighboring Arab countries!! Sudanese Nubians stayed in their lands and finally the governments of Egypt and Sudan came to relaize that this policy can not stay for ever and agreed to open the land crossing between Ishkait (Sudan) and Qustul (Egypt) to allow the movement of population between the two countries.
We hope that this step will help in making a historic breakthrough in the Sudanese Egyptian relations which remained stagnant for decades and help in the development of the Nubian area and
encourage the international tourism to seep smoothly into the Sudanese Nubia.
Links:
Foreign Ministry: Oppening Eshkait - Qustul Crossing
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Call from the Nubian Committee for Environment and Reconstruction
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A group of Nubian activists representing Nubians in the Northern State (Ashshamaliya) of Sudan formed an organization named the Nubian Committee for Environment and Reconstruction (NCER) to legally resist the on going plundering of the Nubian lands by the gold mining companies and groups who use the hazardous chemical materials such as mercury and potassium cyanide for mining gold. The committee sent a letter to the Governor of the Northern State about the gold mining companies working now in the Nubian land and the worisome cases of deaths of human, animals and birds taking place in different gold mine locations because of the misuse of the chemicals to extract gold and the primitive means of mining which are threatening human lives as well as fauna and floral life.
 
Members of the Nubian Committee for Environment and Reconstruction in a public event about the negative impact of toxics and hazmats of the gold mines on the environment of the Nubian lands (left) - Gold mining in Abusara- Nubia (right)
What can we do to save Nubia from destruction by toxics and hazardous chemicals used by gold miners and looters of Nubian artifacts?? Nubians want to draw the attention of the government to the dangers facing them but unfortunately the government itself is the main culprit behind all these problems. It is our moral obligation to convey these concerns to the US Congress and to the European Parliament and the international community. Can we help a Nubian delegation to visit Europe and US to spread out the message to the world?
Those who care about Nubia can help by either contacting the US embassy and European embassies and help them or by contacting us to coordinate between them and the committee members.
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AMERICAN EXPRESS AND WORLD MONUMENTS FUND AWARD $1.5 MILLION IN PRESERVATION GRANTS TO NINE HISTORIC SITES ON 2014 WORLD MONUMENTS WATCH
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$1.5 millions award from American Express and WMF
Where do Nubian monuments and artifacts stand from these awards? Many Nubian artifacts were looted, smuggled and plundered during the last few years and we urged the UNESCO to step in to protect Nubians artifacts and monuments from destruction by dams, smugglers and gold seekers.
Last year we contacted and requested Sudanese and Nubian archaeologists to provide the WMF with up to date pictures for Soleb Temple for nomination to the 2014 World Monuments Watch but unfortunately we didn't get any positive response. This year we ask the Higher Authority to Develop Nubia, the active Nubian organization in Sudan to take care of this task and nominate one or two Nubian monuments for 2016 World Monument Watch.
2016 WATCH NOMINATIONS NOW BEING ACCEPTED
Every two years, WMF accepts new nominations to the World Monuments Watch. The Watch calls international attention to cultural heritage around the world that is at risk from the forces of nature and the impact of social, political, and economic change. From archaeological sites to iconic architecture, cultural landscapes to historic urban centers, the Watch identifies places of significance in need of timely action.
Nearly 700 sites on all seven continents have been included in the ten Watch cycles since 1996. Watch listing provides an opportunity for sites and their nominators to raise public awareness, foster local participation, advance innovation and collaboration, and demonstrate effective solutions. The 2014 Watch has been covered by more than 1,000 news outlets in over 80 countries, with circulation to over 500 million people worldwide. By capitalizing on the attention raised by Watch listing, local entities have leveraged support for Watch sites totaling over $200 million. WMF has contributed an additional $100 million toward projects at Watch sites in more than 80 countries.
Nominating a site to the Watch is a two-part process. Please submit an initial inquiry, after which a username and password will be provided to access the
secure Online Nomination Form.
More information about the 2016 World Monuments Watch can be found at wmf.org/watch.
Questions about the nomination process should be directed to watch@wmf.org.
Please forward this e-mail to colleagues and contacts who might be interested in submitting a nomination.
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Donate to save Nubia from destruction. Go to: www.nubiaproject.org
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