Sudan House in Beirut…

I’ve always found that the best place to learn is on the road. Living in Beirut, I’ve been able to take my Lebanese, Syrian, Palestinian, and American students on a number of educational adventures to places like Nahr el-Kelb, Byblos, Baalbek, and Tyre. One of my favorite excursions, however, was right here in Beirut–when we were invited to visit Sudan House, a Sudanese cultural center located just a few blocks from AUB.

When my students and I stepped through the doors of Sudan House, we found ourselves standing face to face with photographs of the Royal Pyramids of Meroe hanging on the wall. After a semester of studying Sudanese and Egyptian archaeology, the students were able to identify the ancient Nubian sites displayed on large posters in the hall.

Over tea, juice, and cookies, we joined with members of the Sudanese community to discuss Sudanese culture, music, and food. In Arabic and English, we discussed several cultural differences between Lebanon and Sudan, and invoked the memory of ancient Nubian pharaohs, like Taharqa and Shabaka, who ruled ancient Egypt in the 25th Dynasty.

The Sudanese community in Beirut, we learned, comes from all regions of Sudan–like Khartoum, Darfur, and Shendi. “But here at Sudan House,” one of our hosts said, “all of us are one.”

After our conversation, several of the men offered to give us an impromptu music performance–much to our surprise and delight. As the men sang with spirit to the accompaniment of a keyboard, the students pulled out their phones to record a souvenir of this unique cultural exchange. It’s not every day in Beirut that we get to hear live music from Sudan. Though the room was small and crowded, we couldn’t help but sway.

When we returned to campus, the students said our trip to Sudan House was the highlight of the semester–and I had to agree. For me personally, it was also the perfect send-off to Sudan, where I was scheduled to go the following week to excavate a Nubian temple in the desert.

When I finally reached those Royal Pyramids we’d seen hanging on the wall in Sudan House, I couldn’t help but think of my new Sudanese friends in Beirut–who had kindly shared with me a glimpse of Sudan, before I had the chance to see it for myself…