Length: 43.000 cm
Height: 25.400 cm

EA 606

Room 65: Sudan, Egypt & Nubia

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Sudan Past and Present: Early cultures to the Arrival of Christianity

Sandstone frieze

Churches and other religious buildings were highly decorated in the medieval period. The walls were painted with pictures of bishops and saints, and architectural elements were often carved with floral and faunal motifs. Pillars and friezes were made of stone or occasionally wood. This sandstone block is from the cathedral at Faras. It is one of several which formed a decorative frieze around the apse. Between the pillars stands a dove or eagle, wings outstretched, beneath a Coptic-type cross. Both birds were important symbols in Egyptian and Nubian Christianity - representing paradise. Around the neck of the bird on the left is a bulla, a small receptacle worn as an amulet.

Faras was an important Christian site from the seventh century AD and some of the most important bishops were based there. As well as the cathedral, with its brightly coloured murals and intricate friezes, there were at least six churches, a monastery and pottery workshops. In the later Medieval period, the importance of Faras declined as it was eclipsed by Qasr Ibrim, just north of the Egyptian border. Faras was excavated by Polish archaeologists before being flooded by Lake Nubia/Nasser in 1964.