© L.F. Paoluzzi
The city of Port-Sudan is the undisputed queen of the Red Sea.
Its strategic location makes it one of the busiest international trading harbour, linking Sudan with the Mediterranean, the Middle East, India and China, the latter‘s main oil trading partner.
What attracts visitors, however, is not its port, although the crossroads of cultures, trades and peoples is certainly a fascinating aspect. Apart from the pleasant strolls along the quay, its lively fish souk and central market, what really interests Port-Sudan is its seabed, a diving paradise.
The unique microclimate of the Red Sea, with its coastline nestled between hills that isolate it from the arid hinterland, offers some of the most beautiful and unique seabed in the world and the opportunity to explore it with a wide variety of itineraries.
Some of the region’s most impressive spots are the Songaneb Marine Park, dominated by the old 1906 British lighthouse, the Sha‘ab Roumi, where Cousteau left the capsule in which he lived for a whole month on the seabed, and where you can have close encounters with hammerhead sharks.
Attractions include wrecks such as the Blue Bell, which sank in 1977 with its cargo of Toyota cars, and the Italian warship Umbria, which sank to the bottom of the sea in 1940.
To the south is Nakhalat al-Qasir, an area where peculiar geological sedimentations have formed, veritable stalagmites of the sea that rise to the surface from the sea and host a particularly rich marine life.
While Port-Sudan was built in recent times by the British, at the beginning of the 20th century, Suakin represents the ancient coastal trading centre of the Beja. Its foundation on a small island probably dates back to the Ptolemaic period and was one of the focal points of ancient international trade routes.
Since Port-Sudan saw the light, Suakin has been progressively abandoned. Many Beja fishermen, former guardians of the Red Sea, have had to leave the island. However, a decadent charm remains in the ruins of its old buildings and monuments, making this ancient village one of the most interesting destinations and the repository of true Beja culture to this day.
