Sudan’s rich cultural legacy has suffered an unimaginable blow as the country’s National Museum in Khartoum, once a symbol of national pride, has been looted and severely damaged during the country’s two-year conflict. As the Sudanese Armed Forces regain control of parts of the capital from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the scale of destruction to one of Africa’s most important archaeological and historical institutions is only now coming to light.
The Sudan National Museum, located near the confluence of the Blue and White Nile rivers and close to the Presidential Palace, once housed an extraordinary collection of artefacts from ancient Nubian, Coptic, and Islamic civilizations. The museum showcased thousands of years of African history, including monumental statues of rams and lions from the Kushite Kingdom, Christian wall paintings from medieval Nubia, and gold treasures from the pyramids of ancient Sudanese royalty. It attracted tourists, school children, researchers, and international scholars from around the world, making it one of Sudan’s most treasured institutions.
Now, its halls stand empty and ransacked. Bullet casings litter the floor. Display cases are shattered. Priceless antiquities have either been destroyed or looted. According to Ikhlas Abdel Latif Ahmed, the Director of Museums at Sudan’s National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums, the RSF systematically raided the museum during their occupation of Khartoum. “They destroyed our identity and our history,” she said in an interview with the BBC.
Among the missing treasures is a gold collar from the pyramid of King Talakhamani at Nuri, dating back to the 5th century BC, a piece considered priceless in historical and monetary terms. Ms Ahmed reported that the museum’s strong room, which housed its gold collection, was broken into and cleared out. Though no hard evidence has been presented, Sudanese officials suspect many artefacts were smuggled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a country already accused of receiving RSF gold exports. The RSF and the UAE both deny these claims.
Before the war began in April 2023, the museum was undergoing restoration with many items safely boxed for preservation. Ironically, this precaution may have made it easier for looters to carry out the mass removal of antiquities. International organizations such as UNESCO have issued urgent warnings about the looting, urging global art dealers and collectors to avoid trading Sudanese artefacts. UNESCO has classified the cultural threat to Sudan as dire, emphasizing that the destruction extends beyond theft—it is an assault on Sudan’s entire historical identity.
The looting of the Sudan National Museum mirrors the widespread devastation across Khartoum. Government buildings, banks, and residential areas have been burned and vandalized. Other museums and archaeological sites across the country have also reported theft and damage. According to experts, the destruction appears calculated rather than incidental. Amgad Farid, a researcher with the Fikra for Studies and Development think tank, described it as a targeted campaign to erase Sudan’s cultural memory: “This is a deliberate and malicious assault on Sudan’s historical identity, targeting invaluable heritage spanning over 7,000 years.”
The war has also had a catastrophic human toll. According to the United Nations, nearly 13 million Sudanese have been displaced since the conflict began, and approximately 150,000 people have died. Many Sudanese citizens have had their homes looted and their possessions, including gold, stolen, paralleling the tragedy that befell the museum.
Despite the destruction, there remains hope. The Sudanese government has pledged to work with UNESCO and Interpol to track down and recover the stolen artefacts. Ms Ahmed and other cultural leaders are committed to rebuilding the museum and reclaiming their heritage. “Inshallah, we will get all our collections back,” she said. “And we will build it more beautiful than before.”
As Sudan continues to struggle for peace, the recovery of its cultural treasures has become symbolic of the nation’s fight to preserve its identity, history, and dignity. The Sudan National Museum may be in ruins for now, but the resilience of those determined to restore it offers a glimmer of hope in a time of unprecedented crisis.
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