Sufi Dancing in Omdurman, Sudan

Today, Friday, Walid agreed to take us to the Sufi dancers and the Camel market. I am so excited!  The Sufi gatherings are quite famous.... and I love the way of the whirling Darwish...

Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam, has produced some of the more lasting poetry and dance traditions in the Muslim world. The word Sufi, is often said to be derivative of the word, suf, as a reference to the simple wool clothing that Sufis and early Muslim ascetics wore.


The whirling Sufis of the Sudan are different, in that they dance and whirl out of religious devotion, following Friday prayers. Sudani Sufis whirl near the capital of Khartoum, in the city of Omdurman, at the tomb of Hamid al-Nil. Following their devotional prayers, the Sufis make their way out of the mosque while chanting often the ninety-nine names of Allahâ into a dry dusty courtyard in the middle of a cemetery. These dervishes spin, whirl, bang drums and dance as the spirit moves them. Their robes are usually solid colours: green or white, while some of the dervishes wear elaborate and ornate quilted gowns.



Hamid al-Nil Tomb, Khartoum. A Sufi sect carries out its ecstatic dancing and chanting ritual on Friday afternoons here. It is truly something to experience.





We leave late afternoon - the timing of the Sufi gathering is not quite clear... my guidebook says before sunset....but I don't want to be too late and miss it.  Walid's friend is the driver for the day.

 Our drive takes us to Omdurman to the Mahdi's tomb again...

 There is quite a lot of poverty in Sudan.... it is sad to see....

A bus dedicated to my mom.... Rosa!  Thought that was quite funny...

 And here we are ... the Sufi cemetry and the tomb

 We go inside the tomb, you have to take your shoes off to go inside.  There is chanting going on.  There is a very spiritual energy around the place... I almost start crying... I keep doing that when the spirits of the dead are around, I get emotional.  When I come back out of the tomb, a little girl has my sandals, and obviously she wants money for them.... I have to ask Walid to go back to give her some money....as I definately need my sandals back.

The boys posing....

 We asked several people when the dancing will start, but we get as many different answers.  So Walid decides we drive to the Camel market and come back afterwards....

We drive through the Suq Libya- another huge market area with anything and everything you can buy.  Walid tells me that traditionally there are a lot of goods coming from Libya - which is bordering Sudan.

We drive through a new residential area to the camel market.... however, there are actually more goats, some donkeys, than camel.  But still I get excited, goats , camels.... yeaahhh....  silly khawaja.

Here are the camels....

 I can see mountains.... I would love to explore Sudan.... next time...Inshallah

It is sad to see all the plastic polluting the environment... it is just like in Yemen... there are landscapes made up of plastic bags....

 Anybody needs a door?

 or a pipeline???

 And back we drive to the Sufi cemetry.... It is certainly far more packed now.  And...there are quite a few khawajas (white people = tourists).  First time I see so many!  There is some chanting and dancing....

This man insisted I take a photo of him... and then yes you guessed right:  asked for money....

 And here is one of the Estetics....(the one in green and dreadlocks)

We have a wonder around, there is some action but not much.  Mahassin is tired, Walid is impatient, so we decide to call it a day and go home.  Walid is kind enough to buy us prayer beads... at least I need something spiritual from this place.

We stop off at Mahdi's tomb, but it is closed, so Walid and I walk around it and have a peak inside.

 Walid takes us on a little excursion to show us a new road that was completed...leading to (I forgot)

 And on the way back we pass by a 'Mercedes' workshop.... Walid stops so I can take pictures... next thing we know the owner see us and comes out... so we hit the road again...only to be bumped by a bicyclist, who rode into the car and fell.  What a commossion.... Walid went out to check on the man, some women came and had a go at Walid, the Mercedes man got involve, helping Walid. Meanwhile Mahassin went crazy in the car, wanting to go outside to help her son - as she thought the women were going to hit him - I was trying to calm her and stop her from getting out of the car and getting run over by cars (we were parked right next to the main road)....  oh my God....  Anyway Walid came back, saying he offered to take the man to the hospital, but he refused; and that the women were verbally abusing him, because he was driving a car etc etc.....  Mahassin took some time to calm down.....  oh dear, and all because Walid wanted to show me the Mercedes place so I can send photos to Michael!

A nice sunset to finish off the adventereous day!

 So much excitement for one day.  Poor Walid....  every time we go out for a drive there is some mishap with his car. I feel bad....

THANK YOU for another amazing day.

Sabine, Dougal, Lionheart