Friday night is the night to be in Khartoum if you want to explore your spiritual or pugilistic side – but not both. Friday night is the one night a week where you can attend the Sufi ceremony in Omdurman OR Nuba wrestling matches. Annoyingly, they overlap, and it is not possible to do both. I chose the path of enlightenment and went to hang with the Sufis.
Almost every source I read says that about 70% of Sudanese are Sufis or are influenced by Sufisim. I don’t know what that means, but it seems safe to say that Sufism is very important in Sudan. (Sufism is, in the smallest of nutshells, a mystical practice of Islam.) Some Sufis whirl, which is more of a meditative practice, but is usually what people from outside Islam think of when they think of Sufis: the whirling dervish. But the Sufi ritual I was going to attend is not that. It is a Dhikr. A form of dancing, chanting, and music that leads one into a hypnotic or ecstatic state, which brings them closer to Allah. I went to one in 2020 in Lahore, Pakistan and it was quite an experience. I wanted to see what Sudan’s version would be like.
“Sufi night” in Khartoum happens north of the city in Omdurman at the Sheikh Hamed al-Nil tomb. From central Khartoum you can take a minibus or a cab. It is also walkable, but it is a long walk. I left from my hotel (the Acropole), where I had freshened up after my visit to Tuti Island. The tomb is in the middle of a cemetery was easy to find using maps.me, thankfully, as the driver didn’t seem to know the spot. But once you get to the cemetery, it is clear where to go, because everyone else will be going there too. You want to get there about an hour before sunset.
When I arrived, there were already lots of people, some drumming and chanting, but things were pretty quiet. Over the next, maybe two hours, the crowd grew, as did the energy.
I stood at the edge of the circle and watched as men – mostly older – marched around in a circle to drummed beats. They wore richly hued robes of green and red or white and carried staffs or incense. One guy has a whistle and would not have looked out of place in a 70s funk band.
As the crowd grew, the music intensified, and the men moved faster. Some would split off to twirl or dance or move on their own. The chanting and singing grew louder as the sun disappeared and a golden haze covered all of us. Incense filled the air and some men seemed to bathe in it. It was excellent.
Taking photos was not a problem. I had asked some local guys ahead of time and they said it was fine and when I was in attendance there were other tourists who were much more intrusive with big cameras, and no one seemed to mind. I though felt more comfortable just whipping out my cell phone surreptitiously.
I felt very comfortable and welcome. It was a great event. A ‘must see’ in Khartoum.
As I left it was dark and there were lots of cars around but no taxis. I had no idea where to get a bus so I figured I would just keep trying to find a taxi. No luck. I was just starting to think I would have to walk back to the city when a young man approached me and asked if I spoke French. I said I could a little. He said he would help me find a car. He went up to a couple vehicles and found a man (Arabic speaking) who he said would not be able to drive me downtown, but if I went with him to his sister’s house, she would drive me. …ok.
So, I got into the car with the French speaking young man (who just seemed to be along for the ride) and the older Arabic speaking man and we drove a short distance to a house. I only had a fleeting thought of my possible abduction.
We arrived at a nice house with a walled garden. We were taken into the garden and out of nowhere, tea appeared. We chatted (as best we could) over tea until the sister appeared and was told she would be driving me. The sister, who spoke perfect English, agreed.
Next thing, I was in a fancy SUV with the sister and her young son. The woman was, like me, a lawyer and was driving her son to a friend’s house. We chatted on the way and she dropped me off right at my hotel. I offered money as thanks, but she would not accept. It was another example of the hospitality and kindness I found in Sudan. A great end to my trip.
I wrapped up the evening having drinks and a cigar at the home of a guy I met through a friend from the hotel, where he was having a party. I met so many fascinating people, from everywhere, in Sudan for business. Embassy people mostly who had worked all over the world. Strangely to me, they thought I was the interesting one because why would I come to Khartoum for a holiday? That was the question I was asked all during the trip by people who were both surprised and pleased. I said I had just thought that Khartoum seemed like it would be an interesting city to spend a week. And it was. But it was more than that. There is something very special about it. Big and poor and troubled, but kind and welcoming and calm. As I left, I was already thinking I would like to return. After all, I still hadn’t seen the Nuba wrestlers.
I left for the airport around midnight and boarded a plane to Juba, South Sudan.
Postscript: All of this was, of course, a few months before Khartoum was decimated by violence in the spring and I doubt that any of the people I met are still there. I would still like to return someday. I hope that is possible.
