Saï (island)

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Sai is one of the largest islands in the Nubian Nile. It is about 12 km long and 5.5 km wide and is situated halfway between the 2nd and 3rd cataract. It is mostly covered with desert, but there are also on the banks of arable land. Today it belongs to the Sudanese state of al- Schamaliyya.

History

On Sai, there are significant remains of almost all eras of Nubian history. The island was referred to in Egyptian texts as Schaat.

The oldest remains date back to the time from the beginning of the Egyptian Old Kingdom. It is Egyptian shards in storage pits. They point to trade or even a trading colony on the island. From the Middle Kingdom, the remains of a fortress originate. It is probably a Egyptian enclave. This area of ​​Nubia was otherwise not at that time under Egyptian rule.

In the New Kingdom was built on Sai an Egyptian city. Sai became one of the main places of Egyptian rule in Nubia. The city was occupied by a 238 x 140 m large rectangle. There was a temple and there were extensive necropolis to be excavated.

Also in napatanischer and Meroitic period was the island of importance. There has been significant cemeteries are excavated from this period. In Christian times, the island was the seat of a bishop. In the 16th century, the Ottoman period, the city was built over a large fortress.