Sudanese

The region of modern day Sudan has a long history. It was home to the ancient civilisation of Nubia (3000 BC - 350 AD) which was centred along the Nile River. In more recent times, in 1821, the Egyptian ruler Muhammad Ali dispatched an expedition to Sudan, initiating a period of Egyptian rule. In 1885, the Mahdi, a religious leader named Muhammad Ahmad, successfully led a rebellion against Egyptian rule, establishing an Islamic state in Sudan. In 1899, the British and the Egyptians established the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium, jointly ruling Sudan. Sudan achieved self-government in 1953, and on January 1, 1956, it gained full independence from British and Egyptian rule. 

Under Anglo-Egyptian rule, the Sudanese silversmiths developed a unique style and form of decoration. Along with a number of classic forms and designs, the silversmiths had a common form for how they would mark their silver. Using stylised arabic script, it consisted of three lines of Arabic somewhere on the piece of silver. 

  • The top line gave the name of the silversmith. 
  • The middle line gave the name of the city the piece was made in. 
  • The last line gave the year it was made, in a slightly westernised form, reading from left to right (rather than the way Arabic is normally written and read – right to left), also most commonly using the Western calendar for the year. 
Although no formal hallmarking system was out in place in Sudan, a number of pieces are found with a small 'M' stamp. At this stage it is unknown what this represents. 
2 products
  • Small Silver Sudanese Bowl, Omdurman, 1950
    $345.00
    $345.00
  • Sudanese Silver Round Lidded Box, Omdurman, 1933
    $295.00
    $295.00