The Nubian Desert ( ar, صحراء النوبة, ''Şaḩrā’ an Nūbyah'') is in the eastern region of the
Sahara Desert, spanning approximately 400,000 km
2 of northeastern
Sudan and northern
Eritrea, between the
Nile
The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest ri ...
and the
Red Sea. The arid region is rugged and rocky and contains some dunes, it also contains many
wadis that die out before reaching the Nile. The average annual rainfall in the Nubian Desert is less than .
The native inhabitants of the area are the
Nubians. The River Nile goes through most of its cataracts while traveling through the Nubian Desert. This is right before the Great Bend of the Nile. The Nubian Desert affected the civilization in ancient Egypt in many ways.
Merchants and traders from ancient Egypt would travel over the Nubian Desert to buy gold, cloth, stone, food, and much more from the ancient civilization of Nubia.
The largest city of the Nubian Desert is
Port Sudan
Port Sudan ( ar, بور سودان, Būr Sūdān) is a port city in eastern Sudan, and the capital of the state of Red Sea. , it has 489,725 residents. Located on the Red Sea, Port Sudan is recognized as Sudan's main seaport and the source of 9 ...
, located on the eastern end of the desert, on the Red Sea. Other important cities of the Nubian Desert are
Atbara
Atbara (sometimes Atbarah) ( ar, عطبرة ʿAṭbarah) is a city located in River Nile State in northeastern Sudan.
Because of its links to the railway industry, Atbara is also known as the "Railway City'.
As of 2007, its population is 1 ...
on the river of the same name, as well as
Massawa on the Red Sea. The town of
Abidiya
Abidiya is a town near the Nubian Desert in River Nile (state) of north-east Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), ...
is located on the Nile river.
This desert is the only habitat for the critically endangered palm ''
Medemia argun
''Medemia argun'' is a rare species of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) native to Egypt and Sudan. It is the only species in the genus ''Medemia''.
The palm's dried dates have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs.
Description
''Medemia argun'' ...
'', which only appears rarely in some oases in the desert.
On October 7, 2008 the meteoroid
2008 TC3
(Catalina Sky Survey temporary designation 8TA9D69) was an , diameter asteroid
that entered Earth's atmosphere on October 7, 2008.
It exploded at an estimated above the Nubian Desert in Sudan. Some 600 meteorites, weighing a total of , were ...
exploded above the Nubian Desert. The sky became so bright, people hundreds of miles away reported seeing the flash.
Recovered Pieces of Asteroid Hold Clues to Early History
March 25, 2009, New York Times
References
Deserts of Eritrea
Deserts of Sudan
Nubia
Sahara
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