Nubian Languages and Culture Project

For the protection, promotion and documentation of the endangered languages and intangible heritage of the Nubian Nile valley.

The doorway of the sun and moon. Copyright H. Bell

Nubia is an ancient land that stretches from the first cataract of the Nile in Egypt to the fifth cataract in Sudan. In the 1960s UNESCO coordinated the conservation of only the tangible heritage of an area of Egyptian Nubia which was to be flooded through the construction of the Aswan High Dam. Forty years later, UNESCO endorsed the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage (Convention 2003). In 2016, the Nubian homelands are once again threatened by the planned construction of further dams in Sudanese Nubia. The Nubian Languages and Culture Project is assisting with safeguarding the intangible heritage and endangered languages of this ancient land, people and culture.