Foundation and heyday The archaeological site encompassing Old Dongola has about 200 ha. Its southern part features a citadel and urban buildings, while in the north, splendid suburban residences have been uncovered. There are also cemeteries associated with subsequent phases of the town's functioning, including Islamic domed tombs. Old Dongola was founded in the fifth century as a fortress. On the citadel, which was the royal residence, numerous palaces and public buildings were located. In the mid-sixth century with the arrival of Christianity it became the capital of Makuria, The town was further expanded, including the area outside the citadel. Several churches were built. These include, to use the names contemporary archeologists have given them,
Building X and the
Church with the Stone Pavement. These two structures were erected about 100 meters apart from the walled town centre, indicating that at this time the town already extended over the original walls of the fortress.
Building X was soon replaced by the
Old Church. In the middle of the seventh century, the two main churches were destroyed, but rebuilt soon after. Building material was taken from the
Old Church and used to repair the city walls. Archeologists believe this destruction is evidence of the
First (642) and
Second Battles of Dongola (652). At the end of the seventh Century, the
Church of the Granite Columns was erected over the
Old Church. Adorned with 16 granite columns, each with richly decorated granite capitals, the
Church of the Granite Columns perhaps was the cathedral of Old Dongola. The city's heyday was in the ninth–eleventh centuries, but building activity lasted until the fourteenth century.
The Great Monastery of St Anthony About 1.5 km to the north-east of the citadel lies the so-called Kom H where the monastery was uncovered. According to the inscription it is dedicated to St Anthony the Great but the Monastery of the Holy Trinity is also referred to in literature. It was probably one of the first Christian building projects in Dongola. Archbishop of Dongola, Georgios, who died in 1113, was buried in one of the crypts in the church. The inscription on his funerary stela indicates that St Anthony the Great was the patron of the monastery. The building had two stories; the height of the walls was 6.5 m on the ground floor and 3.5 m on the upper floor.
Decline During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries the town was in decline. It was attacked by Arabs several times. A surviving inscription erected in Old Dongola bears the date of 1317, is commonly understood to be the record of a military expedition sent by the Sultan of Egypt to place his nominee Abdullah, perhaps a Muslim Nubian, on the throne. The royal court left Dongola in 1364. Intensive trade relations with the Far East, as well as Europe, continued in this period. In 1812, the
Mamluks fled to Sudan to escape
purges in Egypt and conquered Old Dongola. They founded the city of
New Dongola downriver, which grew in size, shifting the economic and trade center of the region away from Old Dongola.
Islamic cemetery A large Islamic cemetery with numerous
qubbas, erected in the 17th century, testify to the importance of Old Dongola also in postmedieval times. == Polish archaeological expedition to Old Dongola ==