Suakin

Suakin, about 60 km south of Port Sudan, was for centuries the dominant port on the Sudanese Red Sea coast — the place where caravans from the interior delivered their goods and where pilgrim ships collected hajjis bound for Arabia. When the British built Port Sudan in 1906 and moved the railway terminus there, Suakin's trade evaporated almost overnight and the city began its long, slow dissolution.

What remains is haunting: a coral-island town of Ottoman-era merchant houses, mosques, and warehouses, all built from blocks of coral limestone that have been slowly dissolving in the humidity ever since. Some buildings are maintained; many are ruins; a few are dangerous. The old port island is connected to the mainland by a causeway. It is one of the most atmospheric historical sites in Sudan, accessible by road from Port Sudan.

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A story
For most of the 19th century, Suakin was the main departure point for East African pilgrims making the hajj to Mecca — hundreds of thousands of people passed through the port each year. The coral-block buildings that now stand in ruins were once the warehouses, merchants' houses, and mosques that served this traffic.

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