Saadia El Salahi

Khartoum’s Old Downtown

Item

Collection: issamahmedabdelhafiez.khartoumandomdurmanbuildings

Description: Khartoum’s old downtown, located immediately south of the old administrative area that runs along the bank of the Blue Nile on Nile Street, is laid out to follow a European-style grid system with regular, straight streets. Since the earlier 20th century, the old downtown has contained commercial and business offices. The area is made up mostly of the older multi-storey buildings, built in the ‘new modern style’ of the early 20th century, and more recent modern multi-storey structures. From the 1960s to early 1980s, the old downtown area was a renowned vibrant area with both a Sudanese and international community. The area included many nightclubs, shops and services. Here, one could find live music, imported goods, Sudan’s oldest bookshop and what was Khartoum’s only optician. The Greek owned Acropole Hotel is one of the few surviving businesses from this time.