NAURI    (site codes NAR)

Nauri is a small village to the west of Mashakeila, with Arduan island to the west, across a seasonal river channel. Until the 1960s, the main village was situated below the western of the 2 prominent sandstone hills (see NAR001-002) which are prominent landmarks in this area. Since then the old village has been largely abandoned and the settlement has relocated away from the river.
               
NAR 001 (91/82)       
Jebel Nauri W    village    Medieval-Islamic
The site of a large stone-built fortified settlement lies on the NE side of this prominent hill.  Parts of the eastern enclosure wall survive but most of the internal structures have been reduced to rubble.  The interior is covered with a dense scatter of medieval Christian as well as postmedieval sherds.  A medieval document in Old Nubian was recovered from this site by Terence Grey in 1924 and published by Griffith in 1928. A number of further smaller structures were built on a narrow ledge cut into the  face of the jebel. Overhanging rocks along this ledge on the S side of the hill are decorated with a large number of painted crosses and other designs in red. The lower part of the ruins adjoin a settlement which remained in continuous occupation until very recently.  Surface pottery includes sherds of ‘Classic’, ‘Post-Classic’ and ‘Late Christian’ wares but much of the more undiagnostic material may be more recent and parts of the settlement may have remained in use through the post-medieval period.  Nauri is a named settlement in Evliya Celebi’s account of this region in the 1670s (Petti Suma 1964,442). 
Refs: Linant 1958:18. Griffith 1928.

NAR 002 (91/83)        19°56.27/30°26.30
Jebel Nauri E    inscriptions    Pharaonic
On the W face of the eastern jebel is the stele of Sethos I, published by Griffith. On the E side of the stela there is the outline of a second small inscription measuring 42 x 50cm. which has been almost completely erased. It is unclear whether this predated or postdated the main stela.
Ref: Griffith 1927.

NAR 003 (91/84)       
Jebel Nauri    Occupation    Medieval
There area between the 2 hills, now largely cultivated or covered with date palms has thin scatters of Christian and Islamic sherds across it, possibly indicating another small settlement.  There are also reputed to be graves dating to the period of the Mahdiyya in this area.
 
NAR 004 (91/85)       
Nauri cemetery    Occupation    Kerma
In the modern cemetery area, NW of the Qubbas a scatter of Kerma-period sherds was recorded among the graves and near the cemetery edge.

NAR 005 (91/86)        19°56.025/30°26.41
Qubba Fagir Hussein    Qubbas    Islamic
Within the modern cemetery area is a prominent, well-preserved mudbrick Qubba tomb, c.9m. in diameter. At the extreme north side of the cemetery close to the old road are the foundations a further ruined qubba or circular binaya.

NAR 006        19°56.285/30°26.672
Mak al Naas    Diffi (site of)    Islamic


References
Ali Osman 1992.  ‘The Folklore of Archaeological Sites: a case study from Nawri in the Third Cataract region’. In J. Sterner &     N. David (eds.) An African Commitment: 31-34. Calgary.

Griffith, F.Ll. 1927. The Abydos Decree of Seti I at Nauri. Journal of Egyptian Archaeology  13:193-208.
    1928. Christian Documents from Nubia. Proceedings of the British Academy XIV: 117-46.

Petti Suma, M. T. 1964. Il viaggio in Sudan di Evliya Çelebi. (1671-1672). AION n.s. 14: 433-52.