Suakin hopes for a tourism revival

Restoration teams, backed by the British Council and UNESCO, are repairing coral‑stone buildings in Suakin as local officials hope to revive tourism after years of decline and war‑related disruption.

Teams are restoring a ruined mosque and other coral‑stone buildings in Suakin, an ancient Red Sea port, while local leaders express hope for a return of visitors. The work is supported by the British Council and UNESCO and involves local heritage groups and students. Suakin was once a busy Ottoman‑era transit port with about 25,000 residents before a deeper commercial port at Port Sudan opened in 1905. A 99‑year lease to Turkey in 2017 and a passenger link to Jeddah raised expectations, but projects stalled and fighting since 2023 sharply reduced tourism. Current details: - Restoration work includes rebuilding a mosque that houses the tomb of a Sufi sheikh and other historic structures. - The Safeguarding Sudan's Living Heritage from Conflict and Climate Change (SSLH) association and student volunteers are involved in the repairs. - Funding and support for the current work come from the British Council and UNESCO. - Suakin's decline followed the opening of Port Sudan in 1905; it later saw partial restoration by a Turkish company that stalled in 2019. - Passenger crossings from the modern Suakin port to Jeddah operate daily, carrying around 200 passengers per trip, but cruise and diving visitors largely vanished after fighting began in April 2023. Summary: The restoration effort aims to conserve Suakin's coral‑stone architecture and keep local heritage alive, which local officials say may bring visitors back when conditions allow. An engineer involved with the project said work on the mosque could finish in about five months, but broader returns of tourism remain linked to wider stability and other stalled initiatives.