Archaeologists working at Old Dongola in northern Sudan have exposed the original floor of the Great Church of Jesus for the first time, one of the largest known medieval cathedrals in the Nubian region. The team also unearthed the base of a massive staircase that once led up to the building, offering a fuller picture of how the structure was laid out and used.
Old Dongola was the capital of Makuria, a Nubian kingdom that adopted Christianity in the sixth century A.D. The cathedral measures roughly 154 feet across and 187 feet long, and it once rose more than six stories. It is considered the likely seat of the Bishop of Dongola, which places it at the center of religious life in the kingdom.
The excavation is led by the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw, working in cooperation with Sudan's National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums. The expedition is directed by Artur Obłuski, whose team has been investigating the site's church complex.
Researchers have compared the building to Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, suggesting it may have served as an architectural trendsetter in the region. Obłuski described it as a «natural candidate» for having shaped church design across Nubia, but that influence has not been confirmed. Much of the public account of the find so far has come from secondary coverage, and further study will be needed to test the idea.