Sudan was two thousand years ahead of the world: The story of the first tree belt in history| Sudanow Magazine

Khartoum (Sudanaw Magazine) Protective tree belts represent one of the oldest environmental solutions devised by humankind to combat the harshness of nature, from encroaching sand dunes and dust storms to desertification. What many may not know is that Sudan was a pioneer in this field since the dawn of history, thousands of years before the idea appeared in Europe and America. So how did this inspiring experiment begin? And what has its path been through the ages?

Did you know, dear reader of Sudananaw Magazine, that Sudan was familiar with protective tree belts more than two thousand years ago?

Yes, Dr. Abdelaziz Mirghani, the former director of the National Forestry Corporation and an expert on forestry issues, confirmed this information when he said, “Sudan witnessed one of the oldest applications of protective tree belts in recorded history when the great King Taharqa (690-660 BC) established a tree belt around the ancient city of Kawa (Gem-Aten in hieroglyphs) on the east bank of the Nile, opposite Dongola in the Northern State, to protect it from sand encroachment, desertification, and dust storms.”

He added in his interview with the editor of Sudanow magazine that “Interestingly, this achievement predates the establishment of tree belts in Russia by more than two thousand years.” The first tree belt there was not established until 1789 AD. It also predates the establishment of the first protective tree belt in the United States by about two thousand five hundred years, in 1845 AD.

Dr. Abdelazim added that in modern times, the state has widely adopted the idea of tree belts. In 1944, the Soil Conservation Commission recommended the establishment of green belts around cities, settlements, and agricultural projects to combat dust storms, reduce sand encroachment and soil erosion, and protect agricultural production. Consequently, these green belts spread throughout Sudan, encompassing the cities of El Obeid, El Fasher, and El Geneina in the west; the Tokar and Kassala projects in the east; and Qandatu, Nuri, El Ghaba, and El Bargig in the north. The El Nashishiba belt in Wad Medani and the El Junaid factory belt in the center were also established, along with the Kadarka belt in Dongola in the 1950s, followed by the Khartoum Green Belt in the 1960s.

Regarding the benefits of forests, an expert in the field explained that they extend beyond protecting cities and farms from wind and sand. They also have economic and social benefits, providing timber that supports local industries, such as matchmaking in Khartoum, in addition to contributing to environmental improvement and community stability.

He also explained that with the increasing challenges of desertification and climate change in recent decades, tree belts have gained renewed importance.

However, Dr. Abdel-Azim Mirghani acknowledged that Sudan has lost most of its vegetation belts, and that what remains today faces serious challenges in the form of urban sprawl and illegal logging. He added that the history of tree belts in Sudan confirms that the use of trees for human protection and agricultural production is not a modern, imported concept, but rather a practice deeply rooted in Sudanese civilization since the Kingdom of Kush, continuing in various forms to the modern era.

It is worth noting that forests, which used to cover about 12 percent of Sudan's area, have shrunk in some regions by up to 60 percent of their total area, and that the states that have lost the most vegetation belts are Khartoum, Gezira, and Sennar.

In concluding his remarks, the former director of the National Forestry Corporation said, "The irony is that Sudan, which has known tree belts since the time of Taharqa, is now facing the challenges of desertification and dust storms more than ever before." Sudan's long-standing tradition of creating tree belts is not merely a historical fact, but an environmental lesson and a testament to the ingenuity of our ancestors in coexisting with their environment. Reviving, maintaining, and expanding these belts represents a return to one of the oldest environmental solutions in the country's history, and a genuine investment in its environmental and food security, as well as the future of generations to come. The same trees that protected the city of Al-Kawa 2,700 years ago are capable of protecting Khartoum, Al-Ubayyid, and Al-Fashir today, for a better tomorrow.

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