Вади-Хальфа: История и современность суданского города

City in Northern state, Sudan

(وادي حلفا, , "Esparto Valley") is a city in the Northern state of Sudan on the shores of Lake Nubia near the border with Egypt. It is the terminus of a rail line from Khartoum and the point where goods are transferred from rail to ferries going down the lake. As of 2007, the city had a population of 15,725. which is equal to 97–98 % of possible sunshine. In addition to this, the town receives a mean annual amount of rainfall of .

Archaeological evidence indicates that settlements have existed in the area since ancient times, and during the Middle Kingdom period, the Egyptian colony of Buhen across the river existed until the Roman period. The modern town of Wadi Halfa was founded in the 19th century, when it became a port on the Nile for steamers from Aswan, such as the Nubia. During the Turko Egyptian conquest of 1820, Wadi Halfa was used as a stopping point for troops headed south. Communications developed in the latter half of the 19th century, with a telegraph line to Egypt connected in 1866 and ill fated attempts to build a railway to Kerma in 1873 The eventual establishment of the Sudanese rail head at Wadi Halfaconnected via steamer to the Egyptian network via a port just south of Asyutcaused the site to eclipse the former caravan site at Korosko. In 1885, Wadi Halfa entered a period of turmoil after falling under the Mahdist War regime. Conflicts frequently broke out on the border, and in 1889, Abd al Rahman al Mahdi's army entered the town on the way to the Battle of Tushki. it extends, via Atbara, to El Obeid and beyond into southern and western Sudan. A river monitoring station functioned in Wadi Halfa between 1911 and 1931, to monitor changes associated with the Aswan reservoir, but from 1931 to 1962 it was moved to Kajnarty, 47 kilometres to the north of the town. A railroad hotel was built in the town during the 20th century, and during World War II, Wadi Halfa was a communications post for Allied forces in Africa. By 1956, the town had grown to a population of 11,000. Worst affected were the Nubians who demonstrated in Wadi Halfa on 23–24 October 1960 against being resettled, and on 26 October demonstrations took place in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, which had to be dispersed by police using tear gas. In 2005, a museum and interactive Nubian village were planned for Wadi Halfa, but by 2014 nothing had been done.

Agriculture plays an important role in local economy. The Chinese have invested in a fish processing plant in the town.

The trans African automobile route — the Cairo Cape Town Highway passes through Wadi Halfa. In 2012 agreement was achieved between Sudan and Egypt to complete a Standard gauge link Aswan and Wadi Halfa. However progress was stalled by civil unrest in Sudan in 2023.