Archaeologists discover original floor of a medieval cathedral in Sudan

Archaeologists from the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw and the Sudan National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums uncovered the original floor of the Great Church of Jesus in Old Dongola.

The site is located in northern Sudan and served as a primary religious center for Makuria, a Nubian kingdom that adopted Christianity in the sixth century A.D.

The excavation revealed a section of the floor where medieval worshippers walked, along with the base of a large staircase. The Great Church of Jesus was one of the most monumental Christian structures in Nubia. It once stood over six stories high and measured 154 feet wide by 187 feet long. Expedition director Artur Obłuski suggested the cathedral may have served as an architectural trendsetter for the region, similar to the Hagia Sophia in modern-day Istanbul.