Dress to Impress

The glamorous clothing in Faras's wall paintings is particularly elegant and reveals its own symbolism. Initially inspired by the courtly costume of Byzantium, over the centuries, its décor has blended African colours and motifs with Arabic influences to create a unique style of dress.

Painstakingly Reconstructed Robes

Five robes for royal mothers, kings and bishop Marianos have been painstakingly reconstructed on the basis of the paintings from Faras cathedral and archaeological material. A research team from the University of Warsaw and SWPS University has been tasked with researching and reconstructing the splendid robes of the Nubian royal family and ecclesiastical dignitaries from the cathedral of Faras.

Clothing, Kingdom and Church

As today, clothing and accessories in medieval Nubia, now between the southern border of Egypt and Khartoum, were a form of non-verbal communication, with each element having its meaning. The cathedral of Faras, which was excavated by Polish archaeologists in the 1960s, contained many wall paintings. They depict, among others, the most influential official and ecclesiastical figures of the Nubian kingdom of Makuria. Christianity was introduced in this region as a new faith in the 6th century from Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Makuria remained a Christian state until the 14th century. Many churches were built during this period, decorated with monumental images of members of the court and clergy. They were intended to demonstrate to the faithful the connection between the kingdom and the church.

From the Louvre to the Museumsinsel Berlin

After an initial presentation in the Louvre in Paris, they will be exhibited in the Bode Museum together with selected textiles from the Museum of Byzantine Art collection, which will be used to explain the various techniques and decorations used in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages. Apart from that the exhibition documents the research results of a project that investigates the relations of authority between Church and state in Nubia.

UNESCO-led Initiative to Save the Cultural Heritage of Nubia

In the 1960s, the Egyptian government decided to build the Aswan High Dam. To study and salvage areas threatened by flooding by the Nile, scholars from twenty-six countries participated in a UNESCO-led initiative to save the cultural heritage of Nubia. A Polish team directed by Prof. Kazimierz Michałowski from the University of Warsaw chose as their research site the city of Faras, one of the medieval capitals of the Kingdom of Nobadia, which existed in today’s southern Egypt and northern Sudan between the sixth and end of the seventh century and then as the capital of the northern province of the kingdom of Makuria until the fourteenth century. The discovery of the cathedral and unique murals marked the beginning of studies that remain a Polish specialty today. Faras Gallery at the National Museum in Warsaw houses a globally unique collection of medieval Nubian art.
Particularly now, during the devastating civil war in Sudan, these efforts remind the world that not only the people of this country but also its rich heritage is under severe threat. We hope that the international community will support peace efforts in Sudan.
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• A special exhibition of the Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinische Kunst – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin in cooperation with the Faculty of Archaeology of the University of Warsaw and the Faculty of Design of the SWPS University of Warsaw