Gebel al-Ain

Gebel al-Ain is a plateau in Sudan at the border between the Northern State and North Kordofan. The Gebel al-Ain area is more fertile than the surrounding dry savannah, making it a popular grazing ground for the Kababish-nomads dwelling around it. Around the Gebel al-Ain many archaeological sites are situated, mostly graveyards of the post-Meroitic and medieval Christian period. The most prominent archaeological sites are a ruined monastery in the west of the mountain – the south-westernmost outpost of the Makurian state known so far – and a settlement of round huts with a surrounding wall close to Bir al-Ain southwest of the main top of the mountain.