History of the Sudanese War The majority of slaves coming from the interior of the country are shipped from there, and it is about 280 miles from Berber. It is told in the people's myths that Suakin is a burning place, and this is because they claim that in ancient times there was an island in the Red Sea inhabited by seven virgins. One day, a group of fishermen came and found the virgins pregnant. They said they were pregnant by jinn. Then they gave birth to children, who went to the mainland and were named Suakin, and they were the first to inhabit it. The entrance to the port of Suakin is narrow and long, with sharp rocks scattered nearby, making it difficult for ship captains to navigate between them. Its buildings are made of white coral rocks and are built on an island connected to the mainland by a causeway built by Gordon when he was governor in Sudan. Its population is about eight thousand. Among the cities of Sudan is Old Dongola, which is 300 miles northwest of Berber. Half of it has become ruins. As for New Dongola, it is fifty or sixty miles from the old one and to its north. It is built on the eastern bank of the Nile and the Arabs call it Al-Aradi. Among them is Kassala, which is the largest city in Sudan except for Khartoum, with a population of about fifteen thousand. It is built on a hill between Khartoum and Saw. Hyenas are abundant in its suburbs, so much so that it is said that its hyenas protect it from pests like dogs in the scientific Istanbul. Among its cities is also El Obeid, which is the capital of Kordofan, with a population of about 10,000 people. It had a telegraph line connecting it to Khartoum and Cairo. The origin of the population of Sudan is from different peoples, some of them are of African Nubian origin.