Kasr Ibrim

Main information
Kasr Ibrim lies since 1975 on an island and is the only monument place which lies remains where it was originally built. Before the dam lake was filled, Kasr Ibrim lies imposing and 70 m high at the 8bank of the Nile. Now this place can also be visited by boat, today you can just have a look on it, because its monuments are fragile and there are excavation. What is clearly visible is the remain of the Virigin-Maria-cathedral from the 7th century AC. It was built in the highest point. However, there is a lot more in Kasr Ibrim which is badly to be seen when passing with a ship. The name is derived from the meroitic from "Pedeme", then it became to "Primis" in classical texts and in the period of the Blemmyes. The coptic people called it "Phrim" and last it became "Ibrim" in the Middleage. Then "Qasr" was added, which means fortress.

Bauwerke und Siedlungen
Kasr Ibrim seems to have been a strategic important place in the Middle Kingdom. In the time of the New Kingdom god's shrines were built here, the place wa located opposite to the head district city named Miam (Aniba). Taharka, who was a Nubian pharaoh of the 25th dynasty, erected a temple here. In the Ptolemy time some fortifications were built here - as well as in the Roman age in which the place was christianised, more than two centuries after the other parts of Egypt. Before, Meroe extended power to Aswan, and after them, the Blemmyes did the same. Ibrim was one oft most important centres for the christians, even with a bishop residing here. Only in 1528, when Islam came, the churches decayed. In 1811, the Mamluks were here, but the troups of Muhammed Ali, the ruler of Egypt, reached them, so the place was abandoned. Summarized, Kasr Ibrim was settled for a long time and was one of the more important cities, it serves as military base and as religious centre.

Artefacts/monuments:
- Stela of Amenophis I (1543 BC, in the 8th year of Amenophis I): It was found in one of the crypts of the cathedral.
- Temple of Taharka (Nubian King of Egypt in the 25th dynasty, 690 - 664 BC), erected 680 BC, adobe building, which was used for 2000 years as temple, before the cathedreal was erected on it. In the 2nd/1st century BC the fortification was built. The temple was restaured after the peace with Meroe.
- four god shrines, which were dedicated to the gods Horus of Miam, Khnum, Satis, and Hathor. Each shrine has got a niche with statues of kings. The shrines were reerected in New Sebau and were restaured. One of them, the one of Usersatet, Viceroy of Kusch in the time of Amenophis II (1453 - 1419 BC), was reconstructed in the Nubia Museum of Aswan.
- Stela of Seti I. / Amenemope, Viceroy of Kush (lying south of Kasr Ibrim), cut in rock, was saved through the UNESCO-campaign and is now on the island of New Kalabsha.
- Temple of Isis, made of adobe brick, was erected in the time of the Blemmyes and later destroyed by christians.
- Virgin-Maria-cathedral with terrace. The terrace served as collecting place for pilgrims. In the church there are some crypts, and in one of them was found the intact tomb of the Nubian bishop Timotheos who was buried there in 1372. In another crypt the stela of Amenophis was used as material.
- Important are the written artefacts in different languages: greek, coptic, meroitic, old nubian, arabic, and turkey. A special thing was found under them: a long scroll made of gazelle leather with coptic, old nubian and arabic-coptic texts. In Kasr Ibrim, most of the old nubian documents have been found.

Founds of the Blemmyes in Kasr Ibrim
Kasr Ibrim was the southernmost city of Blemmyes. Karanog, once also a Blemmyes-city, may be found nearby. The Blemmyes have venerated their gods in the temples here. In their time the temple of Isis was built.
Texts of the Blemmyes were found in Kasr Ibrim. The "Fontes Historiae Nubiorum", which lists in the 1990s nubian texts, mentions three texts from the year 450 AC:
No 319: a letter of the Blemmyes-king Phonen (see below!)
No 320: a letter of Viventi to Tantani, a tribe chief of the Anouba. (In the letter one can find the information that also the Blemmyes have had a tribe chief.)
No 321: a letter of Yahatek to Tantani. Yahatek was perhaps a Blemmyes-name.

Phonen, King of the Blemmyes
The letter is written on papyri. He originates from Phonen and his son, the Phylarch Breytek (Phylarch was a title of a administrator of the district; the Blemmyes seem to have used the greek titles). The letter is directed to Aburni, King of Noba, and they were answering to a letter which is lost. They report on the attack of Silko, the predecessor of Aburni. Silko had defeated them and claimed camels, goats, and cows, which they had given him. But Silko had broken the peace agreement, he hadn't given back the statues of the temple and he still had murdered Blemmyes, among others the brother of Phonen. Now Phonen asks for negotiations and is ready to forgive the deeds of Silko. In the letter there is no mentioning whether Phonen has got back the lost territories.
(In Kalabsha, there is mentioned a Phylarch named Phonoin, which is very likely identical with Phonen.)
The letter was found with other roman letters, so it might higly be, that the Romans recognized the Blemmyes as own group of people. This letter of Phonen is also important, as now Silko can be dated correctly. So far he was described as a person in the 6th century, but now it is clear, that he has lived in the 5th century. Moreover, this letter shows the side of the Blemmyes who lament on the break of treaty of the Noba. Phonen writes, that it is one thing to fight because of insulting, but it is another thing, to murder enemies under the flag of the negotiator.
(Source on Phonen: T. C. Skeat: A Letter from the king of the Blemmyes to the King of the Noubades, In: The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 63 (1977), S. 159-170 und Derek A. Welsby: The Medieval Kingdoms of Nubia, London 2002, ISBN 0-7141-1947-4, S. 16-17.)