Following the discovery of a stone structure in the upper Wadi Abu Dom in the Bayuda Desert, Sudan, in 2012, excavations were conducted there between 2017 and 2019. The site consists of a complex dating from the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. It comprises residential and economic units as well as open spaces where several cooking hearths were found. Due to the presence of painted plaster and an abundance of slaughter waste, primarily from cattle, it is believed that this was an elite settlement. The strong focus on food preparation, evident in the hearths, cooking pottery, and animal bones, suggests that large numbers of people gathered there on specific occasions.
El Tuweina documents and analyzes the excavation findings (archaeology, architecture, pottery, small finds, and faunal and floral remains) and provides an interpretation of the building at El Tuweina. Situated far from the Nile and – judging by the archaeological evidence – also outside the direct control of the Kingdom of Meroe, a distinct culture is discernable in the Bayuda region.