Port Sudan (, Beja language: Bar'uut) is a major port city on the Red Sea in eastern Sudan, and the capital of Red Sea State. Port Sudan is Sudan's main seaport and the source of 90% of the country's international trade.
Port Sudan has historically been a centre for commercial activity, particularly in the shipping industry.
From April 2023 to January 2026, the Sudanese government largely operated from Port Sudan as a result of intense fighting in the capital city Khartoum in the ongoing civil war,
History
Founding and early history
Port Sudan was built between 1905 and 1909 by the administration of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan to replace
Suakin—the historic, coral-choked Arab port.
An oil pipeline was built between the port and
Khartoum in 1977.
Early 21st century
In 2009, Israel allegedly used naval commandos to attack Iranian arms ships at Port Sudan as part of Operation Birds of Prey.
In 2020, Russian president
Vladimir Putin announced that the
Russian Navy would begin construction on a base with capacity for 300 personnel and four warships in Port Sudan. The facility would provide Russia with a naval base in the nation for at least 25 years.
The plan was ultimately suspended, though Sudanese leadership has indicated that it is possible for the construction to go ahead in the future.
In 2016, it was reported that residents of Port Sudan face water scarcity.
Sudanese civil war (2023–present)
During the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Port Sudan has emerged as a leading destination and refuge for internally displaced persons fleeing war in other parts of the country.
Internally-displaced refugees in the city reportedly face
Heat wave and shortages of food and water.
By late October 2023, Reuters reported that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) controlled most of Khartoum, causing the government led by Abdul Fattah el-Burhan to have largely relocated to Port Sudan.
Iran and Russia have been trying to negotiate with Sudan to build a naval base in the city.
On 4 May 2025, the RSF launched a drone attack on Port Sudan for the first time since the beginning of the war, targeting the Osman Digna Air Base, "a goods warehouse and some civilian facilities" and causing "limited damage".
Economy
The city has an oil refinery and handles 90% of the country's international trade.
Major exports include
oilseed, senna, and hides and skins. Imports include construction materials, heavy machinery, and vehicles.
Transport
The city has a modern
container port to handle imports and exports.
The port is part of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road that runs from the Chinese coast via the
Suez Canal to the Mediterranean, there to the Upper Adriatic region of
Trieste with its rail connections to
Central Europe and
Eastern Europe.
[See also: Harry G. Broadman "Afrika´s Silk Road" (2007).]
The main airport is Port Sudan New International Airport. There is now a tarred road linking Port Sudan to Khartoum via Atbara. Port Sudan also has a gauge rail link with Khartoum. There is also an international ferry from Jeddah.
In 2023 a new seaport was proposed about north of Port Sudan at Abu Amama.
Education
The city is home to the Red Sea University, established in 1994.
Places of worship
Places of worship are predominantly
Islam mosques,
[Britannica,
Sudan, britannica.com, USA, accessed on July 7, 2019] but there are also
Christianity churches and temples including the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Khartoum (
Catholic Church), Sudan Interior Church (Baptist World Alliance), and Presbyterian Church in Sudan (World Communion of Reformed Churches) and Coptic Orthodox Churches.
Climate
Port Sudan has a hot desert climate (Köppen: BWh) with extremely hot summers and moderately hot winters, requiring the acquisition of fresh water from Wadi Arba'at in the Red Sea Hills and from salt-evaporating pans. Temperatures can easily exceed in winter and in summer. Over 90% of the annual rainfall falls between October and January, mostly in November, with the wettest month on record being November 1947 with , whilst the wettest year was from July 1923 to June 1924 with . Average annual rainfall is , and no rainfall occurred between January 1983 and June 1984.
The mean temperature year round (the average of all daily highs and nighttime lows) is .
Demographics
|
|
1906 | 4,289 |
| 1941 | 26,255 |
| 1973 | 132,632 |
| 1983 | 209,938 |
| 1993 | 305,385 |
| 2007 () | 489,275 |
| 2008 () | 517,338 |
The population consists mainly of Sudanese Arabs, including the native Beja people people, with small Asian and European minorities.
Sport
Hay Al-Arab SC founded in 1928, and Hilal Alsahil SC founded in 1937, both play at the Port Sudan Stadium in the football Sudan Premier League. The city's third team is Al-Merreikh Al-Thagher.
Notable people
-
Gawaher (Pop singer)
-
Ra'ouf Mus'ad (Playwright)
See also
Notes
-
Arckell, A. J., UNESCO General History of Africa, History of Darfur 1200-1700 A.D. SNR.
-
Encyclopædia Britannica, "Port Sudan" (description), 2007, webpage: EB-PortSudan.
External links
