ABOUT TUTI THE ISLAND AND THE VILLAGE
“ The house is more than just sheltering us from rain, sun, dust and other elemental affictions, it shelters us from the world. Thehouse is a private world dependable, unchanging, and a constant kindly refuge in the cultural world that were pleased to callcivilization.” Hassan Fathy
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Tuti is a crescent shaped Island,which lies in the heart of the Nationalcapital of the Sudan. The Island issurrounded by Khartoum city in theSouth, Khartoum North in the Northand Northeast and Omdurman city inthe West. The Island is at theconfluence of the White Nile and theBlue Nile.The population of Tuti is consideredone of the oldest settlements in theconurbation of Khartoum, dating backto the late 15th century. The Tutiansare descendents of the Mahas tribefrom the Northern state. They origi-nally migrated Southwards and settledmainly in Tuti Island, some considerthem as holy men whose mainconcern was to spread Islam in thatarea. Being a religious center itattracted many people who traveledfrom different parts of Sudan to theIsland and other surrounding areas.
Since their arrival they proceededto develope irrigated agriculturallands. Over the centuries, variousgroups of Mahas continued toarrive from the North and settle inthe Island and Khartoum.Their dominance in Tuti began todecline following the growth ofKhartoum and Omdurman in the 19Th. century, and Khartoum northearly this century( Lobbon,1980;Ibu Sin and Davis, 1991).Ethnically, the population of theIsland is very homogeneous,although Mahas is the dominantethnic group, the Island accommo-dates some other minorities of non-Mahas origin.Other ethnic groups inhabiting theIsland are from Western andSouthern Sudan, for its geographi-cal location and its relatively goodprovision of public and socialservices.The Tutians major fear is thepossibility of eviction from theIsland. In 1944, the colonial admin-istration considered setting up anagricultural research station on theIsland, and planned to take 350acres for this purpose. Althoughthese plans were not carried out,the inhabitants still live with the fearthat one day they may be forced toleave their Island.Tuti is described as a rural settle-ment within an urban locality, arural “ eye”, but the provision of thepublic and social services are quiteenough to classify Tuti as an urbanlocality. The Island is linked toKhartoum city and Khartoum northby ferry transportation.The Island is 8 km sq; it developedits shape as a result of the riverbank erosion due to the fast flow ofthe Blue Nile, that turned theEastern part from a convex to aconcave shape (Ibrahim and ALBurea, 1991).It has been formed as a result ofthe deposition of silt that has beentaking place through the history ofthe Nile. The natural rate of growthwas very slow compared to themodern deposition rates which isenhanced by human activities, for
Tuti is described as a rural settlementwithin an urban locality, a rural “ eye”,but the provision of the public andsocial services are quite enough toclassify Tuti as an urban locality.The Island is linked to Khartoum cityand Khartoum north by ferrytransportation.The Island is 8 km sq; itdeveloped its shape as a result of theriver bank erosion due to the fast flowof the Blue Nile, that turned the Easternpart from a convex to a concave shape(Ibrahim and AL Burea, 1991).It has been formed as a result of thedeposition of silt that has been takingplace through the history of the Nile.The natural rate of growth was veryslow compared to the modern deposi-tion rates which is enhanced by humanactivities, for instance, the transforma-tion of the beaches to agricultural landsand the clear-follow to a residentialareas. The Island was accreted toKhartoum North and people used tocross on foot in the dry seasons.During that period the silt accumulationcontinued below the confluence whichimpeded the normal flow of water. TheIsland increased in its overall area by30% due to the changes in the waterflow. The aggressive attack of the BlueNile encouraged the separation andwidening between the Island andKhartoum North, while there is a greatdeposition on the West side of theIsland. That will encourage the theoryof the emerging of Tuti Island andKhartoum city in the coming 3-4decades.The surface of the Island is flat with agentle slope that runs from the Northwest towards the South east of theIsland. Tuti fluctuates in height rangingfrom 75.6 ft. to 78.7 ft. (Izzadin, Tuti’ssettlement problems, 1975). The centerof the Island where the houses rest iselevated, and surrounded by low floodplain. Tutians tried to solve that problemby elevating their walls and entrancesabout 1.00 m high to prevent the waterfrom penetrating into the houses,fig (2).Most of the land on the Island isagricultural and is a source of supply offruits and vegetables for Khartoum city,although most of the lands weretransformed to residential areas due tothe fortuitous growth of population.
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1- wider roads that lead to the peripheries of the Island
2- high entrance
4- entrance
3- front courtyard
5- traditional layout
The profile of the IslandTuti follows the usual features of anArab urban settings of low, horizontaland extended buildings.Tuti village is divided into two parts:The old village : which representsthe core of the Island, is character-ized by its crowded and compactedhouses, which is the main reasonbehind the absence of greenery inthat specific area. The tremendousneed for housing was due to the highgrowth of population. Most were eagerto reside near and around themosque, which was the first building inthat area.This was probably one of the mainreasons for the crowded nature of thearea. The houses are arranged in aclustered form but in a indigenousshape. This concentration of housesgenerated narrow and tight roads,ranging from 2.00 to 3.50 m wide, and5.00 to 6.00 m wide, leading to themosque. The majority of houses inthe old village part are one storey,some are build of mud walls others arefrom red brick or mud mixed with driedgrass. The roofs are mostly made ofanimal dung mixed with mud, othersare made of steel and brick (jackarch). The walls in some houses areplastered internally and externally,others maintained the original textureof the material used.The main characteristic of the housesis the courtyard that is surrounded byscattered rooms, some have a semi-covered courtyard which is called theverandah.The village suffers from the absence ofopen spaces, and the roads areshaded by the high walls which are2.00 m high, emphasizing the conceptof privacy that is essential in Islam.Each house has one to two doors thatlead to two different spaces for menand women.Around the old village : Thisarea is less crowded and accommo-dates wider roads. Most houses aremodernly build, two to three stories,constructed of brick and concrete,finished with plaster and ceramic tiles,and painted internally and sometimesexternally. These houses areas rangesfrom 400.00 to 600.00 m sq.
Tuti has always faced an internal andexternal transportation constraints,due to the fact that externally it istotally separated from the threecities, Khartoum, Khartoum Northand Omdurman. The only link be-tween Khartoum and Tuti is the ferrywhich travels regularly between both.The functioning of the ferry is usuallyinfluenced either by the changes inthe Nile flood situation or by frequentmechanical breakdowns. This makeslife inconvenient for commuters andsupplies run short. As a result therewere a strong arguments in favor of abridge. On the other hand a bridgewould make it virtually impossible forthe Island to retain its distinct charac-ter as it would immediately be drawninto the daily life of the capital.Most of the inhabitants own cars thatare parked in Khartoum city becausethe internal roads of the Island are tootight and narrow to handle volume oftraffic.Tutians find it easier to walk allaround the Island, for example,distances range from 2-4 km from theedge of the Island, where the ferrydock, to the center of the village.Someestimate the distance from the centerto the farthest point in the Island to beabout 4 to 5 km.The build up area ( the houses)expanse Southwards and Eastwardson the sandy areas away from thecongestion, therefore, with more openand wide spaces. Most of the residen-tial areas are surrounded by agricul-tural lands which decreased with theencroachment of residential areas.This caused difficulties in draining rainwater concentrated in the center.
The walls maintain the same heightand it my embody one door. Thecourtyard concept is maintained,although it has changed in shapeaccording to the change in housedesign, where the scattered roomshave been gathered within one block.The roof of these houses is used as asleeping area to take the advantage ofthe cool breathe. For this reason theparapets are usually elevated up to1.50 m to prevent overlooking theneighbors especially if the surroundinghouses are one story. The houses inthis area are less congested andscattered more widely towards Southand Southeast.
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The only connection between the edgeof the Island and the center is throughan unpaved road, while minor roadsradiate to connect the main road tothe other parts of the Island.The inner roads range in width from2.00 to 5.00 m according to theirlocation. The wider roads lead to themosque, while the narrower onesconnect the village together, acting asa net work. The periphery roads arewider and open; all roads are unpaved.Social changes : Although Tutianscan be considered to be “ conserva-tive” i.e. they wish to maintain theirdistinctness, yet considerable changeshave taken place over the past 30years. The Island has increased by75% which is less than the overall rateof 86% increase in rural areas in thecapital region. The Islanders arewelcoming more new inhabitants fromdifferent places.Materials : the materials used areburned brick, the production of whichis the other source of income for theIslanders. The rapid growth of thevillage sustained a good demand forbrick. Although in few areas the brickkilns compete with the agriculturallands.
Brick is the main construction material in Tuti One of Tuti�s narrow alleys surrounded by brick and mud wall
The layout of Tuti�s houses around the mosque
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