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Banganarti is a small village in Sudan, about half way between the third and fourth cataract of the Nile. It is situated 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Old Dongola, the capital of Makuria. Banganarti was an important Christian pilgrim center; the remains of a substantial medieval church are near the village (18.166736,30.784785).
The large church in Banganarti was excavated by a Polish team of archaeologists in 2001. There are two successive church buildings, dating to the seventh century and the eleventh centuries. In the buildings there were several grave systems. The building is decorated with high quality murals. One of the world's oldest images of the Virgin Mary has been found in the Lower Church. Undecorated walls are covered with inscriptions in the Greek language, Old Nubian language or a mixture of both. The inscriptions mention a few so far little Nubian kings and other important persons, such as a queen mother, making them of historic importance. The latest inscriptions date to circa 1350, after which, the church seems to have been abandoned.
