Photo of the Day 265

Man and Hieroglyphs, Al Kurru, Sudan, 2003

Photograph by Randy Olson

A Sudanese man illuminates hieroglyphs in an ancient tomb in Al Kurru. Sudan is strewn with the ruins of Nubian kings, who once ruled all of Egypt. Today, Sudan's government struggles to control its own country, paralyzed by decades of civil, ethnic, and religious conflict.

(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Shattered Sudan: Drilling for Oil, Hoping for Peace," February 2003, National Geographic magazine)

Photo of the Day 206

Women Carrying Firewood, Sudan, 2003

Photograph by Randy Olson

Women carry bundles of firewood on their heads in the Sudanese desert. In rural African cultures, the responsibility of foraging for firewood usually falls to the women. In Sudan's brutally dry desert, where little vegetation grows, it can take several hours each day to collect enough wood to cook with.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Shattered Sudan: Drilling for Oil, Hoping for Peace," February 2003, National Geographic magazine)

Photo of the Day 111

Children, Sudan, 2003

Photograph by Randy Olson

Their future marred by conflicts over religion, ethnicity, and resources such as water, land, and oil, these two girls present an island of hope in the desolate landscape of Sudan. Since independence from Britain in 1956, Sudan's northern leaders have fought to extend their power throughout the rebellious south, waging a civil war for all but 11 of the past 48 years.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Shattered Sudan: Drilling for Oil, Hoping for Peace," February 2003, National Geographic magazine)