Erdogan visits Ottoman sites on Sudanese island

By Ilkay Guder

PORT SUDAN, Sudan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday visited former Ottoman port city Suakin in eastern Sudan.

During his two-day official visit to the country, he visited several Ottoman sites including Al-Hanafi Mosque, Al-Shafei Mosque and an old customs building.

Suakin, one of the oldest seaports in Africa, was used by African Muslims who set out for pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

Ottomans used the port city to secure the Hejaz province -- present-day western Saudi Arabia -- from attackers using the Red Sea front.

Later on Monday, Erdogan will be awarded an honorary doctorate by Khartoum University.

Erdogan's visit, the first by a Turkish president, was welcomed by his Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Bashir who said it would boost relations between the two countries.