The Bayuda Desert is characterised by sharp black basalt mountains, most of them volcanic and typically cone-shaped. They alternate with level pebble stretches and large dry wadis passing through areas with only a little vegetation. From time to time grazing camels can be spotted, indicating the nearby camps of nomad families who live in small huts made of branches and mats, close to the rare water wells. Archaeological evidence shows that the Bayuda has seen human occupation from the Old Stone Age through almost all periods of Sudanese history up to the present. The desert also hosts rock art, settlement sites as well as cemeteries with various types of grave superstructures.
