AN EXHIBITION of international importance, arrives at the Bowes Museum in March.

Ancient Treasures was shown at the British Museum in London to great acclaim, and the Bowes is the only other place in the country where it will be seen - testimony to its growing reputation and ability to attract quality exhibitions.

Sudan, the largest country in Africa, has in recent decades become known as a country of famine and great poverty. But for centuries it was an important link between Central Africa and the Mediterranean, and its complicated history, rich cultural heritage and archaeology remains relatively unknown to the modern world.

Many of the artefacts are being exhibited outside the Sudan for the first time, in a collaboration between the British Museum and its counterpart in Khartoum.

The craftsmanship, from the Palaeolithic era 200,000 years ago to the Christian and Islamic periods, shows the vibrant and extremely sophisticated cultures that flourished in the Nile Valley and deserts beyond.

The display opens on Saturday, March 12, highlighting Sudanese antiquities from massive stone sculptures to exquisitely crafted gold jewellery, domestic items and religious icons.

Visitors will first encounter the might of the Kushite state, which conquered and ruled Egypt during the 7th century BC, embodied in two huge stone lions that once guarded a water source and temple in the ancient kingdom.

One of the most striking exhibits is a statuette of a Kushite king with the remains of the rich gold leaf which once completely covered the statue still evident.

Rescue work is ongoing in the Sudan to save archaeological sites threatened by the construction of a new dam which will flood 170km of the Nile Valley by 2008.

Adrian Jenkins, director of the Bowes Museum, said: "In recent months the news from the Sudan has been tragic and devastating, but by bringing the exhibition to the North of England far greater numbers will have a chance to see it and to gain a greater understanding of the Sudan of today."

The display will also draw attention to the Sudan archive at the University of Durham, the largest outside the Sudan, which contains documents and photographs relating to the country in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Events organised to run alongside the display, which continues until October 30, include educational activities for schools, talks and family days.

Visitors will also be able to leave a donation for relief in Darfur.