With
more than 250 tombs, Sudan’s pyramids far outnumber their Egyptian cousins.
Even from several miles away, you can see hundreds of enormous pyramids as they
rise out of the desert – a site that few travelers have seen before.
From
2,600 BC until approximately 300 AD, this area known as ancient Nubia was ruled
by the Kushites, who were both enemies and friends of the Egyptians (at
different times) and followed many of their rituals. There are so many pyramids
along the Nile in Sudan, far outnumbering Egypt's pyramid. Take a journey back
in time as you drive along the Nile from Khartoum to Dongola, exploring the
pyramids and other ruins along the way.
Along
the road going north out of Khartoum, are the pyramids at Meroe, the capital of
the Kushite kingdom from 300 BC. Standing alone in the Sudanese desert for more
than 2,000 years, they served as tombs for Meroe’s kings and queens. They sit
close to the Nile, an important source of water and a trade route to Egypt,
linking many of the ancient ruins found in present day Sudan.
Unlike
Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza, most of Meroe‘s pyramids are slightly smaller, with
steeper sides, narrower bases and adjoining offering temples. They lie in
varying states of disrepair due to the plundering of treasure hunters in the
1800s. Their distinctively darker color is due to the higher iron content in
the rocks. The pyramids at Meroe were listed as a Unesco World Heritage site in 2011.
When
you arrive, head over to the first group of about nine pyramids in the South
Cemetery. (Meroe has three cemeteries – North, South and West – within a few
kilometers of each other). Walking among the pyramids, you will feel dwarfed by
the sheer scale of the surrounding antiquity. You can walk or crawl into some
of the offering temples that hadn’t been taken over by sand. They are extremely
small spaces, but inside there you'll see fascinating wall carvings depicting
various scenes of life in the Kushite kingdom – including Queens presiding over
their subjects and people worshiping Egyptian gods. In one temple, a carving
reveals evidence that the royal buried inside the pyramid was mummified,
covered with jewelry and laid to rest in a wooden case.
An
Archaeologist’s Dream
The
pyramids at Meroe are Sudan’s best-preserved pyramids; they have the highest
numbers of tombs and are the most extensively excavated by archaeologists.
However, as you drive along the Nile, it is not uncommon to spot other groups
of pyramids or ancient ruins in the distance.
Driving several hundred
kilometers up the river towards the city of Dongola, you can visit the renowned
archaeological site at Kerma, home to the Kingdom of Kerma more than 5,000
years ago. Although they were influenced by the Egyptians, the people of Kerma
were a civilization in their own right, ruling over ancient Nubia before the
Kushites arrived and built the pyramids. At Kerma today, you can see the oldest
mud brick building in Africa, a huge tomb surrounded by smaller burial sites. In
2003, more than 40 large granite statues of pharaohs, thought to have been
rulers of the Kushite empire, were found scattered through the desert near
Kerma. Most of these statues were collected and put into museums – but some
have remained in the desert for travelers to uncover.
Call
Rawhide Travel and Tours and start planning that special vacation or event
today. 602-843-5100 or visit our website rawhidetravel.com
Presented
By:
Rawhide
Travel and Tours Inc
6008
West Bell Rd # F105
Glendale,
Arizona 85308-3793
(602)
843-5100
rawhidetravel.com
Photo Credit: "Sudan Meroe Pyramids 30sep2005 2" by Fabrizio Demartis - cropped from http://www.flickr.com/photos/81919133@N00/48324689/in/set-962906/. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedijina Zbirka - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sudan_Meroe_Pyramids_30sep2005_2.jpg#/media/File:Sudan_Meroe_Pyramids_30sep2005_2.jpg
