Pyramids at Meroe

Apparently I need to do things in Sudan twice in order to bring myself to actually write about them on this blog. And that being said, I am now going to discuss the pyramids at Meroe, which is located approximately three hours north of Khartoum.

Remains of the Kushite Empire in Sudan, the Royal Cemetery of Meroe consists of two separate sites and a total of around 100 pyramids. The oldest pyramids, located in the Southern cluster, date to the 8th century BC. Kings and queens were buried at the northern site up until the fall of the Kushite empire in the 4th century AD.

"While clearly Egyptian in inspiration, the pyramids are quite unlike those at Giza. The most notable difference is in size and pitch." Paul Clamer, Bradt Travel Guide: Sudan.

My first trip to the pyramids took place in mid-October 2007. After spending a week diving in the Red Sea off the coast of Sudan (yes, I will someday write about that), I drove back to Khartoum with five of my diving buddies (Joel, Sam, Audrey, Sergio, and Yoshi). We drove back the "short" way, via Atbara, which allowed us to stop at the pyramids for a quick look. Unfortunately, Audrey needed to get the UNMIS Landcruiser we were driving back to Khartoum by six pm, so we were only able to stop at the pyramids for about 20 minutes. While some in the group were able to stick to this schedule, Joel and I ended up wandering off and delaying the rest of the group slightly.


(Here's Joel excavating. Joel, if you find this site, this is my minor retribution for the picture you posted on facebook.)



With only 20 minutes, I was able to snap a few photos, but it really wasn't enough time to real take the pyramids in and contemplate their age and significance.

Fortunately, just last week, two days after arriving back in Khartoum after spending the holidays in the US, I had a second chance to go to the pyramids. This time, I joined a group of friends from Khartoum (Junko, Nota, Dillon, Alex, Fenja, and her boyfriend Kai) for an overnight camping trip to Meroe.



This time around, we had much more time to relax and examine the pyramids in detail. As with the first I visited, we had the pyramids almost entirely to ourselves. In addition to having basically no posted information, there is also very little security at the pyramids, which meant that we could climb them. I tried to climb one of the pyramids at Giza last May and was reprimanded. Unfortunately, although we got away with climbing these pyramids, it was much scarier and more dangerous than climbing the pyramids at Giza due to the pyramids' steep pitch and narrow, rock-covered ledges. Consequently, while Dillon made it to the top of the pyramid, I gave up about 3/4 of the way up. I did, however, get a couple of good photos from up there.




While exploring the pyramids, we were constantly pursued by these guys, who wanted us to die their camels. But we continuely put them off, telling them, "later, later."


Nevertheless, in the late afternoon, we did allow one of them, a guy named either Abdu or Abdul, to show us to a campsite for a small tip. The spot he showed us was great and put us in a perfect position to watch the sunset over the pyramids.



We had been worried about scorpions and snakes in the desert and, consequently, had tried to find tents to sleep in. Unfortunately, only Nota seemed to have one. However, Fenja, who works for Medecins Sans Frontieres, was able to provide us with four "camping beds" (basically cots), so that some of us could sleep off the ground. At the same time, one of two people were still going to have to sleep on the ground, outside a tent. Fenja and Kaid originally volunteered, but as it became dark, these little mice began to appear and sneak up on us while we were eating. They were every where. At first we thought there were just a few but ultimately concluded that there were in fact dozens. Nevertheless, Fenja and Kai decided to try sleeping on the ground, and the next morning they said that, as soon as we all went to bed, the mice left them alone.



I awoke the next morning to voices. Because I had completely enclosed myself in my sleeping bag during the night, I assumed this meant that my companions had simply awakened before me. Instead, approximately 12 tourists, who were staying at the only official accommodation near the pyramids, were up on the rocks behind us watching the sunrise. This was a little disconcerting, especially when we needed to find some place to relieve ourselves in the morning.

And just when I had found a spot to do my business, two Sudanese guys with a camel began to approach us. I quickly pulled up my pants and headed back to the camp, unsuccessful. These men were followed by numerous other men and boys with camels and donkeys. These were the same men who the day before were selling souvenirs and offering donkey rides at the entrance to the pyramids. Within 15 to 20 minutes, we had a half circle of Sudanese around us, waiting for us to examine their wares or ride their camels. They sat there and watched us as we ate breakfast, packed up our camp, and continued to contemplate how to relieve ourselves in private.



We planned to ride camels that day, but having had our space invaded first thing in the morning, we didn't want to encourage these guys to do the same thing to future campers. Therefore, rather than riding the camels from there, we told their owners that we would ride the camels later at the pyramids, and we drove away in our SUVS. (It is worth noting at this moment that driving in the sand was quite a challenge. I wasn't actually driving, but Dillon, whose vehicle I was in, got stuck several times, even in four-wheel-drive.)

We ended our stay at the pyramids with a camel ride. Here we are, the Magnificent Seven. (That's me with the whip!) I have had a few opportunities to ride camels in the past, namely on the beach in Massawa in Eritrea and Egypt, but I always turned them down because I didn't like the way those trying to sell the rides harassed me. But now I can say I did it. And besides, I have actually wanted to ride a camel for a long time. I really like camels!



After the camels, we headed over to the ruins of the Royal City on the Nile. The Royal City dates originally from the 8th century BC but began to prosper around 270 BC. It was abandoned in 350 AD.

They actually had a guide at the Royal City, which was nice. He showed us the ruins of the Temple of Amun, as well as the royal bath and steam bath. I think it must not have been as hot in the desert in those days, because I can't think of any reason why one would want to use a steam bath in Northern Sudan.

Hopefully my two trips to Meroe are only the beginning of my exploration of Kushite ruins in Sudan. We still have the Temples at Naqa and the Karima Pyramids to see. I particularly can't miss the Temples at Naqa, as they are even closer to Khartoum than the Meroe Pyramids and apparently better preserved. So, you can look forward to reading about these outings in the future. For now, I'm off!