Sudan - Roadtrip to the Pyramids, Meroe

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After leaving Khartoum, we made our way north to head to the true purpose of our trip: Meroe. We had to go through multiple checkpoints, where they checked our exit visa for leaving the city of Khartoum (expensive). Along the way, we stopped at a couple of roadside areas, and met our cooking crew who prepared all our meals from this point forward: lunch on the road and our camping meals. We had lunch at a random semi-abandoned roadside structure in an open room. I thought at first that it was some hidden restaurant, but it was our cooks. The food was pretty good, but we were a bit late and it was cold and flies were everywhere. You had to get used to that here.

Our first stop along the road was a small, colorful mosque our team leader had noted the last time he came and he wanted to see it up close. So, we pulled over and crossed the train tracks to take a look. It was prayer time, so people were also heading over and at one point, an older woman took me by the hands, encouraged me to take off my shoes, and took me into a small room where they were praying around something in the middle. It was very crowded and I felt like an intruder, so I left, but it was a very interesting experience - I wish I knew what was happening.

We continued on, stopping a couple of times for our lunch and bathroom or tea breaks. Our last stop was at a fairly busy market area with an open air bistro place where a woman made us coffee and tea while we sat and rested. It was a bit strange and entertaining to have reversed roles where the people so blatantly stared at us and took photos of us. Plus the tea was the best I had had so far.

We were looking forward to making the pyramids site for sunset, which we did. However, the weather was bad - very dusty, windy, and hazy, so no good photos. However, the experience was still great! We drove through the desert to the welcome center area where we saw camel riders alongside us most of the way, waiting to take us to the site if we chose. We walked a short distance, about 10 minutes, from the visitor's center to the south cemetery pyramids. It was so cool as you can get right up next to them and walk amongst the ruins at will. After a quick look around, we returned to find our campsite set up near the visitor's center and food being prepared. We hung out for a bit and got to know each other better, hiking a little at night and enjoying the stars. The food was pretty good as well - fried chicken, fruit, salad, French fries.

We each had picked a tent, though they were a little worse for wear - with the high winds that night, we woke up with sand all over everything. One person's tent collapsed and another had to re-set up. It was pretty funny. So none of us really got any sleep. We woke early in the morning and walked through the southern cemetery again to enjoy the sunrise over the northern cemetery, a little better with clear skies. It was very peaceful. When we returned for a quick breakfast, the vendors were set up in a semi circle near our camp, ready to sell trinkets. Most of the vendors were kids. They gave us space, allowing us to eat breakfast and packing peace, but once you got near to them, they were all business. I think this was the weird part for me, including the camel guys - few friendly smiles, little engagement, just money, money, money. It was strange, and I can't quite put into words why. However, I did like that they generally left you alone. Once we were packed and ready to head to the northern cemetery, we first stopped at the visitor's center where they had basic descriptions and photos of the site. It was quite interesting to see how the pyramids were laid out. Most of us wound up taking a camel instead of walking to the northern cemetery - why not? It was $10. These camels were very high and the saddles quite narrow, so it was different from my previous experience. Again, not super friendly guides, especially since they found out I was not paying another $10 for the short ride back.

We visited the pyramids, which we practically had to ourselves - there were only a few other tourists we saw the whole morning. Again, you could go right up to them, inside, etc. It was sad to hear about the history though. The Nubian style Meroe pyramids were constructed between 400BC and 400 AD and are smaller than the famous Egyptian pyramids. In the 1830's, an Italian treasure hunter, Giuseppe Ferlini, destroyed the pyramids while hunting for valuables. Fortunately, he did not break into the tombs, which unlike the pyramids to the north, had separate access from the outside and tunneled about 25m below the above structure. The pyramids at Meroe generally consist of the tombs of kings, queens and princes. Many of the structures contain east-facing 'chapels' where people could come in to leave offerings. The interiors were decorated with depictions of the person's life. Foundations of other

We walked all through the area and enjoyed the gorgeous sites of golden sands blue skies, and the pyramids in the background. Pictures today were great but they still did not quite capture the importance and sacredness of this site.

The overall site is currently in a state of conservation and slow restoration process in conjunction with the Qatar Museums and German Archaeological Institute, with the goal to develop the site for tourism and sustain for future generations. You could see a few of the pyramids had been restored to give you an idea of how they would have looked before their destruction. It was so sad to hear about their destruction for the enrichment of treasure hunters and then the difficulty in the maintenance of the site in such a poor country.

After we left, we stopped at the new World Heritage Site Visitor's Centre where it went beyond just the pyramids and into the geology, agriculture, industry, population, dynasties, etc. However, maybe due to Covid or just the general lack of tourism in the region, it was completely empty. It's unfortunate because it was otherwise a well designed place. Hopefully it will grow in the coming years. Our guide, Hamed, was so giddy about this new center and I think was a bit disappointed that most of our group did not share his enthusiasm. I think he was mostly happy to see the investment in the preservation of such an important site and really, it must be so interesting to see the positive changes coming to these locations, especially to an archaeologist and professor like him. I tried to capture his smile with our driver at the entrance to the site.

After this, we started our road trip back to Khartoum. We stopped for lunch at another abandoned site where we also said goodbye to our awesome cooks. We had a some time to hang around and explore.... well, not much. It was strange to see all the abandoned buildings - it seemed like it used to be something but was now virtually empty and poorly maintained. We saw a few places like this on our road trip and it makes you wonder what has happened.

So overall, Sudan was more interesting than I thought outside of the pyramids, but it left me with a lot more questions than answers. I really enjoyed our guides, but aside from a few exceptions, the people did not seem very welcoming. I did not feel like it was antagonistic, but rather a lack of interest. Since it was so expensive just to get the necessary visas (about $250-$300 for me as an American), it was not a trip that I recommend for people to take lightly. However, the pyramids were truly amazing and there is a lot of history in this area.

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Sudan
This sounds like a great trip! Fantastic blog.