Nubian Pyramids of Sudan

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Heading north out of Khartoum, we passed through many miles of desolate landscape. Lots of sand and rock, countless sand colored walls enclosing clusters of sand colored huts, a massive spooky petroleum refining plant shimmering behind the heat distorted atmosphere, tall pointy Muslim tombs, and a distant ribbon of Nile-inspired green.

About 150 miles from Khartoum, we hopped off the crowded bus and into the desert sands, seemingly by ourselves. It felt a bit ill advised, but we could see the pyramids running along the sandy ridge just a short walk from the road, so we knew we were in the right spot. The orange sunset light intensified as we approached. The glaring flaw in this scene was the fact that every one of the 20 or so pyramids was missing its top. Apparently, around 1830 some Italian schmuck by the name of Giuseppe Ferlini came across these pyramids, and decided to blow the top off one of them. Unfortunately, he got lucky, as this happened to be the only pyramid with treasure inside. He then proceeded to blow the top of the remaining 19 or 20, with no benefit at all. So really, they’re not pyramids - more like 3D trapezoids, technically "pryramidal frusta." But that doesn’t sound very ancient, so everyone calls them pyramids.

We roamed the eerie site for the remaining hour of orange light before plopping down our sleeping bags on a nearby dune with a view. The night was filled with a bazillion stars and a gentle, warm breeze. At some point during the night, this pleasant breeze picked-up enough speed to partially bury us in sand, which only helped us to feel one with the desert.

When I opened my eyes in the morning, the very first thing I saw was a nearby sand dune set against the distant sand dunes, all orange once again. Then, for an instant, I saw a jet-black crescent slip between this matching foreground and background. I blinked to clear the sleep from my eyes, then…BLIP…it appeared again. I shook the pile of sand off my bag, got up, and peered behind the foreground dune to see two guys and their camels, sheepishly waiting for us to wake-up so they could get us on their camels and over to "the royal enclosure." They were persistent, but we held them off long enough for more aimless wandering among the romantic, magical pyramidal frusta.

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Photos

Connecting with the Ancients
Sarah reads the pyramid’s spiritual aura.

Just Off the Bus
Within moments of hoping off the bus, seemingly in the middle of the desert, this little boy materialized trying to sell us miniature carved sandstone pyramids. Those are the full-sized ones in the distance.

The Pyramids are Steep
I later traded these shoes for a very cool mask in Mali.

Conflict in Sudan
The sand could not come to agreement over what form it should take.

Returning to Sand
The stones near the base of the pyramids reveal deeply textured sandstone grain, as centuries of windblown sand take their toll.

He Looks so Peaceful
But in reality, he is tensely watching our every move
so he can rush over to offer a camel ride the instant we descend the hill.

Chowin’ Down
Nothin' like PB&J at the pyramidal frusta.

Oh Baby
Jonathon checks himself out in his shadow as he flexes his muscles.

Looking Like a Local
Sarah had some trouble keeping her camera straight on the camel. Jonathon had a bit of trouble keeping his face straight on the camel. Don’t be fooled by his professional camel-riding shoes.

Sarah with her Overnight Bags
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Askance
The camel shared his owner’s skepticism, but we know that deep down, they envied Jonathon’s camel-riding shoes.

Returning to the Road
Getting back to the road where we hitched a ride to the sad town of shendi. Note: thanks to good ol' Guiseppe, the power lines did not obstruct our view of the pyramids.

Italian Architects doing Research at Naqa
This was another site of the ancient Merotic civilization, a full days drive through the desert.

A Very Deep Well
Beside Naqa, then and now, locals used animals to hoist water from a few hundred meters depth at this ancient well.

Preparing to Bolt
Boy gets ready to start his camel running in order to hoist water from the well.

Carvings on the Wall
These very Egyptian-looking carvings covered the walls of Naqa temples. Of course, we can't remember a single story behind any of these figures.

The Quiet and Exceedingly Competent Ibrahim
Our driver and his trusty vehicle got us through all the sand, ruts, and rocks to the sites of Naqa and Musarawat. Just after this picture, we picked-up a lady who was walking through the desert, going into labor.

Comments

[Jessica]

Oh, and then we picked up a woman in labor...
I love how you just tossed that last line in. Y'all are killing me! Jessica

[anonymous]

oh that is so nice