Sudan: Meroe Pyramids – Southern Cemetery
Meroe Pyramids is one of the main reasons to visit Sudan as they are as spectacular (if not more) then those in Egypt. Meroe was the capital of the kingdom for several centuries and was the heart of a civilization as powerful as Egyptian to the north. After first using Nori and Jebel Barkal for their necropolises, the new place was moved to Meroe where several massive burial sites were built over the centuries, over 230 in total, of which 83 have been unearthed. Many have been decapitated by Italian treasure hunters in the 18th century. The oldest part of the site is the Southern Cemetery, used as the main necropolis for the kings and queens of Meroe during the period of 720 – 300 BC. There are a total of nine royal pyramids here – four of the pyramids belonged to kings and five belonged to queens, plus there are around 195 other tombs around here. There is also an incredible view of the vast Northern Cemetery of pyramids from here.
