Meroe

Meroe is an ancient city located in Sudan, on the east bank of the Nile River, 200 km from the capital city Khartoum. Meroe is considered a direct competitor of ancient Egypt. Tourists come here to look at the treasures of the fabulous civilization: the pyramids, the remains of the palace walls and royal baths, the temples of Apis and Amon.

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Video: Meroe

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From glory to oblivion

It is today that Meroe rests in golden sands, its peace disturbed only by the few tourists. Once upon a time this place was bustling with life – the city was considered the capital of the Nubian kingdom of Kush. The territory of the state stretched from the Libyan desert to the Red Sea. Meroe was ideal as a capital: frequent rains, forest, iron ore deposits, proximity to the navigable bed of the Nile and caravan routes.

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It is believed that the city became the center of the city in the 3rd century BC. – before that it was Napata. There is an opinion that the second city only sought to gain the honorable title. Another group of scholars is inclined to believe that the cities were simultaneously considered the centers of two Cushite states.

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Meroe was the site of the coronation of kings, whose selection was approved by the priests. The tombs of noble persons – pyramids – were also located here. The first burial belongs to King Arakakamani – he ruled at the end of IV century BC. Today only ruins of ancient buildings and pyramids, as well as mentions of ancient authors remain from Meroe. Herodotus also admired the local beauty. Especially the ancient Greek philosopher praised the main building of the city, the Temple of the Sun. Unfortunately, in the III century AD the settlement began to decline, and then disappeared altogether.

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Reconstructing Nubian Masterpieces

It was Herodotus’ descriptions that left no doubt in the mind of Scottish explorer James Bruce, who discovered the origins of the Blue Nile. He was convinced that the ruins discovered belonged to Meroe. Among the remains of the structures was found the Temple of the Sun. A stone slab depicting the celestial luminary was also discovered. Since the XIX century began to conduct excavations. Studying Egyptian documents, archeologists began to familiarize with the history of Meroe. A part of pyramids during this period was destroyed. Local residents under the leadership of Italian Giuseppe Ferlini in pursuit of treasures demolished one building after another and robbed them. But (what a mockery of fate!) the loot could not be sold for a long time. Everyone was sure that the treasure – fake, so Giuseppe sold things for nothing.

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At the end of 70th years of XX century pyramids paid attention to – started restoration works. In the process of reconstruction they used ancient building technologies, applying lever systems. For their manufacturing they addressed to old drawings. Even when creating ropes, modern developments were not involved. The ropes were made from palm tree fibers, just like in ancient times. Today, research continues, but not too intensively. In 2011, UNESCO declared Meroe a World Heritage of Humanity monument.

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A walk through the ancient city

Today Meroe is an ancient burial site, the ruins of a palace and royal bath, the remains of small temples and government buildings, and fragments of the Temple of the Sun and Amon. The main value of this area is the pyramids. All ancient burials are divided into three groups: Southern, Northern and Western cemetery.

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In the desert proudly resist the wind almost 200 ancient pyramids. On their walls are preserved decorative framing of three cultures: Greek, Egyptian and Roman. The local population nicknamed the burial grounds the Begaravaya Cemetery. The Southern cemetery unites 9 pyramids, the Northern cemetery – 41, and the Western cemetery – 113. But only a third of them are considered royal. The Nubian pyramids served as tombs for kings, warlords and famous dignitaries.

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Temples and palace ruins are usually of less interest to tourists. The first thing visitors to Meroe do is rush to the pyramids. These giants are not like the Egyptian ones – they have narrow bases and steep slopes on the side. Most of them have the above-ground part made of stone, the base – from 8 to 14 meters. Compared to the Egyptian masterpieces, these pyramids are midgets: their height varies from 12 to 20 meters. For comparison: the pyramid of Cheops rises on 139 meters. The material for the buildings were adobe bricks, and on the outside they were covered with light-colored mortar.

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“Siblings” of ancient Egyptian masterpieces

The creations at Meroe conjure up associations with ancient Egypt. But if you look closely, their style and texture are different. The local pyramids are smaller in size, but there are many more of them. They have an angle of about 70 degrees, the Egyptian ones have about 50 degrees.

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First, the burial rooms were created in the rock, and already over them built pyramids – the Egyptian technology is different. Tourists in the vicinity are few, which allows you to stay alone with the pyramids. They do not sell souvenirs here and do not offer to make a photo on the camel’s back. Most of the buildings – “without a tower”, and the ancient painting remained only fragments. “Thanks” for this should be given to Giuseppe Ferlini and his gang.”

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Unification of two religions

The Nubians were surprising not only in their approach to pyramid building. They managed to combine two religions: the Meroitic people worshipped both Amon and Apedemak, the god with the head of a lion. The latter was considered a symbol of victory and led battles. The temple of Apedemak is located on the western side of the temple of Amon. The facade of the building is a ceremonial gate with reliefs that show the power of the pharaoh and queen. At the feet of the figures are lions, an attribute of royalty.

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It is worth a little away from the temples and the Roman pavilion comes into view. This is a miniature building, reminiscent of ancient Greek structures. But on the front part – reliefs in the Egyptian style, on the vestibule depicted sacred cobras, on wooden plaques that decorate local temples – female figures. The ladies in no way resemble the graceful beauties of ancient Egypt, for Meroitic women were famous for their lush forms.

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Another local attraction is the Hathor Chapel. In ancient Egyptian mythology, this was the name of the goddess of the sky and beauty. She was also responsible for fun, beauty and dancing. Be sure to look for an image of Hathor’s attribute – the musical instrument sistr. It was considered an amulet that guarded against evil charms.

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But most of the secrets are inaccessible to tourists – Meroe keeps them safely. The entire history of the kingdom has been restored only from Egyptian documents. Scientists still can not answer some questions – for example, why the kingdom died out in the III century AD. There are thousands of Meroitic texts, but they, alas, cannot be deciphered – the “key” to unlocking the language has not been found.

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Traveling to Meroë

The ancient city is located northeast of Khartoum. To enter Sudan, an invitation from a travel agent or host person is required. But after arriving in Khartoum, you need to check in at the local police station, and for traveling on some roads, you need to order official “travel passes.”