The grandiose Egyptian megaliths are advertised all over the world, but the Meroe pyramids are little known to ordinary tourists.
Ancient monuments are located in troubled Sudan, which is constantly suffering from border conflicts, civil clashes. Due to numerous dangers and economic sanctions, the flow of people wishing to look at the tombs of the black pharaohs fell 10 times, so the Nubian necropolises were far from the main tourist routes.
In Sudan, there are about 250 pyramids, erected mainly in 720-300 BC.
Many monuments were significantly damaged in the 19th century at the hands of "black archaeologists" led by Giuseppe Ferlini. In his endeavors, this adventurer did not disdain the use of explosives, thoroughly destroying the tomb of Amanishakety and a number of outstanding pyramids.
Sudanese megaliths are inferior in size to their Egyptian counterparts, the average size of stepped or plastered tombs is up to 8-15 m, height is 6-30 m. The angle of inclination of the sides of the Nigerian pyramids is 40 ° -50 °. Most of the tombs are adjoined by temple buildings with bas-reliefs for performing religious rites.
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Near the pyramids of the "black pharaohs" there are many comparatively smaller necropolises of commoners. Geographically, all complexes can be divided into three grandiose stone cemeteries.
The earliest monuments were erected in El-Kurra for the ruler of the Meroit kingdom, the majestic king of Kashta and numerous successors with wives. The rest of the pyramids were built in the vicinity of the settlement of Nuri and in the territory of Upper Nubia.
In addition to the tombs, here you can observe the ruins of the temple of Amun, the ancient Kushite lion god Apedemak, buildings of the Roman era.
All significant Nubian tombs were thoroughly plundered in antiquity. Giuseppe Ferlini managed to find a treasure in the pyramid of Amanishaketa and then sell the values to museums in Munich and Berlin. From the available expositions, one can make an idea of the skill of the jewelers of the Meroitic kingdom.
The decorative decoration of the Sudanese pyramids is poorly preserved, the facing stone with images is almost everywhere destroyed, but on many columns and walls of temples, curious ornaments and scenes from the life of the ancient gods are still visible.
