Pyramids of Meroe

Pyramids of Meroe 400
Pyramids of Meroe, Sudan
Photo by: Wikimedia Commons , Creative Commons

When one thinks of pyramids, one thinks of Egypt. But Egypt’s influence does not only stop at its borders. A few of its neighbors have been influenced by their culture. One such place is a city named Meroe in the country of Sudan.

Meroe is a city on the east side of the Nile River and was the capital kingdom of Kush for sometime a few centuries ago. The city can be easily recognized due to the presence of more than 200 pyramids that are divided into three groups.

The pyramids found in the city are also called Nubian Pyramids. Nubian pyramids are pyramidal structures that were built on a region called Nubia, an area on the Nile valley, in the present day country of Sudan. This place was ruled by Egypt for some time and greatly influenced the culture of the people who lived there especially in the art of pyramid building. Nubian pyramids are significantly smaller in size than those that can be found in Egypt. They stand at a range of six to thirty feet in height and a base that didn’t exceed much beyond eight feet making the pyramid look tall and the surface walls slant to about seventy degrees.

Many of the pyramids in the city of Meroe are in ruins. Mainly due to the harshness of the climate and lack of ability to maintain the structures throughout the centuries, there are only very few pyramids that are still intact and well preserved. There have been indications that the pyramids were ransacked and plundered of any valuable jewelry that any royal family members entombed in there might have had.

If one enjoys seeing the majesty of the architecture and culture of ancient civilizations, especially those of Egyptians and their influences in neighbouring areas, then the Pyramids of Meroe is a place to see.

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