Sudan ongoing civil war is threatening the integrity of its ancient Meroe pyramids, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its unique and angular architecture. Located some 200 kilometres north of Khartoum, the complex comprises over 200 pyramids built between 800 BC and 350 AD as royal tombs for the rulers of the Kingdom of Kush.
None of the pyramids are intact. Some were decapitated, others reduced to rubble, first in the 1800s by dynamite at the hands of treasure-hunting Europeans, and then by two centuries of sand and rain. Now, over three years into the war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, the site stands largely abandoned.
Archaeologist Mahmoud Suleiman said their deterioration is due to a combination of many adverse factors, including climate change, war, and the halting of international preservation efforts. The biggest problem is that stones fall overnight, said antiquities inspector Mohamed Mubarak.
Mubarak added that salt deposits are forming inside the funerary temples in areas with inscriptions and drawings. The salt weakens the stone and eventually will destroy these inscriptions, he warned. The pyramids, ranging from 6 to 30 metres tall, have entrances that usually face east to greet the rising sun.
The Meroe complex is some 800 years older than the Egyptian pyramids and was once Sudan most visited heritage site. But since the outbreak of civil war in April 2023, tourists have stayed away and many archaeologists have been forced to leave the country. Visitors were coming and missions were operating until the war began in 2023, said Mustafa Ahmed, one of the guards of the pyramids.
The conflict has also brought indirect damage. Sand dunes have built up beside the ancient monuments, and recent heavy rains have caused further deterioration. Reports indicate that people have built homes in the archaeological buffer zone, and visitors who do reach the site have climbed on the pyramids and written on their walls.
UNESCO has warned that Sudan cultural heritage is threatened at an unprecedented level, with looting reported at museums, heritage sites, and private collections across the country. With no end in sight to the war, the harsh desert environment continues to ravage these wonders of the ancient world, raising fears that parts of the site may be lost permanently.
Sources: Africanews, The Art Newspaper
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