Magical Sudan (Jan 2023)

A small minded man once told me that the pyramids of Sudan were underwhelming - nothing in comparison to the pyramids in Egypt. Now I have been to see for myself, I can say, in my opinion, this statement is 100% incorrect!

The sun rose in the chilly morning, and swept slowly over the pyramids one at a time until it had crossed the whole pyramid complex, lighting up the stone into a rich yellow. This was in total contrast from the warm reddy-orangey glow that the pyramids radiated the previous evening during the beautiful sunset. We had spent hours at the pyramids that afternoon, watching the camel herders wandering round touting for tourists to ride the camels but creating beautiful images in front of the pyramid complex scenery. Sadly as I found out in Mongolia - I'm allergic to camels, just like horses and other animals covered in hair and fur! No camel ride for me on this trip - I have learnt my lesson! ;)

The over 200 Pyramids of Meroem the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Kush, were built along the eastern bank of the River Nile around 2,300-2,700 years ago. They are nowhere near as large as the Pyramids of Giza and they are different shaped, being a thinner based pyramid, but the sides are about twice or three times the length of the base, meaning the pitch is around 70 degrees, whereas the Pyramids of Giza look more like equilateral triangles. However, despite the size difference, inside some of these Nubian pyramids are intricate carvings that are just as impressive although different to those in the neighboring country.

The Pyramids of Meroe, due to their size, were built a lot quicker than those in Egypt and were built roughly 800 years after them. The Egyptian pyramids have the tomb encased within the structure of the pyramid, whereas the tombs are dug into the rock directly below the pyramid in the Kushite pyramids. The structures are built on the highest ground to elevate the burial tombs of the pharaohs of Napata and Meroe above the general population and also to avoid the wadi water that frequently came through the valley and washed everything away.

I was with some very keen photographers on my travels (although I like to think I'm pretty good myself, Haha!!) and took the opportunity to get some fun shots that would be impossible to get by myself!

One of the things I was most looking forward to this weekend, was camping at the pyramids. For some reason being out with nature in the desert always means a fabulous, relaxed nights sleep, and this night was no different. A cheeky glass of red wine with dinner and retiring early after taking some night shots of camp meant 10 solid hours of fantastic sleep.

Waking up refreshed, climbing out of the tent into the cool pre-dawn air of a desert morning, layering up (more layers than most!) and heading out to watch sunrise is one of the best starts to a day I can get!! AS this was just a weekend away, I had not had room in my day pack for a sleeping bag and rucksack, so I really hoped sunrise came quickly and the warmth of the sun would mean I wouldn't be shivering for too long!

Before leaving the Meroe area, we also visited the other set of pyramids, these were the broken and damaged pyramids (which I guess didn't look so good) which were kept a little bit out of site, I guess to not detract from the beauty of the standing ones! Nearby was a local museum about the area which although small, was quire informative!

The first morning in Sudan, we had a drive round one part of the city, a lot of it looked like the buildings below, which made for some interesting architecture before we started to head out in the direction of the pyramids. had visited a small part of Khartoum, We went to an old fort that was situated on the edge of the River Nile, that British used when they were fighting to protect their interest in Egypt and the usage of the Suez Canal in the Anglo-Sudan War of 1882.

On the second afternoon, we travelled back to Khartoum in the 4x4's we'd arrived in which took a large part of the day. We stopped along the way in the second largest city, being Omdurman, at the mausoleum of Muhammad Ahmad (also known as Mahdi's Tomb). He was one of the important religious leaders of the Samamiyya order. The mausoleum had recently been beautifully refurbished.

Close by there was a museum which included old cars, and the former rooftop of the newly renovated mausoleum next door. I was helping a friend with her insta shots, when we realised we'd been left behind and that despite thinking we'd been paying attention, we had no idea where the exit was, amongst the winding multiple pathways we could take! In the end, the guard came back to rescue us and escort us out!!

The final highlight of the weekend before the last meal, was a boat trip to the Confluence of the Nile, where the Blue Nile meets the White Nile before the combined Nile heads to Egypt. It was fascinating seeing the faster moving water join with the slower travelling particles and then the river continuing as a mix! I love being on boats as a water baby, so this was a super relaxing way to chill out before the red-eye flight home! The banks of the Nile, also looked to be a large social scene for the locals as there were plenty of plastic chairs lined up along the edge of the river and as the sunset grew closer, the seats started to fill up for the socialising of the evening to begin.

Nile street looked fabulous from the water and after getting back on dry land, we popped into the beautiful hotel called the Burg al Fateh which has the most fabulous views over Khartoum. To me, from the outside, this building looked like a cross between the Burj al Arab in Dubai, UAE and the Gherkin in London, UK. We got the lift to the top floor and timed this perfectly to see the beautiful sunset from the beautifully designed windows and mezzanine levels, which very much reminded me of the inside at the top The Gherkin, which I'd had the good fortune of visiting as part of a work event many years ago when I worked in London.

We went to a beautiful fish restaurant for our final dinner, The food was incredibly delicious local fish caught that day and we got to meet the owner - Mr. Ahmed who was a kindly, older gentleman with a very relaxed disposition who chatted to us about Sudan and chose the food for us, so that we got to try the best of Sudan.

Goodbye Sudan - until next time...