Aerial view of the Nubian pyramids at Meroë | ||
Meroë · مروي | ||
State | Nahr an-Nil | |
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no tourist info on Wikidata: ![]() | ||
location | ||
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Meroë, Arabic:مروي, Marawī, is an ancient city on the east bank of the Nils in North Sudan, about 200 kilometers northeast of the capital al-Charṭūm. In three different places there are more than 200 Nubian pyramids, which served as tombs of the nearby royal city.
background
![](https://maps.wikimedia.org/img/osm-intl,12,16.9424,33.7413,302x200.png?lang=de&domain=de.wikivoyage.org&title=Meroë&groups=Maske,Track,Aktivitaet,Anderes,Anreise,Ausgehen,Aussicht,Besiedelt,Fehler,Gebiet,Kaufen,Kueche,Sehenswert,Unterkunft,aquamarinblau,cosmos,gold,hellgruen,orange,pflaumenblau,rot,silber,violett)
getting there
In the street
The paved trunk road from al-Charṭūm across ʿAtbara to Wādī Ḥalfā runs between the Westfriedhof and the Nord- / Südfridhöfe in Meroë.
Meroë is easily accessible from al-Charṭūm. All buses from al-Charṭūm to ʿAtbara or from Shandī to ʿAtbara pass the pyramids, which can be overlooked. It is best to ask about the small town of al-Bajarawiya, which is in the immediate vicinity of Meroë.
By train
By plane
The nearest airport is in Shandi, located about 45 kilometers southwest. There are no regular commercial flights to Shandi Airport. However, charter flights from al-Charṭūm to be organized to this airport. However, since Meroë can be easily reached by road from al-Charṭūm, this option is mainly useful for people who have little time or the necessary change for such a flight. When paying for a charter flight, ask the pilot to fly over Meroë so that they can take aerial photographs that could justify the effort.
mobility
In Meroë - as in many parts of Africa - the best way to get around is in the most off-road vehicle possible.
Tourist Attractions
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/NubianMeroePyramids30sep2005.jpg/250px-NubianMeroePyramids30sep2005.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Nubia-_2008-_Piramidi_Khartoum.jpg/250px-Nubia-_2008-_Piramidi_Khartoum.jpg)
The most famous sight in Meroë are the pyramids of Meroë. The graves belong to the former royal city.
The pyramids are in three different places:
- 1 South Cemetery. There are nine royal pyramids in the south cemetery. Four of them belonged to kings and the other five belonged to queens. One hundred and ninety other graves complete the cemetery.(16 ° 56 ′ 7 ″ N.33 ° 45 ′ 0 ″ E)
- 2 North Cemetery. The northern cemetery contains forty-one royal pyramids. Thirty belonged to kings, six queens, and five other members of the royal families. There are three other non-royal graves in the cemetery, for a total of forty-four graves.(16 ° 56 ′ 17 ″ N.33 ° 45 ′ 1 ″ E)
- 3 West Cemetery. The Westfriedhof is a non-royal site. It contains one hundred and thirteen graves.(16 ° 55 ′ 58 ″ N.33 ° 43 ′ 41 ″ E)
Other places of interest are:
- 4 Sun temple(16 ° 55 ′ 48 ″ N.33 ° 43 ′ 19 ″ E)
activities
shop
kitchen
accommodation
- 1 Meroe Tented Camp. Tel.: 249 (0)18 348 7961. One of the few accommodation options near Meroë. The location is spectacular. It allows you to watch the sunset over the pyramids. Accommodation is in spacious tents. Each tent has electricity, a private veranda (for a view of the pyramids at sunrise or sunset!), Beds and some furniture. Toilets are located in a concrete building behind the tents, with a toilet assigned to each tent. Showers only have cold water. The food is available, and thanks to the Italian owners, mostly as Italian cuisine. Locals occasionally visit the tent camp to sell handicrafts or offer camel riding tours.Price: US $ 95/120.(16 ° 56 '49 "N.33 ° 46 ′ 6 ″ E)
- 2 Raidan Tourist Village. Tel.: 249 (0)18 379 8547, 249 (0)18 379 8548, Mobile: 249 (0)9 1230 1928, Fax: 249 (0)155 221 928, Email: [email protected]. Hotel from Raidan Travel & Tours, which is within sight of the aforementioned tent camp. Accommodation is in a permanent building, in the middle of which there is a dining room with an attached kitchen.(16 ° 57 ′ 17 ″ N.33 ° 46 ′ 18 ″ E)
If you have your own tent and supplies, you can also spend the night in the desert. This is allowed if you sit at least 100 meters from the pyramids. Alternatively, it is possible to find accommodation in one of the few small villages collectively called al-Bagrawiya / al-Bajrawiya.
trips
- Shandi
- ʿAtbara
- Jebel al-Barkal - Another Unesco World Heritage Site in Sudan with various temples, pyramids and palaces.