Neglect, nature and war are burying Sudan's Meroe pyramids

Two hundred kilometres north of Sudan's capital, Khartoum, sand accumulates inside the pyramids of the ancient city of Meroe. Regular maintenance of the site has been disrupted since April 2023 by the war in Sudan.

Amid these conditions, archaeologists have warned of possible collapses at the site, which contains royal tombs of rulers of the Kingdom of Kush and more than 200 pyramids built between the eighth century BC and the fourth century AD.

Signs of deterioration, according to Associated Press in a recent report, include structural cracks affecting several pyramids, the growth of weeds at the archaeological site, and the crystallisation of salts inside the sandstone, threatening ancient inscriptions and sculptures with erosion.

With the antiquities authority's limited ability to carry out regular maintenance, climate fluctuations throughout the year, such as seasonal floods and winds, have become significant threats to archaeological landmarks.

The damage caused by the war has affected Sudanese antiquities both at open-air sites and in museums, such as the National Museum and the Ethnographic Museum in Khartoum and the Khalifa House in [Omdurman], according to a UNESCO report in April.

The report recorded damage to more than 100 cultural and archaeological sites and the looting or destruction of 22 museums.

In addition to the direct damage caused to antiquities by the war and the suspension of archaeological teams, the lack of security at archaeological sites has led to the growth of illegal excavations.

Sudanese teams and international partners have made limited attempts to save archaeological sites, including removing sand, improving water drainage and restoring damaged sections.

These efforts have also included documentation work ultimately aimed at recovering looted artefacts, according to another UNESCO report issued last July.

Meroe Island, which has been on the World Heritage List since 2011, includes three archaeological groups: the royal city, the Meroe cemeteries and the Naqa site.

These groups contain pyramids, temples, palaces and water facilities that document the history of the Kingdom of Kush.

Meroitic architectural styles combine Mediterranean and Egyptian influences, as the rule of Kushite kings extended north to Egypt, while caravan routes crossing the Nile intersected there.

Because of its location, it also linked the African interior with Egypt and the Red Sea and served as a gateway for many peoples to the Mediterranean world through a network of commercial and cultural interactions.

The city, like the Nile Valley, witnessed developments in the history of ideas and religions.

Over more than 700 kilometres north of Khartoum, sites documenting successive eras are scattered across the region, according to a study by researchers Habbab Idris Ahmed and Geoff Emberling.

The study, titled "Archaeology and Cultural Heritage in Wartime: Sudan 2023–2025", was published in the British archaeology journal Antiquity in its October 2025 issue.

Sites documented by the study include the Kerma archaeological site, one of the oldest urban centres in Africa and the centre of the first phase of the Kingdom of Kush.

They also include Jebel Barkal, Napata, the cemeteries of El-Kurru and Nuri, and Christian Nubian kingdom cities such as Old Dongola.

The study also documents many sites dating to Islamic history, such as Suakin and Soba, among others.

Article translated from Arabic by Afrah Almatwari. To read the original, click here.