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Your support makes all the difference.The small, steep pyramids rising from the desert hills of northern Sudan resemble those in neighbouring Egypt, but unlike the famed pyramids of Giza, the Sudanese site is largely deserted.
Sanctions against the government of longtime President Omar al-Bashir limit its access to foreign aid and donations, while also hampering tourism.
The site, known as the Island of Meroe because an ancient, long-dried river ran around it, once served as the principal residence of the rulers of the Kush kingdom, known as the Black Pharaohs. Their pyramids, ranging from six metres (20ft) to 30m (100ft) tall, were built between 720 and 300BC. The entrances usually face east to greet the rising sun.
The pyramids bear decorative elements inspired by Pharaonic Egypt, Greece and Rome, according to Unesco, making them priceless relics. A few tourists and white camels were recently seen roaming the site, watched by a handful of security guards. Mr Al-Bashir’s government, which came to power following a bloodless Islamist coup in 1989, has struggled to care for its antiquities and Qatar has pledged $135m (£89m) to renovate them.
Sudan has just 15,000 tourists a year. AP
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