The sites of El Kurru and Nuri are of great historical significance yet are quite hard to find. It is worth persevering though as you will become one of the few to ever appreciate the wonder of these royal cemeteries. Heading out into the unknown gives this excursion a real sense of adventure.
El Kurru
After asking around we found that mini- buses to El Kurru leave from behind the souk rather than the central transport hub (20SDP) . Driving out into the bleakness of the desert, leaving all greenery of the Nile behind we were not sure if this would be a Bag-tale or not! After 30 minutes of driving through the inhospitable land, our bus rumbled off the tarmacked road and we wondered how anybody could survive here. Sure enough we soon saw the wave of a date palm grove and realised we had again caught up with the life giving Nile.
The village was no more than a collection of single storey compounds with the occasional bright flash of bougainvillea. The only civic landmark was a cemetery of parched earth with small rugged stones making each grave and two smooth domed buildings highlighting the areas importance.
We were dropped off at a house where a number of archaeologists were packing up their finds of the season. One of their local assistants walked us to the near-by site describing how he and other villagers had played on the site as children, knowing it was important but not really understanding why.
These days there is a lot of archaeological activity here with many local people involved. When we arrived pathways were being laid in preparation for the arrival of future visitors. With no ticket office we had to wait for someone to find the official who had the key to the tombs, luckily he had not left the village that day! We paid 100SDP each for entry.
Most of the pyramids that covered the tombs are long gone and those that remain are dilapidated but it is not what is on the surface that you have come to see. Small unassuming entrances and steep staircases lead you down to the secrets beneath the desert.
Below the surface the importance of the people of the past is evident in the cavernous rooms and pain-staking paintwork of these underground tombs. Unlike the Valley of the Kings they are decorated with paint rather than with carvings. The incredibly preserved hieroglyphs and portraits illustrate the route to the after-life. Given the water damage in some places it makes the ones that have survived all the more remarkable. After nearly three thousand years it was extraordinary to imagine the Kushites who painted these scenes and a privilege to see them. At the moment very few tourists make it to El Kurru so in contrast to busy sites in Egypt you may well be the only people exploring here.
The fervor for Egyptology has long meant that Sudan’s ancient past has been largely unrecognised and left un-excavated making it an exciting modern day frontier for discovery. As well as tombs there is a temple complex which a team of Italian archaeologists were busy excavating. Seeing this small example of what lies beneath made us wonder how much had already been swallowed up by the desert and lost for ever.
Foolishly we had not asked about a return bus! With the sudden disappearance of the very few people we had seen we had no choice but to walk through the deserted village, into the desert and back to the road. El Kurru made us rethink what being in the middle of no-where meant as there was nothing on the horizon in all directions.
We waited at a comically isolated bus-stop, the ferocity of the natural elements meant walking was not an option. Due to the isolated nature of many villages in Sudan most vehicles become shared vehicles and are safe to pick up from the side of the road. The exception to this is truckers who do not stop on their way to unload their cargo. Just before we had run out of water a little yellow car appeared on the horizon and squeezed us in for the journey back to Karima (30SDP).
Nuri
Nuri lies in the opposite direction to El Kurru from Karima and you will need to take a mini-bus via Merowe (10SDP + 10SDP do not confuse with Meroë). Nuri was a place of great significance as the royal necropolis for the capital of the Kingdom of Kush. Around 20 of the 80 original pyramids remain in various states of ruin. Kush’s most famous king Taharqa, once pharaoh of Egypt is buried here and his giant pyramid is positioned to be a sunlit spectacle from Jebel Barkal.
The site is expansive and a wondrous place to imagine the grandeur of the lost ancient royal court. Situated between a date palm farm and a tiny village the huge crumbing blocks of the pyramids are surrounded by everyday life with some of them even being looted for the cornerstones of local houses. There is no formal tourist infrastructure here beyond a guard who you may or may not have to pay to visit the sites (50SDP).
El Kurru and Nuri have been battling the elements of the desert for nearly three thousand years. After generations of un-celebrated history it is a testament to the architects of the past that they still stand. Their growing recognition will hopefully help to uncover more of their secrets.
