The Pyramids of Meroe

Shendi, Sudan

The ancient pyramids of Meroe exert a magical attraction. About forty kings and queens found here a home for eternity. In the middle of the desert, visible from afar, the gigantic monuments rise. Architecture and geometry, light and shadow, symbol and power, man and God determine the tension of the necropolis.

The black Pharaohs Necropolis

Two hundred kilometers northeast of the Sudanese capital Khartoum the preserved burial places and pyramids of Meroe can be found. Pianchi (Pije) was the first Nubian ruler, strongly influenced by the Egyptian faith and fascinated by the eternal life after death, who was buried in a pyramid in El Kurru. With the expansion of the empire, the center of power shifted. Around 300 BC the Nubian rulers started building their burial places close to the new residence of Meroe.

The legendary Ergamenes was the first to establish a pyramid here. Osiris, Isis and Anubis are keeping watch ever since over the pyramids of Meroe and care for their inhabitants. Some hieroglyphics look as new as on the day of their creation. To this very day the traveler can feel the power of the Gods and legendary rulers of the empire of Kusch. A magic field surrounds the pyramids of Meroe. The strength place shines still even today and forms an energetic bridge between this world and the other world.

Heaven and earth are connected

Those who stand before the „seat of the eye“, Osiris’ court of the dead, receive eternal life. It was like that in Egypt and it was like that in the land of Kush. The ancient pyramids of Meroe point towards the sky in an acute-angle. That way the ruler’s soul gets up and down with the help of the suns or star rays. The funerary goods and sacrificial foods are accessible to the Pharaoh. There is no more separation between heaven and earth for him. He becomes a God himself.

The setup of the ancient pyramid corresponds to its function: Beneath the about thirty meter high structures are the grave chambers, before the ancient pyramids there are the richly decorated, telling the story of the deceased his earthly and next life death temple. The sacrificial gifts in the temple are used for communication with the deified deceased. The pyramids of Meroe are a center of once living, ritualistic actions preserved by the desert sand and constitute a strength place, whose effect is felt even today.

Death, magic and rebirth

The pyramids of Meroe demonstrate the high medical, architectural and spiritual knowledge of the Nubians. The connection between law, physical integrity and rebirth to eternal life with gradual idolization can be found in the triad of Osiris, Anubis and Isis adopted from the Egyptians. A gradual break with the Egyptian model becomes clear: The representations become more African, Hellenistic elements are introduced. The ancient pyramids are clearly smaller and build in a steeper side angle. At the same time there is a cultic progression. The African Arensnuphis is absorbed by Osiris. The faith conceptions merge and are visibly reconciled in the actual one, which is still noticeable today.

Death is not limited worldly, but lifted after a divine examination. The dog-headed Anubis stand guard over the body and its state of health during eternity. Isis, the goddess of rebirth and magic, guides the soul after death and introduces it to the afterlife. The Necropolis is a place of the dead and the living, who in this way find a way of communicating with the other world. One cannot withdraw oneself from the suggestive effect of the pyramids of Meroe. An enchantment emanates from the gigantic structures and turns the Necropolis into a strength place whose energies effectively envelop someone.