Ma r c h 7 2 0 0 9 edited by Carol Lazar

WINING AND
DINING IN
SHIRAZ
COUNTRY
Page 6
SUDANS SHIFTING SANDS SUDANS SHIFTING SANDS
Page 2
M a r c h 7 2 0 0 9 S AT UR DAY S TA R TRAVEL 2
Cultures at the Royal Ontario Mu-
seum, is, after Egypt, the second
oldest literate civilisation in Africa.
It had two main cities, Napata and
Meroe.
The traditional view is that the
Kingdom of Kush arose around the
town of Napata (modern Karima)
near the fourth cataract, a town
founded by Egyptian pharaohs
around 1400 BC.
The civilisation spanned more
than 1 000 years, and Meroe was
Africas major centre of iron work.
To Page 3
Sudan is not a popular tourist destination, with a few souvenir sellers
and men, such as this man on a donkey, right, arriving from nowhere
THE SUDAN
MYSTERIOUS AND DISTANT LAND
HHHeeeiiidddiii KKKiiinnngggssstttooonnneee ventures into the countryside and discovers
untold treasures. MMMiiiccchhhaaaeeelll FFFrrreeeeeemmmaaannn took the pictures
I
t's not often you have a vast
desert expanse and dozens of
pyramids to yourself. If you are
in Sudan, near the sixth
cataract, its more than likely
that the only other people there will
be a few souvenir sellers and men
who suddenly appear seemingly out
of no where riding through the red
sand to offer rides on their camels.
About 320km north-east of the
capital are Sudans pyramids,
smaller than their well-known
Egyptian counterparts, a few dozen
significant ruins from the Meroitic
kingdom that lasted between 300BC
and 300AD. The pyramids are easily
reachable by car along a well paved
stretch of highway a few hours
drive from Khartoum, making it a
perfect day trip.
Its best to leave Khartoum in the
early morning, about 6am. This en-
ables you to avoid the traffic, which
can be brutal, and gives you time to
see the sites before the heat gets un-
bearable. Even in winter tempera-
tures linger at 35C. As with most
things in Sudan, you need a permit.
Sudan is not a popular tourist
destination for many reasons, not
least political upheaval and a tense
security situation. Even in the 19th
century, when the European craze
for all things Egyptian was in full
flow, Sudan was closed for business
as it underwent its own series of
revolutions.
I walked all around the site with
my Italian guide, into some of the
pyramids, looking at bas-reliefs.
With the wind blowing constantly, it
seemed miraculous that they hadnt
been covered by sand.
There pyramids survive in vari-
ous states from heaps of rubble to
reconstructed ones, but most were
destroyed by the Italian adventurer-
explorer, Giuseppe Ferlini, who
came in 1834 looking for gold, which
he was determined to find.
Ancient Nubia, or Kush as it is
called in the Bible, explains Dr
Krzysztof Grzymski, Senior Cura-
tor and Head: Department of World
S AT UR DAY S TA R M a r c h 7 2 0 0 9 TRAVEL 3
From opposite page
The culture combines Egyptian
features with African ones, as well
as Roman and Greek.
Their writing system is the old-
est in Africa, and includes vowel
sounds. Originally they used Egypt-
ian hieroglyphs, but along the way
reduced the system to 23 basic signs
an alphabet. The language still
has not been deciphered.
Not far from this royal burial
site, on a dusty plain with dry
acacia and hostile thorn trees is an
inauspicious looking site that costs
$10 (R113.50) to enter.
If the romance of archaeology
grips you, this is a place not to miss.
Grzymski, a Canadian archaeol-
ogist who was excavating when I
was there, took me in to see the en-
closure of the pools of the kings,
now locked up and protected.
The elite had their water piped
in from the nearby Nile, and you
can still see the paintings of ele-
phants that decorated the baths.
You can also easily make out the
stone figures of the carved lions,
representing the power of the
Meroites, where the water flowed
from their mouths.
The elite of Meroe also drank
sweet water from a separate source.
Grzymski was rather excited
when I bumped into him. Unesco
had just sent a delegation to deter-
mine whether the remains he is
excavating should be deemed a
world heritage site. The process,
which has to be proposed by the
local government, takes about two
years.
Its always interesting to get a
bit of local colour; so, after a thor-
ough tour, we stopped at the shai
house where I had excellent gowa,
Sudanese coffee, good conversation
and ful, the local dish served
mainly in the morning for break-
fast, mopped up with bread, esh.
Now it seems Hollywood may be hot
on Grzymskis trail. Some in Sudan
believe Barack Obamas grandfa-
ther didnt come from Kenya, but
from the Nuba Mountains.
Taharqa was a Nubian king of
Egypt who fought the Assyrians.
Obama could be descended
from the first black superhero,
says Grzymski. The rumour going
around is that Will Smith is set to
play him. Dont say you didnt
read it here first.
If the romance of archeaology grips you, the deserts of Egypt are a good place to start with their dry dusty planes and hostile thorn trees.