Pyramids, relics, warrior queens: Sudan’s history took centuries to be recognised and faces erasure again

Every nation has its heroes, history and myths.

In Sudan, the points of pride are literal. Our desert is home to more pyramids than any other country in the world. These pyramids were built by the rulers of the Nubian civilisation, ancient Egypt’s rival, in the Upper Nile Valley.

For decades, the racism of early archaeologists diminished the glory of ancient Nubia. Upon discovering the pyramid of Nubian Pharoah Taharqa, the father of Egyptology George Reisner noted the structure could not possibly belong to “inferior negroids” and attributed it to a resettled Egyptian governor.

Today, that glory is diminished by a deadly war that is spreading across Sudan.

South of Taharqa’s pyramid complex in Nuri, northern Sudan, another smattering of pyramids make up the UNESCO heritage site Meroë.

Built in 590 BC, the last capital of the Nubian kingdom of Kush, notably ruled by a series of warrior queens known as the “Kandakas”, is now hushed and empty.

A sand dune has swallowed the entrance building and removed any trace of past visitors.

“Tourism has completely stopped,” says tour guide Abdelmagid. “We have had no salaries for months.

“I have eight children and I am in debt to feed them. The shops I borrow food from have stopped giving me food because I can’t pay them back.”

The lack of income is coupled with the fear that the conflict will spread to their home village adjacent to the pyramids.

Just 124 miles away in the war-torn capital Khartoum, the National Museum of Sudan is a base for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a militia turned paramilitary group hell-bent on conquering the country.

While they fight Sudan’s army for control, the RSF have looted the homes of millions and sold off the ancient relics that once filled the museum.

“We heard about the museum, so much was taken,” says Abdelmajid. “It was destroyed and looted – just like these pyramids once were.”

He’s talking about the tops of Meroë pyramids that were blown up with dynamite in the 1830s by Guiseppe Ferline, an Italian explorer hunting for treasure.

The intricate gold jewellery of the Kandakas now sits in museums around the world – from the Boston Museum of Fine Art to the Egyptian Museum of Berlin.

The Kandakas were not just known for their gold but for their fearless defence of the land.

In 2019, when a revolution toppled military dictator Omar al Bashir after 30 years, the name Kandaka was used to describe the fearless young women facing death to march for equality and civilian rule.

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It was a moment of hope that led to a revival of pride in Sudan’s powerful past and fierce female icons.

The one-eyed warrior queen Amanirenas is known for waging battles against encroaching Roman rule and eventually, sending envoys to meet Caesar Augustus on the island of Somos to enter a trade agreement with Rome as equals.

Her successor Amanishaketo, etched into the side of the Meroë pyramids, upheld the prosperity and sovereignty of the Kingdom of Kush.

A sandstone relief depicting Queen Amanishaketo next to two deities is among the ancient treasures under threat of RSF robbery in the National Museum in Khartoum.

Our history took centuries to be recognised and faces erasure once again. Once buried under a blanket of racism and poverty and now, engulfed by the greed of war and erosion of neglect.