Over here is the site of the temple of Amon. Once it was some 450 feet [140 m] long. Even today its remains jut out of the desert sand. Granite statues of rams, some of which can still be seen, at one time lined the broad processional way to the temple’s entrance.

In the immediate temple area, you can still see some of the statues, engravings, and paintings that richly ornamented the royal palaces. Or you may wish to admire the beautifully engraved columns surrounding a nearby swimming pool. The plumbing system that once channeled water into the pool through the open mouths of small, lion-​headed statues is ingenious even by 20th-​century standards. The ravages of time, sun, and desert sand have not completely faded the striking colors that adorn the columns that surround the pool.

[Map/​Pictures on page 25]

Top: Temple ruins at Meroë