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.

At the eastern edge of Meroë stands the Sun Temple, once very prominent in the worship of this city’s inhabitants. Although not of the imposing magnitude of the temple of Amon, it is nevertheless richly adorned with blue and yellow floor and wall tiles, as well as carved scenes depicting military triumphs.

[Map/​Pictures on page 25]

Top: Temple ruins at Meroë