War and accumulating sand threaten Sudan’s Meroe pyramids, in photos

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BEJRAWIYA, Sudan (AP) — Sudan’s ongoing war is threatening the integrity of its ancient Meroe pyramids, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its unique and angular architecture, as preservation efforts have completely halted.

“The site may face a disaster and collapses are possible,” warned archaeologist Mahmoud Suleiman.

Meroe, located some 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of the capital Khartoum, comprises over 200 pyramids built between 800 B.C. and 350 A.D. as royal tombs for the rulers of the Kingdom of Kush.

“The sand has thickened heavily on the pyramids and even inside the temples, and the grass grows thick,” Mustafa Ahmed, one of the guards at Meroe, told The Associated Press as he made his way through sand dunes on site. “The pyramids have deteriorated greatly and stones have begun to fall.”

Mohamed Mubarak, an antiquities inspector, said salt, released from accumulated sand, has collected inside the funerary temples and is degrading the "inherently fragile” stones, risking the erosion of ancient inscriptions.

“Climate change, war leading to the dispersal of the workforce, and the difficulty for foreign missions to continue their work amid the country’s security instability ... all contributed to the significant deterioration of the site,” said Suleiman, the archaeologist.

Sudan’s deadly conflict, which erupted in April 2023, has destroyed multiple of the country’s historical sites and museums. UNESCO warned in April that cultural and historical sites are under growing threat, with over 100 cultural sites damaged, and at least 22 museums looted or destroyed since the onset of the war.

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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.