Musawwarat Es-Sufra, Lion Temple
Sudan is the third largest country in Africa. It is a federal presidential representative democratic republic with a legal system based on Islamic law, since Islam is the predominant religion. The River Nile divides the country into eastern and western halves. Sudan was home to numerous ancient civilizations, such as the Kingdom of Kush, Kerma, Nobatia, Alodia, Makuria, Meroe and others, most of which flourished along the Nile. During the pre-dynastic period Nubia and Nagadan Upper Egypt were identical, simultaneously evolved systems of pharaonic kingship by 3300 BC. Because of its proximity to Egypt, the Sudan participated in the wider history of the Near East inasmuch as it was Christianized by the 6th century, and Islamized in the 15th. Sudan is rarely visited by foreigners; yet it offers a wealth of historical treasures and extraordinary landscapes. Not to forget its amazingly welcoming people. At a short distance from Naqa, the temple of Musawwarat Es-Sufra is the largest set of Meroitic remains in Sudan. Covering 55,000 m2, its purpose remains unclear, but the most favoured explanation is that it was a cult centre and pilgrimage site, possibly for Apedemak. One kilometer East of the Great Enclosure is a Lion Temple dedicated to Apedemak. The temple was built around 200 BC by King Anekhamani, one of the first kings to be burried in Meroe. The temple has a massive pylon entrance showing the king making offerings to the gods.
Size: 4065px × 2710px
Location: SudanMusawwarat Es-Sufra, Naqa, Sudan
Photo credit: © François-Olivier Dommergues / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: abandoned, africa, arab, archeological, archeology, architecture, archéologie, british, desert, desertic, embargo, empire, engravings, historical, history, islam, islamic, isolated, muslim, oil, remote, remoteness, republic, soudan, stone, sudan, temple, temples, ésert
