Literature consulted (selection)

Island of Meroe Edwards, D.N. The archaeology of the Meroitic state: new perspectives on its social and political organisation, Tempus () Reparatum, Oxford, 1996. No 1336 O’Connor, D., Ancient , ’s Rival in , The University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 1993.

Wildung, D. (ed.), Sudan: Ancient Kingdoms of the , Institut Official name as proposed by the State Party du monde arabe, Flammarion, Paris-New York, 1997. The Archaeological Sites of the Island of Meroe Technical Evaluation Mission Location An ICOMOS technical evaluation mission visited the State, Shendi Province property from 23 to 30 September 2010. Republic of Sudan Additional information requested and received Brief description from the State Party The Island of Meroe, a semi-desert landscape between The State Party was requested on 23 September 2010 to the Nile and Rivers, was the heartland of the provide maps with annotated features for each site, , a major power in the ancient world together with clarification of funding arrangements for the th th from the 8 century BCE to the 4 century CE, before proposed management framework for the overall property. the onset of Christianity in the region. The property rd consists of the royal city of the Kushite kings from the 3 A response was received on 21 October 2010 including century BCE at Meroe, near the River Nile, and the maps. This information has been incorporated into the nearby religious sites of and Musawwarat es- relevant sections of the evaluation below. Sufra. There are remains of places, steep-sided stone or fired brick pyramidal funerary monuments, and elaborate Date of ICOMOS approval of this report temples, many of which reflect Egyptian, Roman and 10 March 2011 Sahelian African influences. The three sites testify to the wealth and power of the Kushite state and to its wide- ranging trade contacts with the Mediterranean and 2 The property Middle Eastern worlds. Description Category of property The nominated property comprises a total of 2,357.36ha In terms of categories of cultural property out in in three separate sites: Article 1 of the 1972 World Heritage Convention, this is a serial nomination of three sites. Meroe is in two parts: Meroe 1 (town site) west of the highway covers 612.551ha and Meroe 2 (cemetery site) east of the highway covers 674.904ha. Meroe 1 & 2 are 1 Basic data surrounded by a buffer zone of 1,718.031ha.

Included in the Tentative List Musawwarat es-Sufra covers 836.57ha and is 31 August 2004 surrounded by a buffer zone of 2,653.64ha.

International Assistance from the World Heritage Naqa covers 231.852ha and is surrounded by a buffer Fund for preparing the Nomination zone of 9,509.92ha. 2004 The Kingdom of Kush emerged as a powerful African Date received by the World Heritage Centre civilisation in the Middle Nile Region around the 9th 25 January 2010 century BCE at around Gebel Barkal, about 50km downstream from the fourth cataract of the Nile. Background The Napatan rulers were the inheritors of the Pharaonic This is a new nomination. kingdom.

Consultations They occupied Egypt for nearly a century, at that time ICOMOS has consulted its International Scientific ruling over a vast empire extending from the Committee on Archaeological Heritage Management and Mediterranean to the heart of Africa. The seat of power several independent experts. rested with the king who journeyed annually throughout his realm. The early rulers were buried at el-Kurru, a few kilometres downstream from Gebel Barkal, then at Nuri and at other nearby sites. These were inscribed on the

96 World Heritage List in 2003 as Gebel Barkal and the The site consists of the remains of the Royal city within Sites of the Napatan region. an enclosure wall and to the east extensive Royal cemeteries, a number of temples, a (hafir), The Kushite kingdom moved its capital and royal burials cemeteries of the less wealthy inhabitants of the city and south to Meroe in 4th century BC. At Meroe and at a kilometre to the east the Sun temple and its associated nearby sites, the Kushites developed a civilisation that hafir. was mostly sub-Saharan in character, while maintaining strong links to the Mediterranean world to the north. The Atbara to railway cuts through the eastern They created urban centres on the banks of the Nile, the edge of the settlement. The main highway connecting most important being the capital Meroe and the port of Khartoum with Port Sudan runs north-south through the Wad ben Naqa (not part of the nominated property). centre of the plain. Adequate annual rainfall and alluvial deposits also encouraged the spread of settlement away from the Nile The irregular trapezoidal stone-walled area known as the Valley, the largest being Naqa and Musawwarat es- Royal City has four gates and includes the ‘Royal Baths’ Sufra which were both religious centres. Numerous and four temples. Some blocks in the wall bear masons’ small religious centres also dot the Western and marks in Greek and the date suggested is second half of Keraba. These comprised a temple and a reservoir 3rd century BCE to mid 2nd century CE. (hafir), forming permanent foci for semi-nomadic pastoralists and providing a means through which the The bath structure was a water sanctuary decorated with government exerted its power and control over the faience plaques bearing alternate figures of and population. None of these smaller sites are nominated. bulls in stone, two painted serpents and an elephant, and three free-standing statues; the central one a harpist Meroe was at the convergence of a network of trade and the one on the left a musician playing the pipes. It routes along the White and Blue Niles connecting the was supplied by a brick vaulted, cement-lined aqueduct. Red Sea port towns in the East to beyond Lake Chad in Filling the basin depended on the water level of the Nile; the West. They manufactured and traded richly it was only operative at the high Nile and was associated decorated cotton textiles, ceramics, iron and objects of with inundation, the New Year and by extension, the cult bronze, and gold and other luxury items which were of the ruler. much in demand in Roman Egypt. The area also includes remains of a small rectangular The main structures to survive substantially above temple possibly dedicated to , with interior ground are elaborate temples and distinctive pyramidal plastered walls painted with scenes of enthroned gods funerary monuments, built of durable stone, or red fired with goddesses standing behind, and images of bound brick as well as numerous hafirs (). prisoners.

Most Meroitic temples had ‘pylons’ (monumental Outside the walled enclosure adjacent to its eastern wall gateways) and enclosure walls, but the number of rooms is the Temple of Amun, the largest structure on the site varied from one to three or more. The temples were built constructed of mud and red brick with door jambs, in a variety of styles and, over time, became more columns, pylons and with the main sanctuary of Nubian influenced by Hellenistic and Roman architecture. They sandstone. The formal approach was lined over time were elaborately decorated with a variety of royal and with small temples, and close to the pylon, by two stone military themes. The temples are usually associated with rams either side. The temple includes an outer hafirs and would have acted as a resting place for courtyard, a hypostyle hall, several ancillary rooms and travellers and nomads as well as being centres of the sanctuary. The fact that this temple faces towards regional authority. the desert, which is unusual as Amun temples usually face the river, together with evidence of thick deposits of The cemeteries are characterised by tall pyramids, Nile silt in excavations immediately east of the temple, echoes of those built in Egypt around Aswan in the New suggest that when the temple was built, the main river Kingdom at least 800 years earlier but rather steeper. channel ran to the east of the city, which stood on an Built either of stone or of burnt brick they would originally island. The Nile is a dynamic river and is constantly have been plastered with lime mortar and then painted shifting its course, creating new islands and sometimes and so the differences in materials would not have been washing others away. apparent. The burials were in tombs cut into the sub- surface rock beneath Meroe. The Temple, dedicated to the cult of (Lion God) is located on a heap of iron slag immediately The site of the royal city of Meroe, known today as east of the town site. It is a double-chambered Begraweya, is near the banks of the river Nile about 220 sandstone temple decorated with reliefs. The entrance is north of Khartoum. It lies in the savannah belt on the by a flight of steps originally flanked by two lion statues. south side of the Sahara, receiving today an annual rainfall of 100mm. Proximity to the Nile made the region The Sun Temple located around one km from the town is viable throughout the city’s history. The site is partly set on a podium with a colonnade around the temple's overlaid by the villages of Deraqab and Kigiek.

97 sanctuary, a Greek architectural feature. It was built remains of an enormous palace, together with two around 600 BC and restored in the 1st century. temples and a town.

Relief decoration depicts bound captives, war scenes, The ruins of Musawwarat es-Sufra are located in a large massacre scenes and an image of a ritual temple. basin surrounded by low sandstone hills. Immediately in front of the temple a large portrait head of Augustus was buried. This may be loot from the Kushite The main features of the site include the ‘Great raid on Aswan around the late 1st century AD at a time Enclosure’, the ‘Small Enclosure’, the Lion Temple, the following the Roman occupation of Egypt. Renewed Great Reservoir (Hafir), a smaller reservoir, quarries, contact with the Graeco-Roman world is evident in the minor temples and other structures. An additional architecture of this period under the co-rulers King reservoir lies further away up the wadi. Natakamani and Queen , including the kiosk in the forecourt of the Amun Temple. The large temple complex, known as the "Great Enclosure" may have been a pilgrimage centre or a royal There are three royal cemeteries to the east of the city – palace. known as the western, northern and southern cemeteries. It covers an area of 55,000sq m. Constructed in sandstone, it comprises individual buildings, store Many of the graves are surmounted by steep stone or rooms, workshops, kitchens, walled enclosures, and brick pyramids, a dramatic feature of the site, particularly ramps. It exhibits eight major phases of rebuilding dating along the eastern side. They were robbed out in from the Napatan period onwards. There are also antiquity, and many have their tops removed as a result remains of a building which may have been a temple or of later treasure hunting by the 19th century explorer possibly the royal throne room (Temple 100), adorned Ferlini in the 1830s. with reliefs; a pottery workshop and a garden irrigated from the Great Reservoir. Most of the walls of the The Western Cemetery, thought to be the burial ground complex bear graffiti both pictorial and in Meroitic script, for the princes and nobles of Meroe, contains more than including many representations of elephants, and 500 graves. masons’ marks in both Meroitic and Greek.

The Southern Cemetery contains more than 200 graves The Small Enclosure lies a short distance away and of two types; one type containing a non-mummified body covers an area of around 1,883sq m. Built in sandstone on a wooden bed, the other containing a mummified and red brick, it comprises a courtyard surrounded by 34 body in a wooden coffin adorned with a bead net as in rooms. It has been identified as the seasonal residence Egyptian third intermediate period burials. The earliest of the king of Kush. burials are dated to around 747 BCE. When the burial of rulers began at Meroe in the 3rd century BCE they were The Lion Temple dating from the 3rd century BCE is initially interred in the Southern Cemetery and the located to the east across the wadi from the Great graves crowned with pyramids. Enclosure. Built in sandstone it is a single chambered temple with six columns. Inscriptions are in Egyptian The Northern Cemetery is exclusively for the rulers of hieroglyphs including reference to Apedemak as “lord of Meroe and contains 44 pyramids; all but six mark the Napa and the lord of Musawwarat”. The lower parts of tombs of reigning monarchs. The earlier pyramids are the columns bear reliefs of griffins and lions, and other constructed of stone facing blocks on a rubble core, the parts of the temple depict lions and elephants in relation latest were faced in red brick or were built of coursed to a representation of the king before Apedemak and his rubble. They incorporate a funeral chapel on the east consort. The temple had collapsed outwards in antiquity; side, usually built of dressed sandstone bearing reliefs when excavated in the 1960s it was found possible to re- and inscriptions in Egyptian and Meroitic. erect the blocks accurately from where they had fallen and a new roof was constructed for the temple. There are sandstone quarries in the hills near the Northern and Southern cemeteries, a possible ritual site The Great Reservoir (Hafir) is 250m in diameter and on the upper slopes of Gebel Ardeb, and extensive excavated 6.3m into the ground. heaps of iron slag immediately east of the town indicating iron making and working, carbon-dated to Recent excavations have led to the discovery of a c514 BCE – c210 BCE. pottery workshop for the manufacture of fine Meroitic ware and the remains of an extensive garden complex in Musawwarat es-Sufra one of the eastern courtyards, possibly irrigated through The site of Musawwarat es-Sufra, the Kushite Aborepe pipes from water tanks supplied from the Great Hafir, lies around 40km south of Meroe, 35km east of the Nile located several hundred metres to the east, via an at the head of the Wadi el-Banat in the Keraba region. aqueduct. With Naqa, it was serviced by the port of Wad ben Naqa, on the east bank of the Nile, where there are the

98 Naqa buried at el-Kurru, a few kilometres downstream from The third site, Naqa, the Kushite Tolkte lies around 15km Gebel Barkal, then at Nuri and at other nearby sites. south of Musawwarat es-Sufra and 35km east of the Nile Scholars have suggested that the reason the centre of and covers an area about 1km long by 600m wide. royal activity moved south may have been an invasion of Napata by the XXVIth Dynasty Egyptian pharaoh The main features of the site include the Lion Temple, Psammetik II at the beginning of the 6th century BCE. the Kiosk, the Amun temple, the small temple, the temple of King Amanahakharem, a circular structure, a The Kingdom of Kush collapsed, possibly due to large reservoir (hafir) on the southern side of the site, invasion by the Axumites and foreign tribes towards the quarries to the east of the site and a vast cemetery of middle of the 4th century CE. The country was converted large stone tumuli on the northern side of the site which to Christianity in the 6th century and three Christian has not yet been excavated. kingdoms were established in the Middle Nile Region. Burials in the Western Cemetery at Meroe date to the 6th The greater part of the settlement remains unexcavated. century, but contemporary occupation within the Royal Naqa also contains a 60m deep well dug during the City has not been noted and the site appears to have Anglo-Egyptian Condominium in 1904. This is been abandoned from that period until it was frequented by large numbers of nomads with their rediscovered by James Bruce during his travels through camels, sheep and goats. the area in 1772. Burckhardt noticed the ruins in 1814 and they were subsequently described by French The Lion Temple (Building 300) lies on the western side scholars Frédéric Cailliaud and Linant de Bellefonds in of the site; a single-chambered temple built in sandstone 1821 and the British traveller George Hoskins in 1833. In blocks, it is preserved to almost its original roof height 1834 the Italian adventurer Giuseppe Ferlini decapitated and dated to the 1st century CE. The reliefs indicate that a number of pyramids in his unsuccessful search for one side of the temple was associated with Apedemak ancient treasures. The Royal Prussian Expedition led by and the other with Amun. Carl Richard Lepsius undertook the first scholarly investigation in 1842-4. John Garstang’s excavations The Kiosk (Building 361) is a small rectangular 1910-14 confirmed Bruce’s identification of the site as sandstone structure preserved almost to its roof level, Meroe. He uncovered large areas of the settlement and standing a few metres to the east of the Lion Temple. parts of the Western Cemetery. His work was followed Architectural and decorative elements show Pharaonic by that of George Reisner who excavated three pyramid Egyptian, Hellenistic and local artistic influences and the fields less than ten years later. Musawwarat es-Sufra building is thought to be a shrine to the goddess . and Naqa were similarly discovered and visited by early travellers and scholars. Work since the early 20th century The Amun Temple (Building 100) stands to the east of at the individual sites is detailed below: the Kiosk. It is built of sandstone, red brick and mud brick. It is approached from the west by a long ramp Meroe lined each side with six ram figures interrupted in the The site of the Royal City became overgrown with acacia centre by a sandstone kiosk. Two columned halls trees in the decades following the first periods of precede the triple sanctuary. A thirteenth ram at the rear excavation in the early 20th century. The antiquities area wall of the sanctuary may mark the beginning of an was fenced and left until the 1960s when large sections avenue leading to the mountain or to another temple. were excavated by the universities of Calgary and The preserved Meroitic hieroglyphic scene legends Khartoum, and again in 1992-93 by the Humboldt distinguish four Amun gods. The sanctuary chamber is University, . A shelter building was erected over built of stone and floored with stone slabs. On both sides the excavated remains of the Royal Baths at the reliefs depict a procession of Nile gods behind the king beginning of the 20th century and renewed some and queen towards the back of the chamber where two decades later but is causing problems to wall paintings representations of Amun are seated. The temple was due to inadequate roof drainage and poor ventilation. apparently destroyed by an earthquake. Windblown sand is causing ongoing erosion to the The small temple of Queen Shanakdakhete (Temple F) pyramids with their funerary chapels, and has increased is located close to the base of Gebel Naqa. It was in recent decades. From 1975 a number of buildings dedicated to the ram-headed Nubian Amun. The earliest were dismantled and rebuilt under the direction of Dr. known inscription in Meroitic, the indigenous language of Hinkel. Up to 1999, fourteen chapels had been restored the Kushites, runs around the niche in the centre of the and roofed using the original blocks or prefabricated back wall of the temple. replacements.

History and development Musawwarat es-Sufra From the 4th century BCE onwards, Kushite royal activity First mentioned by Linant de Bellefonds in 1822, the site was concentrated to some extent in the Island of Meroe, was subsequently visited by Frédéric Cailliaud a few the fertile region bounded by the Nile, the and months later. The first scholarly description was by the River Atbara. Meroe became the site of royal burials Lepsius and the first archaeological excavations were from the 3rd century BCE. Previously the rulers had been undertaken by the Butana Expedition of Humboldt

99 University Berlin in the late 1950s and 1960s directed by 3 Outstanding Universal Value, integrity the late Professor Hintz, and later in the 1990s and early and authenticity 2000s. Humboldt University is still active in its research and protection program at the site. Comparative analysis The State Party makes comparison with the Egyptian However damage has occurred to all structures due to World Heritage property containing Pharaonic pyramids windblown sand erosion, rainwater runoff, the activities (Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from of sheep and goats and uncontrolled access by tourists. Giza to Dahshur, 1979, criteria (i), (iii) and (vi)) and argues that nowhere else in the world are there royal The Great Hafir has been partly dug out in an attempt to cemeteries in which all the many tombs are in pyramidal restore its original function as a reservoir, exposing form. The State Party argues also that the Meroitic archaeological deposits in its interior which are now pyramids are much smaller and more steep-sided, and eroding. should be seen as a sub-set of the overall pyramid form.

Excavated walls of the Great Enclosure have been ICOMOS notes that comparison could also be made with consolidated using a mixture of sand, earth and lime. other World Heritage properties containing funerary Others have been supported by structures of burnt brick. monuments and temples in the region such as the In front of the central temple, columns and bases Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae (1979, bearing reliefs have been enclosed in walls of burnt brick criteria (i), (iii) and (vi)), which are however examples of for protection from erosion by wind-blown sand. a different category of monumental architecture, being so much grander in scale; and the Pharaonic temples in The Lion Temple was dismantled and re-erected under Upper Egypt from the Ptolemaic and Roman periods on the direction of Dr. Hinkel; missing wall parts were the Tentative List for Egypt, which do not however, constructed in burnt brick, plastered and coloured; the combine the eclectic influences visible in the temples at sandstone masonry was chemically consolidated and the Meroe sites. the temple was fenced. Defects in the modern roof have lead to deterioration of the walls and interior reliefs of the The State Party also compares the property with the temple. Gebel Barkal and the Sites of the Napatan Region

(2003, criteria (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) and (vi)) World Heritage The 1960s excavation of a small temple (IIA) suffered listed sites and argues that the Meroe sites are from rain damage and was roofed with a metal complementary to that property, representing the later construction to protect against rain and grazing goats. and fully developed Kushite Kingdom. This is supported To protect against damage from windblown sand, the by the evidence of more developed structures reflecting walls of the protective structure are covered with reeds Hellenistic influences as well as Egyptian and African in which are renewed periodically. the architecture, decoration and iconography, and

representing an extensive network of social, religious The excavated building complex IIIB was enclosed with and commercial contacts. burnt brick walls and filled with sand to protect against wind erosion and water runoff. ICOMOS considers that what is not justified in the

comparative analysis is the selection of sites. Meroe, Naqa Musawwarat es-Sufra and Naqa are the three main Like Musawwarat, the site was visited and described by centres of the later Kushite kingdom. However as the 19th century travellers and scholars who passed through wealth of the settlements was based on trade, links with the region. Lepsius mapped the site topographically. In the river and its traffic were essential. The port for both the early 1980s, scholars from the University of Musawwarat es-Sufra and Naqa was Wad ben Naqa Tübingen (Germany) copied the reliefs and inscriptions directly on the river Nile. This has not been included and of the Lion Temple. Since 1996, the investigation and there is no description of it or justification for its absence. conservation work on the site has been undertaken by The port’s remains cover an extensive area and include a the archaeological mission of the Egyptian Museum of large palace, and temples, some of which have been Berlin. The Roman ‘Kiosk’ is well-preserved and there recently excavated. One is in the form of a perfect circle are substantial remains of the Lion Temple, Temple of and originally would have been beehive shaped. A second Amun and Temple F. The rams flanking the processional temple has provided evidence to show that it could have way to the Lion Temple have been re-erected on their been associated with the Lion god. bases. The painted stone altar has been cleaned, consolidated and buried in sand for protection, as have If the nominated property is to reflect fully the wealth and decorated blocks from Temple 200. influence of the kingdom and the way it functioned, then

consideration should be given to including this port.

An extended comparative analysis is needed to show how

the three nominated sites relate to other sites in the area

including the port of Wad ben Naqa.

100 ICOMOS considers that the three sites together tombs, and the kingdom’s two largest hinterland centres: demonstrate the development of the Kushite civilisation the religious centre at Musawwarat es-Sufra and the at the height of its power. Further analysis is needed to urban centre at Naqa. Together they provide evidence of understand whether they on their own demonstrate fully the size, and influence of the Kushite civilisation at the its extent and its relationship with the Nile. height of its power. However without the port city of Wad ben Naqa the trade routes that linked the three cities to ICOMOS considers that the comparative analysis the Mediterranean and the Middle East cannot be fully justifies consideration of sites reflecting the Kushite understood. kingdom on the World Heritage List, but considers that the comparative analysis should be augmented to relate According to the State Party, the integrity of the three the three nominated sites to other remaining sites of the sites: the two parts of the Meroe site, Musawwarat es- Kushite kingdom, particularly Wad ben Naqa, in order to Sufra and Naqa, conforms with the requirements of the understand whether this needs to be included in the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the nominated property. World Heritage Convention because they have not been subject to inappropriate interventions of any significance

since their abandonment and their places in the natural Justification of Outstanding Universal Value landscape have not been compromised or degraded. The nominated property is considered by the State Party to be of Outstanding Universal Value as a cultural ICOMOS considers that for Meroe, while nearly all key property for the following reasons: attributes that reflect outstanding universal value are

included within the property boundary, a small  The Island of Meroe is the heartland of the Kingdom unexcavated part of the Royal City beneath the now of Kush, a major power in the ancient world from the abandoned settlement of Deraqab should be included 8th century BCE to the 4th century CE. Meroe also, because it has future research potential to became the principal residence of the ruler and from contribute to the understanding of the property. the 3rd century BCE onwards it was the site of most

subsequent royal burials. Many features of the component sites have deteriorated  The nominated sites comprise the best preserved over the course of time, pyramids have collapsed and a relics of the Kingdom of Kush, including pyramid number were partly demolished by the treasure-seeking tombs, palace and domestic buildings, temples with activities of Ferlini in 1834. Wind erosion as the result of relief decoration and iconography, shrines, water desertification over the past 40 years has gradually reservoirs, quarries and evidence of ironworking. erased reliefs, particularly in the Sun Temple and also  The wide range of architectural forms and from pyramids. environments testify to the wealth and power of the

Kushite state and its contacts with the Mediterranean The main north-south highway linking Khartoum and and Middle Eastern worlds. Port Sudan, which separates the two parts of the Meroe

site is a visual and auditory intrusion and impacts The State Party states that the serial approach is negatively on the integrity of the property, as does the necessary to cover the wide range of architectural forms line of high voltage power transmission lines. Two and environments that together demonstrate the extent pipelines run north-south along the ground through the and development of the Kingdom of Kush. Meroe was property some distance east of the highway; one has cut the capital city located on the Nile. Naqa and through the old hafir. The railway passes through along Musawwarat es-Sufra represent the spread of settlement the western side of the property, metres from the away from the Nile. entrance to the Royal City. Its line was cut through a

large slag heap. About two trains pass per day. The ICOMOS considers that the three sites do reflect that tracks have been replaced recently and it is said the line best standing remains from the Kushite kingdom but that will be doubled in future. the three together do not fully testify to the way the kingdom was linked by the river Nile to the There is some settlement in unobtrusive buildings in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern worlds – the artery western part of the property, together with guard houses through which it gained wealth from trade. Further and the University of Khartoum excavation house analysis is needed to show whether Wad ben Naqa (Garstang’s house). Some government structures, in could contribute to justifying the full extent of the particular an unfinished guest house located between Kingdom. the Southern and Western Cemeteries, and the

unfinished museum to the east of the Northern and Integrity and authenticity Southern Cemeteries have a detrimental impact on

visual integrity. The Royal City ticket office is blocking Integrity the view along the fundamental west-east axis of the ICOMOS notes that the sites selected are the remains of Temple of Amun, which connects the Royal City to the what were the capital city of the Kushite kingdom pyramids. (Meroe) with its religious buildings, reservoirs and associated extensive royal burial ground of pyramid

101 In order to meet the conditions of integrity, there needs Authenticity to be a definite timetable for the re-routing of the The State Party states that the authenticity of the sites is highway, transmission lines and pipelines around the in conformity with the requirements of the Operational outside of the property to the east; subject to satisfactory Guidelines, arguing that while the partial demolition by impact assessments, the removal of the unfinished guest Ferlini in the 1830s was undeniably very deleterious to a house, unfinished museum and the ticket office blocking small number of pyramids in the Meroe cemeteries, the the alignment view at the Amun temple; no new overall appearance of the cemeteries has survived. In settlement housing should be allowed; and strict controls relation to the restoration that has been carried out since should be applied to the location, design and materials the mid 20th century, the State Party argues that while of excavation houses, guard houses, site museums, the materials and techniques employed do not in certain visitor centres/facilities, access tracks, waste instances conform with current conservation principles management, utility services, and signage. Other and practice, which have made considerable advances existing structures need attention to camouflage. since these works were carried out, the precepts of the

Venice Charter (1954) and the Nara Document (1995), The buffer zone is adequate for the most part but and the concept of anastylosis have not been violated. includes only one of the northern hills. The southern Two or three small pyramids have been completely flanks of these hills are all in clear view of the property rebuilt, with a didactic purpose, in order to demonstrate and offer opportunity for visual impact on its integrity as how they would have appeared in antiquity. demonstrated by the small lodge built only a few years ago, just inside the buffer zone to the north of the ICOMOS considers that at Meroe, archaeological Northern Cemetery. research activities primarily by foreign scholars since the

late 19th century have left extremely large spoil heaps, The buffer zone should be extended to include the south particularly in the Western Cemetery and the Royal City, flanks of the northern hills and strict controls should be which impact on the setting and adversely affect site applied to the location, design and materials of any new drainage in some areas. Conservation works to the structures in the buffer zone. Existing structures need pyramids and temples have involved more attention to camouflage. reconstruction (in the Burra Charter sense of introducing

new material), than in situ stabilisation or restoration ICOMOS considers that for Musawwarat es-Sufra, the (where new material is not introduced) or true property boundary and buffer zone are adequately anastylosis. However the whole history of archaeological drawn. The integrity of the archaeological landscape is discovery and the developing approach to it can be told impressive. Efforts are being made to prevent damage at this site – from 18th century European adventurers, from wind and human activity. Modern buildings include travellers and treasure hunting, through the mid-19th the newly built rest house close to the Small Enclosure, century scholarly endeavour of the Royal Prussian a small guard hut close to Temple IIA, and a few modest Expedition, early 20th century archaeological excavations guard houses to the east of the Great Enclosure. The of John Garstang, mid 20th century excavations by the new rest house, which was built with government funds Universities of Calgary and Khartoum through early without the knowledge of the Antiquities authority, is now approaches to conservation up to the present day. While obscured by vegetation, but this lush, green irrigated this aspect of the site is not an attribute of OUV as a vegetation stands out in the semi-arid basin. Kushite site, it is nevertheless one to take into account in

considering authenticity, given that the number of ICOMOS considers that for Naqa the nominated features ‘restored’ so far is said to be small. The work to property encompasses the whole site. There is no the Royal Baths and pyramid temple/porches using habitation in the area other than that of the guards and brickwork which is difficult to distinguish from the original the excavation house, leaving the archaeological site could be interpreted as part of telling the overall story of intact. Wind erosion has not yet had as much impact as the site, and is not an issue so long as it is not repeated. seen at Meroe. In addition there are several mounds and numerous tumuli that remain untouched, awaiting ICOMOS considers that what is necessary is a review of possible future excavation. The bright, obtrusive police previous treatment approaches and development of a office at the present entrance to the site, at the edge of conservation strategy in line with current best practice. the property, impacts on the site’s visual integrity and needs attention to camouflage. The well, established At Musawwarat es-Sufra, ICOMOS notes that new wall under General Gordon, while not an attribute of OUV construction around the Lion Temple and the raising of continues to be used by pastoralists and helps maintain the north wall of the Great Enclosure were apparently community support for the site. undertaken as protective measures. They need to be

assessed in relation to their performance in this regard In considering the integrity of the whole property, this and reviewed in the light of current best practice. Apart brings into focus whether the three sites can fully reflect from these elements, the Lion Temple has been the full extent of the Kushite Kingdom and its trade and reconstructed using new material, Temple 100 has been cultural exchange or whether the port of Wad ben Naqa excavated and undergone some anastylosis and the should be included and further analysis is needed to hafir has been subject to archaeologically unsupervised address this.

102 re-excavation, in order to restore its original function as a extensive trade. In order to fully justify this criterion it perennial water source for pastoralists’ live stock. All of would be necessary to understand how there might have these impact to a degree on authenticity. been an inter-change of values resulting from the trade and for this it would appear to be desirable to include its Again, what is necessary is a review of previous port on the Nile. Further analysis is needed to address treatment approaches and development of a this issue. conservation strategy in line with current best practice. ICOMOS considers that this criterion has not been fully At Naqa, ICOMOS considers that the authenticity of this justified at this stage. site is high, although the Amun Temple has undergone some reconstruction using new materials. The Lion Criterion (iii): bear a unique or at least an exceptional Temple and the ‘Kiosk’ have been reassembled by testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilisation which anastylosis in the Venice Charter sense rather than by is living or which has disappeared; reconstruction using new materials. This criterion is justified by the State Party on the In terms of authenticity of the whole property, and its grounds that all aspects of the Kushite civilisation were ability to reflect all the necessary attributes of the largely expunged by the arrival of Christianity on the th proposed Outstanding Universal Value, ICOMOS Middle Nile in the 6 century CE. The nominated sites considers that further analysis is needed to understand with their wide range of monument types, well preserved whether the port of Wad ben Naqa is needed in order to buildings, and potential for future excavation and other understand better the relationship with the river and trade avenues of research are unique testimony to this, routes that led to the substantial cultural exchanges that perhaps the greatest civilisation of sub-Saharan Africa. are reflected in the property. ICOMOS considers that the testimony is exceptional rather than unique, given the Gebel Barkal and Napatan In conclusion, ICOMOS considers that the conditions of sites. ICOMOS considers that the nominated sites with integrity have been met for the individual sites but that their wide range of monument types, well preserved more analysis is needed to understand how the port buildings, and potential for future excavation and other might contribute to the integrity of the whole property. avenues of research contribute to an exceptional The conditions of authenticity have been met for testimony to the wealth and power of the former Kushite individual sites but with the proviso that future state and its extensive contacts with the African, conservation reflects an agreed strategy based on a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern worlds. However review of past conservation practices. There is a small consideration should be given assessing how the port boundary adjustment at Meroe and a timetable needs to might contribute to the nominated property. be set for the diversion of infrastructure and removal of structures at Meroe. For the whole property, whether the authenticity could be strengthened through the addition ICOMOS considers that this criterion could be justified of the port needs to be established. but consideration should be given to assessing whether the inclusion of the port would give a more complete

picture of the scope and extent of this trading kingdom. Criteria under which inscription is proposed The property is nominated on the basis of cultural criteria (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v). Criterion (iv): be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or Criterion (ii): exhibit an important interchange of human landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of human history; the world, on developments in architecture or This criterion is justified by the State Party on the technology, monumental arts, town-planning or grounds that the pyramids at Meroe are outstanding landscape design; examples of this highly distinctive Kushite funerary This criterion is justified by the State Party on the monument, and their intimate association with the well grounds that the archaeological sites of the Island of preserved remains of the urban centre is noteworthy. Meroe provide a detailed insight into the exchange of The evidence for iron-working is of considerable ideas between central Africa and the Mediterranean importance for studying the role of Meroe in the diffusion world along what was the major corridor to and from of metal-working technology in sub-Saharan Africa. Africa over a very long period during the ancient world. The interaction of local and foreign influences is At Naqa, the ‘Roman Kiosk’, with its juxtaposition of demonstrated by the architecture, art, iconography, architectural and decorative elements from Pharaonic religion and language. Egypt, Greece and Rome as well as from Kush itself, and the Lion Temple, which preserves superb reliefs of ICOMOS considers that foreign influences are reflected the Kushite gods and royalty, are of especial importance. in the architecture, decoration and iconography and reflect the contact the kingdom had with the Musawwarat es-Sufra is a unique architectural ensemble Mediterranean world and Arabia as a result of its with temples, courtyards, and domestic buildings, as well

103 as major installations connected to water management, The plateau to the east of the pyramids at Meroe is rich quarries and industrial areas. in minerals, especially iron ore, and it is stated in the nomination dossier that it could be subject to mining in For this criterion to be fully justified there needs to be the future. consideration of including the port within the boundaries. ICOMOS considers that mining so close to the property, ICOMOS considers that this criterion has not been fully with the need for associated infrastructure and increased justified at this stage. traffic, could be a major threat to the property.

Tourism pressures Criterion (v): be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is The number of tourists and visitors is not high, around representative of a culture (or cultures), or human 6,000 annually over the past two years. The three sites interaction with the environment especially when it has can be easily visited in a one day return trip from become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible Khartoum. Several tourist companies organise trips to change; the region normally in the period from mid-October to the end of March. There are two small hotels in the This criterion is justified by the State Party on the neighbourhood of the Meroe pyramids, and a larger grounds that the major centres of human activity far from hotel in the town of Shendi, 60kms from the sites. A site the Nile at Musawwarat es-Sufra and Naqa raise museum is being built near the pyramid fields at Meroe questions as to their viability in what is today an arid and a small museum has been opened in collaboration zone devoid of permanent human settlement. They offer with the University of Humboldt, Berlin, inside the Great the possibility, through a detailed study of the Enclosure at Musawwarat es-Sufra. A project for a palaeoclimate, flora, and fauna, of understanding the museum at Naqa is being considered in collaboration interaction of the Kushites with their desert hinterland. with the Archaeological Mission of the Egyptian

Museum, Berlin. ICOMOS considers that the sites on their own do not demonstrate how communities were sustained through There is no central ticketing office, information centre, interaction with the landscape. More extensive areas adequate and functioning toilets, interpretative panels could perhaps display this evidence. and brochures, trained guides or established trails.

ICOMOS considers that this criterion has not been Some damage to the property is attributed to tourists demonstrated. including graffiti and damage to the stonework, and litter.

Many archaeological features not represented by ICOMOS considers that the serial approach is justified standing walls such as the workshop areas, cemeteries, but the full extent of the serial needs further assessment. habitation sites, and the smaller hafirs are constantly endangered by tourist cars and other vehicles driving ICOMOS considers that the nominated property has the over the sites. potential to meet criteria (iii) and (iv) but recommends that further assessment is needed to assess the The River Nile State has no comprehensive tourist contribution of the port of Wad ben Naqa to the potential plans. The current priority for the River Nile State is Outstanding Universal Value and that an extended area infrastructure and rural development. Currently under the at Meroe is nominated. Transitional Constitution based on the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the South and the North,

revenue from tourism at the sites should be shared

between the National Corporation of Antiquities and 4 Factors affecting the property Museums (NCAM) and the Department of Tourism in the River Nile State. Development pressures Urban expansion is a potential threat to the integrity of ICOMOS notes that the impact of tourism is already the site of Meroe. There appears no potential for this to visible in the form of graffiti on the sandstone structures, occur at Musawwarat es-Sufra or Naqa. and considers that the State Party’s approach based on education and information is insufficiently rigorous. ICOMOS notes that there are sufficient means to control ICOMOS recommends compulsory guiding as a solution, such development as long as the Antiquities authority since the property is so large that in order to guard the (NCAM), the local authorities and local communities hold sites adequately one would currently need more guards regular meetings to discuss development plans. than one would need guides if they were mandatory. Uncontrolled development by other government departments at Musawwarat es-Sufra and Naqa has Environmental pressures been successfully halted. Desertification and wind erosion are the main threats, especially to the pyramids of Meroe. Some parts of the Meroe town site, Musawwarat es-Sufra and Naqa

104 occasionally suffer from summer rains. A drainage north and south of the archaeological remains which are system is needed at several monuments. clearly visible from them. At present, the buffer zone is cut through by modern pipelines. The latter are to be ICOMOS considers that desertification and wind erosion redirected in the near future to the east of the buffer are the main threat to the sites. The abrasive effect of zone while the telegraph pole line is no longer in use. the wind has almost completely faded the reliefs of the The buffer zone also includes the unfinished rest house Sun Temple at Meroe. If this level of destruction were to a little to the east of the Southern Cemetery. happen to the whole property, the Outstanding Universal Value would undoubtedly be at risk. The current ICOMOS notes that Deraqab to the north should be approach by the State Party is to leave some pyramid included in the nominated property as important chapels at Meroe covered in sand to avoid further archaeological remains lie within the village. According exposure. An acacia plantation to the north-east of the to the Management Plan (p. 190) it is included. The Northern Cemetery at Meroe is being considered, but it feature map provided by the State Party as part of its is doubtful whether such a plantation would be sufficient. additional information of October 2010 does not show The complete Meroe property may need to be fenced in the boundaries of the property or the buffer zone. order to allow ecological recovery such as that which can be observed in the Royal City. ICOMOS also notes that the buffer zone needs to be extended to include the south flanks of the northern hills. Natural disasters The telegraph poles have been removed since the nomination dossier was written. The pipelines go A small section of the Meroe town site on the western through the nominated property as well as the buffer boundary of the property is vulnerable to flood from the zone as shown on the ‘plan of registered archaeological Nile River. It has flooded four times in the past 60 years. sites between the city area and the stone quarries

showing pipeline’ (after F.W. Hinkel in Wildung: 408, ICOMOS notes that this threat is being addressed by the Fig.64). Antiquities authority (NCAM) in collaboration with international partners. Musawwarat es-Sufra

The nominated property boundary encloses all the Impact of climate change structural remains directly associated with the Kushite Increasing desertification is leading to an increasing rate activities at Musawwarat es-Sufra as well as the of erosion by windblown sand. Indications are that the cemeteries adjacent to the site. Several of the quarries climate has become gradually drier from Neolithic times are also included. Within the boundary lies the modern onwards. However faunal and floral evidence indicates a compound (Sudan Civilization Institute) with its trees, higher rainfall at the time of the Kushite Kingdom by well, mosque and rest house along with the dig house of comparison with today’s climate in central Sudan. The the German Archaeological Mission. present desert environment is partly the result of over- exploitation of the natural resources such as over- The buffer zone extends far from the site enclosing most grazing and wood-cutting. This is demonstrated by the of the area visible from it, in an attempt to preserve the natural re-establishment of an acacia forest within the desert environment. fenced off Royal City archaeological site at Meroe. ICOMOS considers the boundaries of the nominated ICOMOS considers that the main threats to the property property and buffer zone are satisfactory but the feature are mining, desertification and wind erosion. map provided by the State Party as part of its additional information does not show the boundaries of the

property or the buffer zone.

5 Protection, conservation and Naqa management All archaeological features directly associated with the site are included within the nominated property Boundaries of the nominated property boundary. and buffer zone Meroe The buffer zone seeks to enclose most of the environs of The nominated property boundary includes the ancient Naqa visible from the site. It is anchored on the three town, the non-royal and elite cemeteries, the Sun prominent hills, Jebel Hardan, Nasb es-Sami and Jebel Temple, its associated hafir and the Western elite Gerai, along with the promontory to the north of Naqa on cemetery. It also includes the Northern and Southern the right bank of Wadi Awateib. It includes the Kushite royal cemeteries and the gallery quarry to the east. The remains at Jebel Matruga and at the foot of Jebel modern village of Kigiek and the settlement of Deraqab Hardan and Nasb es-Sami. lie outside the boundary. ICOMOS considers the boundaries of the nominated The buffer zone extends from the hills to the east of the property and buffer zone are satisfactory, but the feature royal cemeteries to the Nile and includes areas to the map provided by the State Party as part of its additional

105 information does not show the boundaries of the Effectiveness of protection measures property or the buffer zone. ICOMOS notes that physical protection relies on the

power of the formal laws and since the permanent police ICOMOS considers that the boundaries of the nominated presence, no more cases of theft have been reported. property and of its buffer zones are adequate at Fines for graffiti are about USD90 for a first offence, Musawwarat es-Sufra and Naqa but are not adequate at which is high for most Sudanese. There was no Meroe. evidence of looting, and no evidence of damage due to goats. Ownership The three sites that make up the nominated property are The effectiveness of development control within the owned by the National Corporation of Antiquities and nominated property and buffer zone fully depends on the Museums (NCAM) on behalf of the central government local presence of NCAM, and its intervention to enforce of the Republic of the Sudan. There is no mention of the law before any illegal construction begins. traditional or customary ownership but the Management Plan mentions the need to resolve the situation of some In conclusion, ICOMOS considers that the legal of the inhabitants affected by the delimitation of site protection in place is adequate. boundaries and buffer zones.

Conservation Protection

Inventories, recording, research Legal Protection According to the nomination dossier, archaeological At the national level, the three sites that make up the research has been undertaken at Meroe since 1910, nominated property are protected under article 13 (5) of Musawwarat es-Sufra since the late 1950s and Naqa the Interim Constitution of the Republic of Sudan of since the 1980s by various institutions, mostly foreign, 2005. and has been published in numerous journals as listed in

the nomination dossier’s Bibliography. The property is protected by the provisions of the

Antiquities Protection Ordinance of 1999. It is also Research, recording and conservation works are protected by Presidential Decision/Decree (no. 162 for currently being undertaken at the three sites by the the year 2003) for the Confiscation of the Region of following institutions: Naqa, Musawwarat and Begraweya and for the Creation and Register of a National Reserve within this Region Meroe town site: Ontario Royal Museum and the and managing it. It is expected that the creation of the University of Khartoum; proposed Management Committee for the Island of Meroe ‘Royal Baths’: the German Archaeological Meroe involving all stakeholders will greatly increase the Institute; power of the law, and in particular the physical protection Musawwarat es-Sufra: Humboldt University, Germany; of the property. All components of the property are Naqa: The Egyptian Museum of Berlin. guarded by civil guards and a police force.

ICOMOS notes that there is no overall inventory of ICOMOS notes that the Reserve declared here individual building remains/sites. It is not clear that encompasses all three sites and their buffer zones. The copies of all the data gathered by the excavation teams Reserve is supposed to be overseen by a management are deposited in Sudan. council but its effectiveness is doubtful as although it includes both national and state officials, NCAM is not a ICOMOS considers that an overall inventory of the member of it and it does not convene regularly. elements of the sites that comprise the Outstanding

Universal Value of the property should be compiled as a Traditional Protection basis for an overall conservation and monitoring According to the State Party, traditional and popular program. interest in the sites and their cultural heritage provides another layer of protection. In many instances this layer Material from the excavations is held in the collections of is organised under popular committees or cultural clubs the Sudan National Museum, as well as in foreign operating from the localities surrounding the sites such institutions that funded the various excavation programs, as at Shendi, Kabbushiyya, Begraweya, Ba Naqa and al- and the Department of Archaeology of the University of Awateib. Khartoum. Some material is stored at the Meroe dig house and in the site museum. ICOMOS notes that there are no traditional forms of protection as such in place. Present state of conservation

The State Party states that there has to date been some

restoration and reconstruction of the remains (as

detailed above) using a variety of methods at all three

106 sites. The lack of sufficient qualified NCAM staff and no temple 400 and selected buildings in the city. The aim is overall site director/co-ordinator is not conducive to a to create an Archaeological Park. ICOMOS considers consistent approach. A few pyramids and funerary that all proposals for the site should be planned in chapels were reconstructed by NCAM under the accordance with the overall conservation policy and direction of the late Dr. F. Hinkel. The Photographic management plan for the property. Record of Rapid Condition Assessment attached as an Annex to the Management Plan documents the present Maintenance state of conservation. This is described in Section 5 of ICOMOS notes that there is no central maintenance of the Management Plan as a state of ongoing slow the sites beyond what is done by the individual deterioration of the archaeological remains due firstly to archaeological missions. A maintenance program should exposure to the harsh effects of the natural environment, be included in the Management Plan. and secondly to erratic and in some instances ineffective regimes of maintenance which address only specific Effectiveness of conservation measures elements of the sites. As reported in the Management Plan, there is currently ICOMOS concurs with this view. no overall conservation approach and the sites suffer from ineffective maintenance. A Conservation Plan is Active Conservation measures proposed by the State Party as part of the Management Plan. Meroe

The Ontario Royal Museum and the University of ICOMOS considers that an overall conservation Khartoum are undertaking comprehensive surface and approach and agreed conservation policy for the geophysical surveys, mapping unexplored parts of the property is an urgent priority. Past conservation site and are studying previously excavated buildings practices and protection attempts need to be reviewed such as the Temple of Amun including undertaking its and assessed for their efficacy and current international partial reconstruction. They also propose many conservation philosophies and practices at conservation measures for the site. ICOMOS considers archaeological sites need to be investigated in terms of that all proposals for the site should be planned in their applicability to the Meroe sites. A Conservation accordance with the overall conservation policy and Plan for the overall property needs to be developed, so management plan for the property. that conservation actions will be properly co-ordinated

and follow good conservation practice. Musawwarat es-Sufra

Since 1993 detailed photogrammetric documentation has been undertaken of the Great Enclosure and a In conclusion, ICOMOS considers that a Conservation survey of the state of preservation (with involvement of Plan with an agreed conservation policy covering the ICCROM); courtyards have been cleared of excavation three component sites needs to be developed as part of spoil and a shelter belt has been planted to protect the Management Plan for the property. All proposals for against sand and wind erosion. Sand dunes have been works at any of the sites should be planned in removed from courts and terraces to prevent damage accordance with this overall conservation policy and from water runoff; dikes have been built to prevent Management Plan. On-going maintenance also needs to flooding from the north-westerly hills. A parking area has be structured and agreed between all the archaeological been established south of the Great Enclosure. missions.

Similarly since 1993 a detailed survey of the state of Management preservation of the Lion Temple and its roof has been undertaken (with involvement of ICCROM). Depressions Management structures and processes, beside the temple pylon that accumulated water and including traditional management processes destabilised the ground beneath have been filled and a Management of the three component sites is the concrete floor has been laid to the north and south of the responsibility of NCAM. NCAM has 409 employees pylon in order to protect its foundations from rainwater. headed by a director general and has three main The shelter belt has not been successful due to lack of departments. The Fieldwork Section is responsible for constant watering. The Humboldt University mission archaeological work and co-ordination of foreign proposes a number of conservation measures for the missions. Personnel are graduates of national and site. ICOMOS considers that all proposals for the site foreign institutions, together with technical assistants should be planned in accordance with the overall and site guards. The Museums Section organises conservation policy and management plan for the exhibitions and its personnel include curators who have property. undertaken intensive training courses in major

international institutions. The Restoration Section is Naqa responsible for the care of moveable objects in The archaeological mission of the Egyptian Museum, museums/stores and for immovable antiquities. Berlin proposes excavation, conservation and Personnel are graduates in relevant fields and some consolidation of the Roman ‘Kiosk’ (Hathor Chapel), have participated in ICCROM training courses. Technical

107 staff has acquired considerable expertise in the The proposed Executive World Heritage Site dismantling and re-erection of monuments. As well as Management Team will be responsible for implementing public relations, library and photographic sections, there the activities of the Management Plan, guided by the is a technical workshop staffed by trained masons, World Heritage and other international conventions, and carpenters etc. overseen by the World Heritage Management Committee. At present, responsibility for the three component sites resides with the Antiquities Inspector resident at Shendi, ICOMOS notes that the Management Plan is yet to be 40km from Meroe and c60km from Musawwarat es- implemented. It awaits funding and staff. Sufra and Naqa, assisted by four technical staff and over 20 permanent and temporary recruited guards. There is Risk preparedness a significant police force on each site. A World Heritage A risk management strategy is included in the Management Committee is proposed to oversee Management Plan. The main risks are due to river management of the whole property, and the Chairman of flooding of the Royal City at Meroe, rainstorm flooding this Committee has already been appointed. An and damage at Naqa and sandstorm damage at Executive World Heritage Site Management Team is Musawwarat es-Sufra. At Meroe flood risk is being proposed under the Management Plan, with an overall managed by the construction of water diversion systems Site Director for the whole property, Conservation Co- with awareness of the sensitivity of above and below- ordinator for the whole property, a Site Manager for each ground archaeological remains. At Naqa storm water of the three component sites, two assistant managers diversion and evacuation are being re-evaluated and and two technical assistants for each site, a ticket office improved around the Amun Temple, the Lion Temple operator and 10 guards for each site. It is not explained and the Roman ‘Kiosk’ site. At Musawwarat es-Sufra the how this additional staff will be funded. Currently funds reconstruction of enclosure walls and other internal walls are provided by the central government and the is the approach taken to providing protection from archaeological missions; however international financial sandstorms. and technical assistance is needed for major projects.

This was confirmed in the additional information ICOMOS considers that the risk preparedness strategy provided by the State Party in October 2010, which also should also cover visitor/tourist security in the case of contained information regarding a proposed collaboration emergencies. between NCAM and the Istituto Superiore per le

Tecniche di Conservazione dei Beni Culturali e Involvement of the local communities dell’Ambiente “Antonio De Stefano” (ISAD). This may address funding and training issues. Euro 1,500,000 has According to the nomination dossier a stakeholder been pledged by the Italian government towards the consultation process was used in the development of the preservation of Nubian heritage. Management Plan, including local and national authorities. It is not clear to what extent this involved ICOMOS considers that the proposed Management local communities as such. Committee, of which the Chairman has already been appointed and which will oversee co-ordinated ICOMOS notes that only in Meroe is there a local management of all component sites would satisfy community. Local families have been employed by paragraph 114 of the Operational Guidelines. The NCAM to serve as guards; the positions are inherited proposed Executive World Heritage Site Management from father to son, promoting a certain degree of family Team should go a long way in redressing current pride and commitment towards the sites. management shortfalls. However the composition of the Team may need fine-tuning in that Meroe may require According to the Management Plan, an Advisory more staff than the other smaller sites, and a single Committee will be set up, headed by NCAM and ticket office operator seems insufficient. consisting of representatives of the main stakeholders with influence over the site. The Committee will oversee Policy framework: management plans and the implementation of the Management Plan and the arrangements, including visitor management proper spending of funds coming from donors. The and presentation Committee will meet quarterly with the Executive World Heritage Site Management Team. A draft Management Plan was developed for the property in January 2009 by NCAM. It addresses the ICOMOS notes that currently there is no form of characteristics and intricacies of the three component interpretation or presentation at either Meroe or Naqa. At sites and follows the approach appropriate to World Musawwarat es-Sufra there is a small museum. Without Heritage properties. It includes an Inventory of a guide the visitor would find it difficult to understand the Conservation Problems to be addressed which will assist sites. in quantifying the intervention and resources required for undertaking conservation on the sites in future.

108 Resources, including staffing levels, sub-Saharan Africa. The Royal city of Meroe was the expertise and training heart of this kingdom. The other two sites were strategically placed religious sites in the semi-desert and According to the nomination dossier there is a great with their hafir provided a focus for the semi-nomadic need to develop the status of NCAM and the importance tribes. What underpinned the prosperity of this kingdom of its work in managing the cultural resources of the was the extensive trade in luxury goods that supplied country. Low salary levels restrict the agency’s ability to cities of the Mediterranean and Arabia, and societies as recruit and retain qualified personnel. The proposed far afield as Lake Chad in West Africa. What has not Advisory Committee will need to find sources of financial been nominated is the port of Wad ben Naqa on the support for positions needed for the protection, River Nile which was strategically important in facilitating management and promotion of the serial nomination. this trade. Further analysis is needed to understand its The development of cultural tourism is seen as a driver relationship with the other three sites. for this, however improved visitor facilities will need to be provided. The three nominated sites have been the subject of

excavations over many decades and varying ICOMOS notes that NCAM is currently forced to depend approaches to conservation and repair. Currently there on the archaeologists of Shendi University for practical is no overall inventory of the sites and not all the material assistance. The University has pledged to assist with associated with the excavations is within the country. training and research. However provided funding is found There is an urgent need to collect all the relevant for the new positions, there should be enough material as the basis for the development of an overall archaeology graduates within the Sudan to fill them. database. This could then support the drafting of a

Conservation Plan that sets out an agreed approach to Effectiveness of current management future conservation in line with accepted conservation ICOMOS considers that there is a great need for a co- principles and would underpin adequate monitoring. ordinated approach to the management of the sites. The three sites are spread out and large, and managing In conclusion, ICOMOS considers that completion of the them and the visitors that visit them presents establishment of the Management Committee for the considerable challenges. There is an urgent need to put overall property is a high priority, together with funding in place the Advisory Committee as an over-arching and implementation of the Management Plan. It should management body that can oversee the implementation be extended to include a maintenance program for the of the Management Plan. To achieve this will require sites, linked to the monitoring system. extra resources over and above what is currently available.

The three sites are fragile and vulnerable and adequate 6 Monitoring resources to allow a satisfactory degree of control of management, conservation, excavation and visiting is Key indicators for measuring the state of conservation essential if they are to be properly sustained. are set out in the Management Plan. These cover the implementation of the policies and related action plans. Recommendations with respect to inscription Currently there is no central monitoring system in place. ICOMOS recommends that the examination of the nomination of the Archaeological Sites of the Island of ICOMOS considers that the monitoring system needs to Meroe, Republic of Sudan, to the World Heritage List be be linked to an overall inventory of site features which deferred in order to allow the State Party to: are attributes carrying the Outstanding Universal Value of the sites.  Augment the comparative analysis to consider how

the three sites relate to other remains from the In conclusion, ICOMOS considers that the monitoring Kushite kingdom and particularly to the port of Wad system needs to be further developed. ben Naqa as a preliminary to considering extending the site to include this port;

7 Conclusions  Extend the Meroe property boundary to include the archaeological remains of the northern part of the The three sites of Meroe, Naqa and Musawwarat es- Royal City; Sufra together present an extraordinarily vivid testimony to the distinctive Meroitic culture that flourished for over  Extend the buffer zone for Meroe to include the a millennium from the 8th century BC to around the southern flanks of the northern hills; 4th century AD around the River Nile. The Royal tombs with their pyramidal shape express exuberantly its  Complete the establishment of the Management fascination with the Egyptian culture of the Pharaohs Committee, obtain dedicated funding and implement and the elaborate temples demonstrate strong links with the Management Plan to include a maintenance the Classical world as well as the underlying culture of program for the sites, linked to the monitoring

109 system; and establish mandatory guides for visitors/tourists;

 Develop an overall inventory and database for the sites as a basis for the conservation program and monitoring;

 Develop a co-ordinated Conservation Plan with an agreed conservation policy for the three nominated sites;

 Strengthen protection of the setting of Meroe to ensure that mining in the setting is not allowed where it would impact adversely on the property;

 Provide a timetable for rerouting the highway, power transmission lines and pipelines around the outside of the Meroe site.

ICOMOS considers that any revised nomination would need to be considered by an expert mission to the site.

ICOMOS also recommends that the State Party be encouraged to seek international assistance for the protection and conservation of the property, through the development of the co-ordinated Conservation Plan, in accordance with paragraph 235 (c) and paragraph 241 (Conservation and Management Assistance) of the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention.

ICOMOS finally suggests that the international community should be invited to consider support for these extraordinary sites and might offer cooperation to help with the development of the co-ordinated data-base and the Conservation Plan.

110

Aerial photograph showing the boundaries of the nominated property

Meroe, the enclosure wall on the east side of the Royal City

Meroe, North Cemetery facing west

Musawwarat es-Sufra, Aerial view of Temple 100

Naqa, the settlement