Barkal Travel Guide

 uglyscot Says:  The first time I went to Barkal, there was a coach party there too, so the site was busy. In December 2008 we were the only visitors and the guide was able to give us a lot of information. So, we walked away from the mountain and the clister of ruins to what would have been... 

 uglyscot Says:  The village lies behind the mountain, and like others faced the floods of 1988, which caused destruction in the area. Houses were destroyed and abandoned, the owners moving to higher ground, building on rocks and outcrops. Driving through is like visiting a ghost town.... 

 uglyscot Says:  The museum at Jebel Barkal is quite small with a few statues and artefacts found at the site.We arrived just after a bus party, so decided to visit the ruins and temple first, but were told we had to begin with the visit to the Museum . The reason for this was that the same... 

 uglyscot Says:  This table top mountain was revered by the Ancient Egyptians as the main residence of the god Amun. The pinnacle that looks like [ depending on the viewer] the uraeus [cobra] of kingship, or the shape of a king gave rise to this belief. The locals also believe it is a... 

 uglyscot Says:  The Barkal pyramids are in much better condition than those of Nuri.They are in front of Barkal mountain. There were over40 belonging to Kings and queens. The pyramids are from 6 -30 m high, tall and narrow with an incline of about 70 degrees. There occupants were mummified... 

 yurxlnc Says:  The temples have been described elsewhere. There may not be much to see now, but there must have been quite a complex at some time. Now only a few columns remain standing, and sarcophagus or stones inscribed with Egyptian hieroglyphics. 

 yurxlnc Says:  The museum is quite small but has many posters giving information on the history of Sudan, as well as a few artifacts from nearby sites. The guard or guide has the key to the museum and the Amun temple, and forced us another bus party to enter the museum first, so that he... 

 uglyscot Says:  At the pinnacle end of the Jebel Barkal are the remains of what would have been a palace and temples , possibly as many as 13 temples and 2 palaces. Though nowadays it is difficult to imagine this mass of stones and columns as being such. Alongside there are inscribed blocks... 

 mafi_moya Says:  The climb to the top of the mountain - and getting back down again - is one of the best bits. On the Barkal village side there's a very steep sand bank that you climb up and down. The mountain is so small that if there were steps it'd take about a minute to walk up -... 

 mafi_moya Says:  If you come here it's probably to see the mountain and ruins so the village itself usually gets forgotten about. With Karima so close there's no reason to stay here but it's still worth a walk through. A good walk is from Karima, around the back of the mountain and through... 

 mafi_moya Says:  On the edge of the mountain is this strange tooth-like rock jutting up towards the sky. The locals have literally dozens of stories about how it got there and what it signifies - ask and ye shall be told! 

 uglyscot Says:  I'm sure no VT-er would deliberately want to damage an ancient monument. However, I must say I was horrified when I saw some of the locals trying to climb on the pyramids. Since so many are already in a fragile condition, it seems so inconsiderate to take the risk of causing...