Photography is often a case of having to wait for that perfect shot, as Vit Hassan discovered when visiting Meroe. The golden sands of the desert against the ancient Nubian pyramids gave the perfect backdrop, and after taking his photograph, Vit Hassan took the one Heritage Key features ten minutes later as the shadows set into the landscape, and the scenery became more defined.
The Sahara desert covers the length of Egypt, down to the site of the city ofMeroe, near the modern day border with Sudan aside the River Nile. Meroe intrigues many archaeologists for the sense of mystery surrounding it – a city where little is known about the people who lived there or why they left, just simply disappearing.
The crispness of the photograph shows a couple of the 200-plus Nubian Pyramids that surround the city, many of which lie in ruin. The mystery continues to shroud Meroe as the official language of the city was dropped from Egyptian in favour of their own, and a Rosetta Stone-esque key to translate it has never been found. Nevertheless, the city of much intrigue serves as a beautiful setting for this stunning photograph, and the site continues to fascinate archaeologists trying to unlock the secrets.
Unfortunately, excavations of Sudan’s largest heritage site are proving to be too risky amidst the unstable political situation in the country, even though Meroe is listed as a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site.
You can find out more about Meroe here at Heritage Key, and also look at Vit Hassan’s photostream over at Flickr!