The 45,000 Square Metre Labyrinth of Elephant Carvings

In the western Butana, sandstone hills surround a large Meroitic temple complex dating back to the third century BC. The main feature is the Great Enclosure, a large labyrinth-like building complex covering approximately 45,000 square metres. This extensive complex of buildings features a complicated ground plan without parallel in the entire Nile valley, consisting of courtyards, passages, low walls, about 20 columns, ramps, and two reservoirs.

There is some debate about the purpose of the buildings, with earlier suggestions including a college, a hospital, and an elephant-training camp. The many walls of the complex bear graffiti and masons' or pilgrims' marks in both Meroitic and Greek script. Throughout the site, there are many representations of elephants, suggesting that these animals played an important role at Musawwarat es-Sufra.

King Arnekhamani raised the Lion Temple for Apedemak, the three-headed god. These stones hold the memories of Kushite queens like Amanirenas, Amanishakheto, Nawidemak, and Amanitore, who probably spent part of their lives in the area. Nearby, the Great Reservoir, a Hafir 250 metres in diameter, was excavated into the ground to retain as much as possible of the rainfall from the short, wet season.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons