Kerma

Kerma ruled the Nile's third-cataract reach when Egypt's Middle Kingdom watched it warily: from around 2500 BC the kingdom built Africa's earliest great urban centre south of Egypt, and its signature survives as the Western Deffufa - a solid mudbrick temple massif still rising some nineteen metres, weathered into a small mountain you can climb by its ancient ramp. The site museum beside it earns its reputation as the country's best: the seven granite statues of the black pharaohs, found cached nearby, stand in commanding assembly, and the galleries walk Kerma's burials, crafts and the long argument with Egypt. The living town's Nubian houses paint their doorways all around.

Background

Kerma was the capital of the Kingdom of Kerma, which grew from the pre-Kerma culture from 3500 BC, and few archaeological sites in ancient Nubia are larger. Hunter-gatherers first settled here around 8350 BC; the site was largely abandoned between 5550 and 5150 BC and again between 4050 and 3450 BC, probably when the Nile ran low. Farming developed around 3000 BC, a state society formed between 2550 and 1550 BC, and copper working appears around 2200 to 2000 BC. The city grew around the great adobe temple of the Western Deffufa, built after 1750 BC, and decades of excavation have uncovered thousands of graves and tombs.

Source: Wikipedia, "Kerma"

What to look for

• The Western Deffufa - the mudbrick temple mountain and its ramp.
• The black pharaohs - seven granite kings in the museum hall.
• The city foundations - four millennia of urban Africa.
• Nubian Kerma - painted doorways of the living town.

When to go

November to February for the Nile route's cool season. Arrange the trip through specialist local operators.

Things to know

Travel is arranged and specialist-run. On site: the Deffufa's scale carries the visit with the museum's statues - allow both unhurried; Nubian hospitality nearby is the region's famous bonus.

Nearby

The third cataract, Tombos' granite quarries and the Dongola reach.

Key facts