Wad Ban Naqa

Wad Ban Naqa lies on the Nile between Khartoum and Shendi and was a substantial Meroitic town, and its main structure is a palace attributed to Amanishakheto, one of the ruling queens the Meroitic state produced, a large mud-brick building with dozens of rooms on two storeys. A circular building on the site has been read as a granary. Temples stood there too, and small pyramids stand nearby. The site sits on the route between Meroe and the temples at Naqa and Musawwarat, which is part of why a palace of this size was built here.

What you actually see

• The palace - the large mud-brick building attributed to Amanishakheto.
• The circular building - the structure read as a granary.
• The Meroitic queens - the ruling women the state was known for.
• The pyramids - the small monuments standing near the town.

When to go

November to February is the cool season. March to May is extremely hot with no shade. The site is open ground.

Honest expectations

The palace is eroded mud brick and takes reading. There is no shade or interpretation. Travel in Sudan requires arrangements made well in advance.

Nearby

Naqa and Musawwarat are east, and Meroe is north.