Eastern Deffufa, Ancient brick structure at Kerma, Sudan.
The Eastern Deffufa is a large mud-brick structure within a cemetery complex containing over 30,000 graves at the archaeological site of Kerma. This building stands as the most prominent construction within the ancient royal burial ground.
This structure was built between 2500 and 1500 BCE during the Kingdom of Kerma and served as a royal burial place. Egyptian conquest around 1450 BCE ended its function as a necropolis.
The site reveals how cattle held deep meaning in ancient Nubian life and death rituals. Excavations uncovered thousands of cattle skulls buried alongside tombs, showing this practice was central to how people honored their dead.
The site is open and accessible without entrance fees or restrictions on when you can visit. The nearby Kerma Museum offers a place to see objects discovered during excavations, including stone sculptures.
This building is one of only three remaining deffufa structures anywhere in the world. All three of these rare monuments stand at what was once the Nubian Kingdom of Kerma.
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Sudan offers photographers a substantial mix of ancient monuments, desert formations and river landscapes. The country contains more than 200 pyramids at Meroe, Nuri and El-Kurru that differ markedly from their Egyptian counterparts. These Nubian structures rise from the desert with few visitors...
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