These two Meroitic sites lie in an area of wild and remote desert 35km off the highway southeast of Shendi, and are about the same distance from each other.
Naqa consists of a large and well-preserved temple of Amun dating from the 1st century. Very close by is the Lion Temple. Dating from the same period, this temple is dedicated to the lion-headed god Apedemak and has wonderful exterior carvings depicting the temples creators, King Natakamani and Queen Amanitore. The exact purpose of the site remains unclear as it's located in an area that has never really been inhabited.
Musawarat is the largest Meroitic temple complex in Sudan. Like Naqa, its purpose remains a little unclear though it's believed to have served as a pilgrimage site. The enormous Great Enclosure consists of numerous tumbledown columns and walls carved with reliefs of the wild animals that once inhabited this region. Check out the former elephant stables and the marriage room with the engravings of newlyweds getting to know one another. A few hundred metres away is another large Lion Temple dating to the 3rd century BC.
To get to either of these sites you will need your own transport. The sites are sign posted to the right (if coming from Khartoum) next to a Nile Petroleum station off the Khartoum–Atbara road. Follow the dirt tracks through the desert sticking close to the telegraph wires (keep these on your left). At the fork take the left trail for Musawarat and the right for Naqa.
