Coordinates: 18 47 N 32 3 E
Estimated number of lost sites: 2,500
Stars of the silver screen, beloved by millions, and visible from space, Egypt’s pyramids are easily the most famous monumental structures on the continent of Africa—but they aren’t the only ones. Further up the Nile, the Kushites or Nubians, another pyramid-building society, flourished for a period of about 500 years although less is known of their culture. Now a large hydroelectric dam slated for completion in 2008 threatens to drown remaining traces of this kingdom and will force about 50,000 people away from the area near the city of Merowe. While an increase in electrical output will be beneficial for Sudan, the project in its final stages at the Fourth Cataract will also create a two-mile wide, 100-mile long lake that poses problems for archaeologists and the local population.
Ben Keene is the editor of Oxford Atlas of the World. Check out some of his previous places of the week.
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