Naqa stands in the dry grassland of the Butana, the steppe between the Nile and the Atbara in central Sudan, and it is one of the most surprising ruins in Africa. Two thousand years ago this was a prosperous town of the Kingdom of Kush, whose capital lay at Meroë, and its builders put up temples that mixed Egyptian, Greek, Roman and African ideas without any hesitation. The Temple of Apedemak, the lion-headed war god of the Kushites, has a front wall carved with a king and queen smiting enemies, and lions, snakes and gods crowding the sides. It is small, compact and very well preserved, and the sandstone glows orange in the late sun.
Next to it is the so-called Roman kiosk, a little building with Hathor-headed columns and arches that look as if a Mediterranean garden pavilion has been dropped into the Sudanese plain. A large temple to Amun stands facing a processional avenue of rams, which recalls the avenues of Karnak, but the animals here are carved in a more rustic style. The whole group of Naqa, Musawwarat es-Sufra and Meroë is now a World Heritage property.
The country is flat, semi-desert, with acacia, thorn scrub and seasonal streams that fill in the rains from July to September. In the dry season, the heat is intense, and dust can blow across the tracks. A road from the Nile and the main highway between Khartoum and Shendi leads off into the plain, with the last part on sand and gravel, and a guide is usually needed, since there are few signs and no services. Thorns are a real problem for tyres.
I should also be honest that Sudan has been at war since April 2023, with fighting around Khartoum and across much of the country, and travel there is not realistic at the moment. This text is about the place as it is remembered and recorded, and as it may be visited again when it is safe. Anyone planning a ride should consult up-to-date official advice and local sources, and not rely on old guides.