The Royal necropolis of Meroe is located at about 3 km far from the Nile and 230 km. north of Khartoum, on some hills covered with yellow sand dunes.  More than 20 pyramids stand out with their sharp shapes against the clear sky.  Most of them are in perfect preservation conditions.

The ruins of the “Royal City” are located on the Nile banks. The excavations confirm that it used to be on a large area with a central one surrounded by suburbs and a boundary wall.  Most of the area where the city is located, that is formed by many small hills covered by red clay fragments, has still to be excavated by the archaeologists.  There are also the interesting ruins of a "swimming-pool" that was filled with water from the Nile and has several decorations.  But the area that has been excavated and examined up till now is enough to come to the conclusion that Meroe, during its height of its history, was a huge city with all the elements typical of the urban life style.  Therefore Meroe belongs to the most important monuments of the beginning of civilisation on the African continent.