Photo of Royal Pyramids of Napata, Nuri, Sudan
Heavy rains in Sudan have caused the Nile River to reach record-breaking levels, threatening sites housing the royal pyramids of Meroe and Nuri, two of the country’s most important archaeological areas.
Sudan authorities have built sandbag walls and are pumping out water trying to prevent damage to the ancient pyramids.
The site is home to a host of ruins more than 2.300 years old.
The country-wide floods have left at least 102 people dead and made thousands homeless.
The damage caused by the flooding led the government to declare a three-month state of emergency last Friday.
Farmers along the fertile banks of the Nile depend on its annual floods but water levels have reached a record high this year.
Meroe, one of the sites at risk, was the capital of the Kush dynasty that ruled from the early 6th century B.C.
Nuri, another site at risk, house tombs buried 7-10 metres underneath pyramids, which are often named as “invaluable historic relics.”