Sudan’s pyramids twice as many as Egypt 蘇丹的金字塔數量為埃及的兩倍

本集內容

學習要點

有關“ancient history 古代史”的詞匯

邊看邊答

Why were the tops of the pyramids blown off in the 1830’s?

文字稿

A hidden and largely unknown history is re-emerging. These Nubian pyramids in modern-day Sudan were built around the fourth century BC.

They’re much smaller than the Egyptian ones, but Sudan boasts nearly double the number.

This was one of the main cities in the Kingdom of Kush and the pyramids served as tombs for kings and queens. Today, the site is largely deserted.

But a new generation is helping to recover this history. And they are making it their own.

Mohamed Elmur, tour guide

I was surprised to see all of these things that literally nobody visited, that no one is taking care of them. This is an ancient history for our families. And the stories that I’ve heard from my family about this place – the stories of how these places were led by women, about how these places were great civilisations back in time. And I wanted to know more, how to take care of it, how to make the world know more about it.

Mohammed made it his mission to get the Sudanese youth interested in their country’s history. He set up a camp, and began offering free tours on social media, hoping it would help preserve Sudan’s ancient wonders.

Mohamed Elmur, tour guide

“This is the pyramid that was blown up by dynamite.”

In the 1830s, an Italian treasure hunter came here in search of the jewels buried in the pyramids. He blew off the tops…destroying the centuries-old heritage.

But there’s still a lot to see. And young Sudanese are making the journey and braving the desert.

“You as a Sudanese, you need to know your history, your culture, you to be proud about it. You have to tell other people about your history – about how big is it. So you have to see it with your own eyes before you tell it to other people.”

The pyramids remain largely unguarded, even though this is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

There’s a rich history here to protect… and perhaps even more to discover.

一段隱藏已久並鮮為人知的歷史再次受到關註。這些位於現代蘇丹共和國的努比亞金字塔約建於公元前四世紀。

這些金字塔比埃及的金字塔要小得多，但蘇丹稱自己所擁有的金字塔數量近乎埃及的兩倍。

這裡曾是庫施王國一座主要城市的所在地，這些金字塔是作為歷任國王及王後的陵墓而建成的。如今，該遺址大多已被人忘記。

但新一代的年輕人正在幫助追回這段歷史。與此同時，他們也在創造自己的歷史。

穆罕默德·艾木爾導遊

“當時我很驚訝地發現，沒有任何人在維護這些無人問津的建築。這裡蘊含著我們祖先的古代史。我還從我的傢人口中聽到瞭有關這裡的故事，他們說這些地方曾由女性主導，還曾見證瞭許多偉大的文明社會。我想更多地瞭解這裡，比如怎樣保護這些建築，怎樣讓世界各地的人們瞭解更多與其相關的事情。”

穆罕默德把激發蘇丹年輕人對自己國傢歷史的興趣當成瞭自己的使命。他在這裡建立瞭營地，還開始在社交媒體上宣傳他所提供的免費遊覽團，他希望這些做法能夠幫助維護蘇丹的古代奇觀。

穆罕默德·艾木爾導遊

“這是曾經被人炸毀的金字塔”。

在1830年代，一個意大利獵寶人為尋找埋在金字塔裡的珠寶而來到這裡。他炸掉瞭部分金字塔的頂部…毀壞瞭有著數百年悠久歷史的古老遺產。

但這裡仍然有很多值得參觀的地方。而蘇丹的年輕人們正踏上征程，勇敢地面對沙漠。

“作為一名蘇丹人，你需要瞭解自己國傢的歷史、文化，並引以為豪。你應該把自己的歷史告訴其他人，告訴他們這段歷史的重要性。所以在告訴他人之前，你需要親眼看到才行。”

這些金字塔依然大多無人看管，盡管這裡是聯合國教科文組織認定的世界遺產。

這裡有一段需要為人保護的豐富歷史，或許還有更多亟待被發現的文化寶藏。

詞匯

tombs
墓穴、陵墓

civilisations
（特定時期的）文明社會

ancient wonders
古代奇觀

treasure
寶藏、財寶

centuries-old heritage
（沿襲瞭數百年的）世紀遺產

你知道嗎？

The great pyramid of Giza held the title of world’s tallest man-made structure for 3871 years. It is the last surviving wonder of the ‘seven wonders of the ancient world’.

埃及吉薩大金字塔曾享有“世界最高人工建築”的稱號，而且這項紀錄保持瞭3871年。它是“古代世界七大奇跡”中留存至今的唯一一處景觀。