Roughly following the #Nile upstream, Mack has reached #Khartoum, #Sudan 💪. Egypt knowing a very strict policy around General Aviation, small #aircraft have to follow “Airways” that commercial airliners have to #fly – look at it as highways for aircraft. Therefore, as long as Mack was within the borders of the country, he had to follow an officially given route, at a permitted given #altitude: 8500 feet (divide by 3 to know the approximate altitude in meters). No way he could have done some low-flying near the giant Pharaohs of Abou Simbel 😅.
As soon as he entered Sudanese #airspace though, he descended and started #flying as free as a bird before landing near one of #Africa’s least well-known #gems: The Nubian Pyramids of Meroe 🌄. This Unesco World Heritage site counts more than 200 golden small pyramids dating back to the 4th Century B.C.. When visiting, it feels like a secret destination no one else knows about, as often there is not one other #traveller insight.
Sudan is often seen as a #desert 🐪 🐪🐪with not much more than a few tribes, but at the confluence of the White and the Blue Nile, one of the most ancient #civilisations of Africa thrived: The Kingdom of Kush – now sounding like we have entered the plot of an Indiana Jones movie 😂. At the height of its 1400 years of existence, the #Kushites ruled over Sudan, Egypt and Palestine and later became known as the Nubian Kingdom, interacting with the Roman and Greek empires.
Although the Egyptian pyramids are more famous, Sudan has twice as many, albeit that they are smaller and steeper than their counterparts and built out of mud brick. According to archeologists, this was due to “democratisation”: Egyptian pyramids were only for pharaohs, whereas the ones of Kush were for anyone who could afford them.
The Nubian Queen Amanishaketo owned the largest with a 6-meter wide base. The story recounts that Queen Amani, one of the most powerful women in African history, initiated the democratisation process, hoping to create the largest congregation of pyramids ever built by an #African kingdom.
Next, Mack will be flying ✈️ to Lokichogio (“Loki”), Kenya.
So,
➡️ Who is mapping out Mack’s flown route
with their youngsters?
➡️ Who is telling them the story about the
Kingdom of Kush and queen Amani?
➡️ We would LOVE to see some more
pictures in the comments of the
youngsters following Mack’s endeavour
such as Ella!
