Musawarat is the largest Meroitic temple complex in Sudan. Its purpose remains a little unclear, though it's believed to have served as a pilgrimage site. The enormous Great Enclosure consists of numerous tumbledown columns and walls carved with reliefs of wild animals that once inhabited this region. Check out the former elephant stables and the marriage room with the engravings of newly-weds getting to know one another. A few hundred metres away is another large Lion Temple dating to the 3rd century BC.
This site lies in an area of wild and remote desert about 35km off the highway southeast of Shendi. These ruins are best visited with a tour combining Meroe Pyramids, Naqa and Musawarat out of Khartoum.