War and accumulating sand threaten Sudan’s Meroe pyramids, in photos

BEJRAWIYA, Sudan (AP) — Sudan’s ongoing war is threatening the integrity of its ancient Meroe pyramids, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its unique and angular architecture, as preservation efforts have completely halted.

“The site may face a disaster and collapses are possible,” warned archaeologist Mahmoud Suleiman.

Meroe, located some 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of the capital Khartoum, comprises over 200 pyramids built between 800 B.C. and 350 A.D. as royal tombs for the rulers of the Kingdom of Kush.

“The sand has thickened heavily on the pyramids and even inside the temples, and the grass grows thick,” Mustafa Ahmed, one of the guards at Meroe, told The Associated Press as he made his way through sand dunes on site. “The pyramids have deteriorated greatly and stones have begun to fall.”

Mohamed Mubarak, an antiquities inspector, said salt, released from accumulated sand, has collected inside the funerary temples and is degrading the "inherently fragile” stones, risking the erosion of ancient inscriptions.

“Climate change, war leading to the dispersal of the workforce, and the difficulty for foreign missions to continue their work amid the country’s security instability ... all contributed to the significant deterioration of the site,” said Suleiman, the archaeologist.

Sudan’s deadly conflict, which erupted in April 2023, has destroyed multiple of the country’s historical sites and museums. UNESCO warned in April that cultural and historical sites are under growing threat, with over 100 cultural sites damaged, and at least 22 museums looted or destroyed since the onset of the war.

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

A visitor walks among the Meroe pyramids at the Meroe archaeological site in Bejrawiya, Sudan, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohnd Blal)

A family visits the Meroe pyramids at the Meroe archaeological site in Bejrawiya, Sudan, Friday, July 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohnd Blal)

A visitor walks among the Meroe pyramids at the Meroe archaeological site in Bejrawiya, Sudan, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohnd Blal)

Ancient carved reliefs decorate the interior wall of a pyramid chapel at the Meroe archaeological site in Bejrawiya, Sudan, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohnd Blal)

A tree stands in front of a pyramid at the Meroe archaeological site in Bejrawiya, Sudan, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohnd Blal)

A guide, left, speaks with a visitor at the Meroe archaeological site in Bejrawiya, Sudan, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohnd Blal)

A visitor runs their hand along the stone blocks of a pyramid at the Meroe archaeological site in Bejrawiya, Sudan, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohnd Blal)

A man sits beside a pyramid at the Meroe archaeological site in Bejrawiya, Sudan, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohnd Blal)

The burial chamber is inside a pyramid at the Meroe archaeological site in Bejrawiya, Sudan, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohnd Blal)

A pyramid stands at the Meroe archaeological site in Bejrawiya, Sudan, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohnd Blal)

A pyramid's stone blocks stand at the Meroe archaeological site in Bejrawiya, Sudan, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohnd Blal)

A family visits the Meroe pyramids at the Meroe archaeological site in Bejrawiya, Sudan, Friday, July 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohnd Blal)

The Meroe pyramids stand at the Meroe archaeological site in Bejrawiya, Sudan, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohnd Blal)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean police raided the headquarters of Starbucks’ local operation as part of an investigation into a controversial marketing campaign that was perceived as defaming 1980s' pro-democracy movements.

Investigators searched the Starbucks headquarters in southern Seoul on Tuesday, police said Wednesday.

Police gave no further details, but South Korean media reported investigators also were sent to the residences of Starbucks executives.

The coffee chain triggered a public uproar when it attempted to promote a series of stainless-steel tumblers it called “SS Tank” by declaring May 18 to be “Tank Day.” The date marks the anniversary of a 1980 pro-democracy uprising in the southern city of Gwangju that was brutally oppressed by South Korea's then military-backed rulers.

The campaign also used the slogan “Thwack it on the table!” which many read as a reference to a notorious 1987 police statement that attempted to cover up the torture death of student activist Park Jong-chol. Authorities had falsely said Park died after investigators “hit the desk with a thwack.”

The public outrage prompted Shinsegae Group, which owns a 67.5% stake in Starbucks Korea, to cancel the campaign within hours. It also fired the chief executive of Starbucks Korea. Shinsegae Chairman Chung Yong-jin later issued a televised apology. Starbucks Korea closed all of its stores nationwide early on June 22 for mandatory history and social sensitivity training.

The police investigation was launched following complaints from relatives of the victims of the Gwangju crackdown, which official records say left about 200 people dead.

South Korea achieved a genuine democracy in 1987 when then authoritarian President Chun Doo-hwan, who led the Gwangju crackdown, was forced to accept a constitutional revision introducing direct presidential elections in the face of massive pro-democracy demonstrations.

FILE - A Starbucks sign is seen outside the coffee company's global corporate headquarters, May 11, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)