Nuri Pyramids

Nuri holds the pyramids of some twenty Kushite kings and more than fifty queens, built on the desert edge across the Nile from Gebel Barkal, and the largest is Taharqa's, the pharaoh who ruled both Kush and Egypt in the seventh century BC. The burial chambers are cut deep into the rock below and several have been excavated underwater, because the rising water table has flooded them. It is part of the UNESCO property inscribed in 2003.

History

Nuri is the second of the three Napatan royal cemeteries, begun when there was no more room at El-Kurru, and its pyramids were built over more than three centuries, from that of Taharqa around 670 BC to that of King Nastasen around 310 BC. Taharqa's, the first and largest, about 52 metres square, was placed so that from Jebel Barkal at sunrise on the Egyptian New Year, when the Nile flood began, the sun rose directly over its point; all the later Napatan kings and many queens and children up to Nastasen were buried here, some 80 royals, and more than 20 pyramids still stand. In the Christian era a church was built partly of stones taken from the pyramids, George Reisner partly excavated them early in the 20th century, and a new expedition led by Pearce Paul Creasman began work in 2018 (Wikipedia, Nuri).

What to look for

• Taharqa's pyramid - the largest at the site, built for the king who ruled Egypt and Kush.
• The pyramid field - some twenty royal and more than fifty queens' monuments.
• The flooded chambers - burial rooms below the water table, excavated by divers.
• The Gebel Barkal view - the sacred mountain across the river.

When to go

November to February is the cool season. March to May is extremely hot. Early morning and late afternoon give the best light on the stone.

Things to know

Many pyramids are heavily eroded and some are little more than mounds. There is no shade or interpretation on site. Travel in Sudan requires arrangements made well in advance through an operator.

Nearby

Gebel Barkal is across the river, and El-Kurru is downstream.

Key facts