Despite popular belief, Egypt is not home to the world’s largest number of pyramids.
The residents of this African country were, in fact, the most prolific pyramid builders in history, building over 100 more than their northern neighbour, which has around 118 structures.
With somewhere between 220 and 255 pyramids standing within its borders, the North African country of Sudan tops the list.
Typically smaller than those found in Egypt, these Sudanese pyramids were constructed by the rulers of the ancient Kingdom of Kush.
Emerging as a major power in the eighth century BCE within the region of Nubia – which stretched from Aswan in Egypt to Khartoum in Sudan – the Kushites even ruled over ancient Egypt during the 25th dynasty, producing a line of kings known as the “Black Pharaohs”.
The first ruler was Piye, who successfully invaded Egypt in approximately 770 BC and ruled from the Kushite capital of Napata.
Taking inspiration from the lavish tombs of previous pharaohs, Piye demanded that he be buried similarly and became the first member of the kingdom to be commemorated with a pyramid at Sudan’s ancient El-Kurru necropolis.
After the Kushites lost control of Egypt, they retreated to their corner of Nubia, eventually establishing a new capital at Meroë.
The vast majority of the Nubian pyramids can be found here, with roughly 200 of the pointy monuments erected in the ancient city’s necropolis from the third century BC onwards. Among these are the tombs of 41 Kushite royals.
Lost to history when the Kingdom of Kush was abandoned following conflicts with the Roman army and the neighbouring Kingdom of Aksum, these pyramids went unheard of until they were rediscovered by archaeologists in the 1830s.
However, the man who discovered them, Giuseppe Ferlini, was a notorious tomb raider who heeded little respect for the pyramids when he ransacked them, causing enormous damage and leaving many in a state of disrepair.
While some of Meroë’s pyramids have since been restored, most monuments have continued to crumble.
Sudan’s multiple civil wars have not helped this gradual state of decay in recent times. Ongoing conflicts since the 1950s have become a major roadblock for tourism and severely stunted potential funding this brings for archaeology.
So, while Egypt’s pyramids receive millions of visitors every year – over 14.7 million in 2023 – Nubian pyramids have been overlooked and neglected, receiving just 15,000 tourists per year.
In recent years, Sudan has made some important visa changes, relaxing rules to attract more tourists to the country and dropping the permit that was required to travel outside of the capital, Khartoum.
