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Sudanc. 785 BCE – 350 CE
The Kingdom of Kush and the Nubian Pyramids
South of Egypt along the Nile, the Kingdom of Kush built more pyramids than Egypt itself and, in the 25th dynasty, its kings ruled as pharaohs over Egypt.
The Kingdom of Kush, centered in Nubia in what is now Sudan, was a long-lasting rival and sometime ruler of ancient Egypt, with its own distinct culture, language, and religious traditions blended with Egyptian influence.
Around 727 BCE, Kushite king Piye conquered Egypt, founding the 25th Dynasty, in which Nubian kings ruled as pharaohs over a unified Egypt and Kush for roughly a century.
Kush's rulers built well over 200 pyramids at sites like Meroë and Nuri — more than survive in Egypt — though generally smaller and steeper, marking the tombs of Kushite kings and queens.