When people think of the pyramids built by ancient civilizations, the first ancient people they think of is Egypt. One of the world's oldest civilizations, Ancient Egypt has held a strong presence in modern perceptions of the ancient world for decades.
What many people don't know, though, is that there are plenty of other ancient civilizations that built amazing pyramids outside of Egypt.
Egypt still holds a world record: it's famous for having the world's tallest pyramid. Mexico is similarly famous for having the world's largest pyramid by volume. Surprisingly, there's a different country that has more pyramids than either of them by number.
This country is Sudan, which borders Egypt to the south and is Africa's third-largest country, with an area of 728,215 square miles. Sudan actually has over 200 pyramids...and counting!
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Who Built These Pyramids In Sudan?
Sudan's pyramids weren't built by the Egyptians; they were built by Ancient Nubians
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Although Sudan lies so close to Egypt today (they even both share the enigmatic Nile River!), it wasn't Egyptians who built these pyramids. Instead, these architectural wonders were built by the ancient people of Nubia.
Over the course of its history, Nubia had three main independent kingdoms: Kerma, Napata, and Meroë, all named after their political city-centers.
The practice of pyramid building was directly inspired by the Egyptians, though, and thus they share many architectural elements. Pyramid building in Sudan began around the 8th century BCE, about 2,000 years after the Great Pyramid of Giza was built (~2600 BCE). This practice continued well into the common era, finally ending around 350 CE. That's around a thousand years of pyramid building!
Like their Egyptian counterparts, these pyramids were built as tombs for the country's elite. The kings and queens of Kush would have been really buried in style! Sadly, many of these tombs were plundered in antiquity, causing their precious artifacts to be lost to time.
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What And Where Are Sudan's Pyramids?
Sudan has five main archaeological sites where you can see pyramids
Nubian Pyramids at Meroe, Sudan
Sudan's pyramids are found at five main sites: El-Kurru, Nuri, Jebel Barkal, Sedeinga, and Meroë. Each of them have their own rich history and unique flair. They're all remarkably different from their counterparts in Egypt; they are smaller, taller, and narrower. The tombs they guard over are not built inside of them like the pyramids of Egypt, but instead are built atop the tombs.
El Kurru
A Pyramid at El Kurru, Sudan
The pyramids at El Kurru are the oldest, dating to around 750 BCE. These pyramids were built to house the royal rulers of the 25th Dynasty of Egypt. These Nubian Pharaohs had taken control of the Egyptian government and maintained a capital at Napata.
The famous pharaoh Taharqa, who may have been mentioned in the Bible and waged war against Sennacherib of the Assyrians (the king from the Prism of Sennacherib, an incredible find and one of several archaeological discoveries that changed the world), comes from this dynasty.
El Kurru houses many important people from Nubian royalty, including Pharaohs Piye, Tantamani, and Shabaka.
This site is also interesting because it didn't just include human burials: a bunch of horses were also buried here, all decked out in their ornate bridles and trappings. These odd discoveries might even compete with some of the most unique things found inside Egypt's pyramids.
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Nuri
Nuri Pyramids Sudan
The pyramid site at Nuri actually came about because the Pharaohs of the 25th dynasty ran out of room at El Kurru for their tombs.
Remember the famous Taharqa mentioned earlier as the premier pharaoh of that dynasty? He isn't buried at El Kurru; he's buried in Nuri instead! His pyramid measures 164 feet high and has a volume of 167 feet squared. Along with Jebel Barkal, these pyramids are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Jebel Barkal
Jebel Barkal Pyramids, Sudan
Once the capital city of the Nubian kingdom of Kush, Jebel Barkal is now home to the ruins of temples, fortresses, and of course, pyramids. This site's history of pyramid building goes back to around 200 BCE and houses at least 9 kings and queens.
Meroë
Pyramids of Meroe, Sudan
The site of Meroë is perhaps one of the most iconic places to see pyramids in Sudan, but in the world. Although originally called Medewi or Saba, the site was renamed after the sister of King Cambyses II of the Persians.
In its heyday, this city wasn't just a place to honor the dead, but was a flourishing community of kings, queens, trade and politics. Today, these pyramids are truly some of the most stunning sites in Sudan for tourists to visit.
Some of the most famous people from Kush' history are buried here. These include the kings Amanislo and Arqamani and the queens Amanishakheto and Amanikhatashan.
While women in any society are important and worthy of study, women from the Nubian royal families are especially so. This is because of their unique role in succession. In many societies, royal titles are passed patrilinealy via male primogeniture. In Ancient Nubia, this was different.
Rather, succession passed through the king's sister. It was her children who would rule: her son would sit the throne, but her daughter would bear the next ruler. She would have owned land, acted as an advisor or regent to the king, and would have commanded her own court. This woman, whose role would correlate somewhat to the role of queen mother, was called a kandake.
When the Greeks and Romans encountered women with the title of Kandake, they mistook this title for a name. Thus, our modern name Candace was born!
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Sedeinga Pyramids
Necropolis of Sedeinga pyramids, Sudan
The Sedeinga Pyramids are a relatively new find in Sudan. First discovered between 2009 and 2012, this site consists of about 80 small pyramids.
Like other Nubian Pyramids, these pyramids were used as burial places for important people. These pyramids can be quite small; they range from around 22 feet tall to only 30 inches. Most of these pyramids would have been built in the 1st century BCE.
Beneath the bases of these 80 pyramids lie thousands of burial chambers for countless members of the Nubian elite.
Given the large number of pyramids at the site and the recent nature of the site's discovery, some believe that Sedeinga may hold the most pyramids out of any site in Sudan.
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What To Know About Traveling To Sudan To See These Pyramids
While sites like Meroë might be bucket-list destinations for many, it's sadly not safe to travel to Sudan right now
As of this 2025 article, tourism in Sudan has fallen significantly due to the Civil War and genocide going on there. In fact, the U.S. travel advisory classifies Sudan as a Level 4 country...meaning they advise not to travel to Sudan at all. This is because of "armed conflict, civil unrest, crime, terrorism, and kidnapping."
So, even though Egypt has fewer pyramids by number, they receive more tourists, since traveling is a bit safer there. Currently, the U.S. classifies Egypt as a Level 3 country, meaning that if you're planning on traveling there, you should reconsider or exercise precautions.
Although tourism has stalled significantly due to these problems, many archaeological sites and museums are still open amid the crisis.