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Buildings and Structures

Pyramids of Meroe

Monuments, Towers and Commemorative Structures

The pyramids of Meroe are around forty steep-sided royal pyramids built as tombs for the kings, queens and nobility of the Kingdom of Kush, clustered in groups near the ancient city of Meroe on the east bank of the Nile in present day Sudan. Built between roughly 300 BC and 300 AD, after the Kushite royal cemetery shifted south from Napata, they are smaller and steeper than the pyramids of Egypt that inspired them, typically rising in narrow steps to between six and thirty meters, and most are fronted by a small offering chapel decorated with relief carvings. Meroe served as the capital of Kush for several centuries during this period, and the site preserves the largest concentration of pyramids anywhere in the world, outnumbering those of Egypt. Many of the pyramids lost their capstones in the 1830s when the Italian treasure hunter Giuseppe Ferlini demolished dozens of them searching for gold, and the site was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011.

Facts
Partially Attested
Height (m)
30 2
The pyramids of this necropolis average between 10 and 30 metres tall; 30 m is the height of the tallest known examples, not a single figure for the whole site.
Building Type
Royal pyramid necropolis (tombs for kings, queens and officials) 2
Location
Near Meroe, Sudan, about 200 km northeast of Khartoum 2
Classification
Standing StatusSourced to the subject's own account
Standing 1
Building Type
Building Type (category)
Pyramid 2
Connections

Has Building Type

Pyramid, Concepts

In Style

Nubian Architecture, Styles and Movements

Over 200 steep-sided Kushite pyramids at the Nubian capital, distinct from and later than Egyptian pyramids.

Uses Element

Brick, Architectural Materials
Source Pyramids of Meroe (Wikipedia)
Sandstone, Architectural Materials
Source Pyramids of Meroe (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases

Located In

Sudan

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is located.

Sources
1. Pyramids of Meroe (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead section
    The Meroë pyramids date to the later stage of the Kingdom of Kush (3rd century BC-4th century AD) and were burial places for Kushite monarchs, other members of the royal family, and important officials and dignitaries.
  • Pyramids of Meroe, Description section
    The pyramids average between 10 and 30 metres (33 and 98 ft) in height.
  • Pyramids of Meroe, lead section, location sentence
    They are located in Sudan, approximately 200 kilometres (120 mi) northeast of Khartoum, near the village of Bagrawiya.
  • Lead section
    The Pyramids of Meroë are a large number of Nubian pyramids, encompassing three cemeteries near the ancient city of Meroë.
  • Uses Element: Sandstone, Lead
    The pyramids, mostly built of local sandstone (and in later periods of brick), are under 30 metres (98 ft) in height-significantly smaller than the well-known ancient Egyptian pyramids.
  • Uses Element: Brick, Lead
    The pyramids, mostly built of local sandstone (and in later periods of brick), are under 30 metres (98 ft) in height-significantly smaller than the well-known ancient Egyptian pyramids.
View the Source
2. Wikipedia
Wikimedia Foundation
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