Pyramids of al-Kurru

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mount Barkal and its surroundings
The only partially preserved pyramid from the east. The square base measured 30 × 30 meters. In the middle was the funeral chapel. In front the stairwell to the burial chamber.

The pyramids and tombs south of today's village al-Kurru (also el-Kurru ) in Sudan are the oldest part of the cemetery around the Nubian city of Napata . The cemetery is about 10 kilometers south of its center on Mount Barkal , on the western side of the Nile . There are also remains of an ancient city discovered by the archaeologist George A. Reisner , who excavated the local pyramids. However, the age of the settlement is unknown.

The oldest graves are dated to 860 BC. Dated to the time before the founding of the kingdom of Kush in Nubia . Not all excavated tombs are pyramids. Mastaba developed from simple , early burial mounds in which the first princes were buried : stone blocks above the actual burial chamber. These grave complexes have so far all remained nameless. The first east-west oriented pyramid comes from King Pije (747–716). Near his grave pyramid, the king's favorite horses were standing in separate shaft graves with their heads facing south. A total of 24 horse graves were found. From King Atlanersa (653–643), who was buried in Nuri , the cemetery in al-Kurru was abandoned.

In the middle of the excavation area a pyramid can be seen in a half-demolished state. It is surrounded by several flat mounds of earth and access openings that lead into narrow, seamlessly bricked vaulted chambers. The tombs of King Tanotamun (664–655) and his mother Qalhata are locked because they contain well-preserved murals and hieroglyphic writing .

The pyramids of al-Kurru have been on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites together with other buildings in the historic city of Napata and others in the region since 2003 .

List of the tombs of al-Kurru

(tum stands for tumulus - tumulus)

Surname king comment
Ku Tum 1 unknown
Ku Tum 2 unknown
Ku Tum 4 unknown
Ku Tum 5 unknown
Ku Tum 6 unknown
Ku 1 unknown
Ku 2 queen Name unknown
Ku 3 Queen Naparye Consort of Taharqa
Ku 4 Queen Chensa Wife of Pije
Ku 5 Queen Qalhata Wife of Shebitko
Ku 6 Queen Arty
Ku 7 queen Name unknown
Ku 8 Kashta Assignment uncertain
Ku 9 unknown
Ku 10 unknown
Ku 11 unknown
Ku 12 unknown
Ku 13 unknown
Ku 14 unknown
Ku 15 Shabaka
Ku 16 Tanotamun There are still well-preserved wall paintings in the burial chamber
Ku 17 Pije The oldest pyramid
Ku 18 Shebitko
Ku 19 ? (no pyramid)
Ku 20-23 ? (no pyramids)
Ku 51 queen Name unknown
Ku 52 Queen Neferukashta Mastaba
Ku 53 unknown
Ku 54 unknown
Ku 55 unknown
Ku 61 queen Assignment uncertain, maybe mastaba
Ku 62 queen Assignment uncertain, maybe mastaba
Ku 71 queen Name unknown
Ku 72 queen Name unknown

See also

literature

  • Dows Dunham : The Royal Cemeteries of Kush I, El Kurru . Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts 1950.
  • Timothy Kendall: el-Kurru. In: Kathryn A. Bard (Ed.): Encyclopedia of the Archeology of Ancient Egypt. Routledge, London 1999, ISBN 0-415-18589-0 , pp. 421-23.
  • Bertha Porter , Rosalind LB Moss , Ethel W. Burney: Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Reliefs, and Paintings. VII. Nubia, The Deserts, and outside Egypt. Griffith Institute , Ashmolean Museum , Oxford 1975, pp. 194–198 ( PDF file; 21.6 MB ); Retrieved from The Digital Topographical Bibliography .

Web links

  • Entry on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).

Coordinates: 18 ° 24 ′ 36 ″  N , 31 ° 46 ′ 17 ″  E