Nuri pyramids

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Mount Barkal and its surroundings
Main group from the northeast. The chapels on the east side of the pyramids are missing. In contrast to Meroe , the core of the pyramids is not filled with rubble stones, but rather layered from the same stones as were used for the outer walls.

The pyramids of Nuri are part of a cemetery that belonged to the Nubian city ​​of Napata , the center of which was on Mount Barkal .

Nuri is about eight kilometers as the crow flies northeast of Mount Barkal on the east side of the Nile. It is still unclear why the Kushite rulers chose a location for their pyramids that was so far away from the central temple complexes. The presumed residential town of Napata, Sanam , is about five kilometers south. From today's village of Nuri, the pyramids can be seen half a kilometer north in the sandy desert.

The first king to have a pyramid built in Nuri was Taharqa (around 690/664 BC). With a side length of 29 meters at the square base, it is the largest pyramid. The first excavations were carried out in 1917 by George Reisner , who found over 1000 ushabti figures in the burial chambers under the Taharqa pyramid, along with many other grave goods . Since the king's body was not found, there are also doubts as to whether Taharqa was actually interred here.

His successor Tanotamun was buried at the old burial site al-Kurru , while all subsequent rulers and their wives had their pyramids in Nuri. The last ruler to be buried here with certainty is Nastasen (around 330 BC).

The Nuri pyramids were larger than those of al-Kurru and, unlike there, the outer walls were tiered. Reisner counted 19 pyramids for kings and 53 for queens. Original wall surfaces are no longer preserved anywhere. The brick core protrudes from 10 pyramids, the others are still partly recognizable as flat round hills. The funeral chapels built to the east were decorated with reliefs, but have completely disappeared.

In many of the three-chamber tombs large parts of the grave goods have been found, vessels of gold and perfume bottles, including in large numbers with names inscribed shabtis . The names of the grave owners are therefore better known than those of other Nubian pyramid fields.

The Pyramids of Nuri are since 2003 along with other buildings in the historic city of Napata and others in the region on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites .

List of the pyramids of Nuri

Surname builder comment
Nu 1 Taharqa
Nu 2 Amanistabara-qo
Nu 3 Senkamanisken
Nu 4 Siaspi-qo
Nu 5 Malonaqen
Nu 6 Anlamani The burial chamber still contained a large granite sarcophagus with inscriptions
Nu 7 Karakamani
Nu 8 Aspelta Second largest pyramid. The burial chamber still contained a large inscribed sarcophagus made of granite and is decorated with reliefs
Nu 9 Aramatelqo
Nu 10 Amaninataki lived
Nu 11 Malowijebamani
Nu 12 Arikamaninote
Nu 13 Harsijotef
Nu 14 Acharites
Nu 15 Nostrils
Nu 16 Talachamani
Nu 17 Baskakeren
Nu 18 Analmaaje
Nu 19 Nasakhma
Nu 20 Atlanersa
Nu 21 queen Name unknown
Nu 23 Queen? Masalaye
Nu 24 Queen Nasalsa Mother of Anlamani and Aspelta ; the burial chamber is richly decorated
Nu 25 Queen? Maletaral
Nu 26 Queen Amanitakaye Wife of Aramatelqo and mother of Malonaqen
Nu 27 Queen Madiken Wife of Anlamani
Nu 28 Queen Henuttachebi Wife of Aspelta
Nu 29 Queen Pianchqew-qa Assignment uncertain
Nu 30 unknown
Nu 31 Queen Sakaye
Nu 32 Queen Achrasan
Nu 33 queen Name unknown
Nu 34 Queen Henutirdis
Nu 35 queen Name unknown
Nu 36 Queen atache masks Consort of Taharqa
Nu 37 queen Name unknown
Nu 38 queen Name unknown
Nu 39 Queen Maletasen Wife of Aramatelqo
Nu 40 Queen Makmale
Nu 41 Queen Maletetaral Wife of Atlanersa
Nu 42 Queen Asata Wife of Aspelta
Nu 43 unknown
Nu 44 Queen Batahaliye Wife of Harsijotef
Nu 45 unknown
Nu 46 unknown
Nu 47 unknown
Nu 49 unknown
Nu 50 unknown
Nu 51 unknown
Nu 52 unknown
Nu 53 Queen Yeturov Wife of Atlanersa
Nu 54 queen Name unknown
Nu 55 Atamataka Wife of Aramatelqo
Nu 56 unknown
Nu 57 Queen Pianchher
Nu 58 Queen Artaka Wife of Aspelta
Nu 59 Queen Malaqen possibly wife of Taharqa
Nu 60 queen Name unknown
Nu 61 Queen Atasamalo Mother of Harsijotef
Nu 71 unknown
Nu 71 unknown
Nu 73 unknown
Nu 74 Pyramid?
Nu 75 unknown
Nu 76 unknown
Nu 77 Pyramid?
Nu 78 unknown
Nu 79 unknown
Nu 80 Pyramid?
Nu 81 unknown
Nu 82 unknown

See also

literature

  • Dows Dunham : The Royal Cemeteries of Kush II, Nuri. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston MA 1955.
  • Timothy Kendall: Nuri. In: Kathryn A. Bard (Ed.): Encyclopedia of the Archeology of Ancient Egypt. Routledge, London 1999, ISBN 0-415-18589-0 , pp. 583-85.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Joachim Willeitner : Nubia. Ancient monuments between Aswan and Khartoum. Hirmer, Munich 1997, p. 60.

Coordinates: 18 ° 34 '  N , 31 ° 55'  E