El-Kurru

El-Kurru was one of the royal cemeteries used by the Nubian royal family. Reisner excavated the royal pyramids. Most of the pyramids date to the early part of the Kushite period, from Alara of Nubia (795–752 BC) to King Nastasen (335–315 BC).

The area is divided into three parts by two wadis. The central section seems to be the oldest and contains several tumulus type tombs that predate the Kingdom of Napata. Reisner thought that the earliest tomb, Tum.1, dated back to the time of Pharaoh Sheshonq I of Ancient Egypt (ca. 850 BC) and predates the Kingdom of Napata by some 200 years. At the present scholars (Kendall, Hakem, Totok) think the early cemetery stretches back to the Ramesside period and date the earliest burials to the end of the Twentieth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt (ca 1070 BC), although Kendall has reverted his position and now adheres to a dating closer to the one proposed by Reisner.

The highest part of the cemetery contains 4 tumulus tomb (Tum. 1, 2, 4 and 5). To the north, across the northern wadi Tum. 6 is located. To the east of the tumul tombs we find row of at least eight pyramids. One of them partially intrudes on a tumuls tomb (Tum. 19). The southernmost of this row of pyramids belonging to Kashta (presumably to) his wife Pebatjma. Before this row is another row of pyramids which includes those of Piye, Shabaka and Tanutamani.