If you've ever wondered which country has the most pyramids in the world, then you'd likely think of Egypt but the truth is a much more sinister story.
Egypt continues to draw the vast majority of visitors to its famed pyramids, with nearly 19 million tourists travelling to see the pyramids in 2025, according to government figures. But despite its fame, Egypt isn't actually the country with the largest number of pyramids. Its neighbour, Sudan, has 255 on its territory. In a 2019 documentary called The Lost Kingdom of the Black Pharaohs by David Starkey, archaeologists explain that a lack of funding, poor infrastructure and the regions history of conflict has made archaeological work extremely difficult. However, recent progress in Sudan combined with new sources of funding has resulted in a surge of archaeological interest, shedding light on a civilisation that has been unjustly ignored. That is until now.
Nubia, the first African power
"The great ancient civilisations of Sudan relied on agriculture to thrive, and erected majestic tombs and temples in honour of their gods, kings, queens and nobility," as noted in National Geographic magazine. The kingdom of Kush, which reigned over Nubia for several centuries BC, defined its borders between southeastern Egypt and southern modern Sudan. Nicknamed the “Black Pharaohs,” the Nubian kings and queens conquered a vast part of the region, whose wealth was built on the Nile, a major source of water for agriculture. Extremely prosperous, these chieftains erected a series of 255 sandstone pyramids as tombs for the regents of Napata and Meroe, but also as symbols of power in the face of Egypt, their main rival. At the time, Nubia was Africa's leading power.
The 255 Nubian pyramids
Although the first pyramids were built in Egypt 4,500 years ago, Nubia built even more. The first Nubian pyramids were built at El-Kourrou, in northern Sudan, to house the tombs of various kings and queens. Other pyramids in Sudan were built west of the Nile, and finally at Meroe, Sudan's largest and best-known ancient site, containing over 200 tombs scattered across the Sahara desert. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Meroe is "the largest pyramid complex in the world," according to Mahmoud Suliman, archaeologist and manager of the Meroe site, who spoke to National Geographic. “At the time of the 2019 revolution, the pyramids were depicted on billboards, in advertisements and on paintings. This brought us Sudanese closer together, as they are closely linked to our sense of identity,” says Suliman in the same article.
What's different about the Nubian pyramids?
Their shape, much more pointed than Egyptian pyramids, are actually lower in height (less than 30 metres). Nubian pyramids are also a different colour (more pigmented due to the presence of iron in Nubian stone). Each Nubian pyramid has a chapel for food offerings to the deceased, and are topped by a pyramidion, a kind of micro-pyramid that crowns the roof. More urgently, Sudan's pyramids are being threatened by construction projects, notably a dam, which despite the efforts of historians is endangering the last remains of the Kingdom of Kush.
Is it possible to visit the pyramids in Sudan?
Unfortunately, it is not advisable to visit Sudan at the moment, given that the country has been plagued by international violence for years. When it is safe to travel again, visitors should also take a moment to see the forty monumental statues found in Nubia in 2003, scattered across the desert in northern Sudan. These unusual, striking figures, emerging unexpectedly from the arid landscape, offer a powerful glimpse into the region’s layered history and archaeological richness, often overlooked by mainstream tourism.
