Expedition to the
Royal Pyramids
& Necropolis
of Nuri, Sudan



All donations to the Nuri Archaeological Expedition are reserved for fieldwork, publication, and dissemination of our data. Donations are to a U.S. 501(c)3 charity and eligible as tax-deductions.

Click here to donate: https://tinyurl.com/NuriDonation


Thank you for your support!


Burial ground of ancient Egyptian Pharaohs, Nubian Kings & Queens, and untold others





Spanning more than 7,500,000 square feet (ca. 65 hectares), the royal cemetery and necropolis at Nuri has served as the resting place for at least 60 pharaohs/Kushite kings and queens, among hundreds of other individuals.


Nuri is believed to have been established as a royal necropolis by the 25th Dynasty pharaoh Taharqa (mentioned in the Bible as protector of Jerusalem, per 2 Kings 19:9), whose pyramid at Nuri is the largest in ancient Nubia/modern Sudan. The Kushite kings descended from Taharqa used the necropolis for centuries, as have several other societies spanning 3,000 years, perhaps longer.


Our goal is to develop a better understanding of the site, the people who lived there, and the cultures that made it the awe inspiring place it is today.



What happened to the lost Kingdom of Kush?

A TED-Ed animated talk




Listen and watch for a 5 minute summary by our colleague Geoff Emberling (University of Michigan) abut the Kingdom of Kush (2021).


A short introduction to excavation of the tomb of Kushite King Nastasen's pyramid




Listen and watch for a 3 minute introduction to the site of Nuri and some of our work there.



Finds from Nuri featured in National Geographic magazine




Click here to read Nuri expedition participant (2019 & 2020) Kristin Romey's January 2022 article.


New article about the tomb of Queen Yeturow...introducing the newly discovered pigment "Nubian green" and other finds.




Meghan Strong, et al, 2021, (Re)examining the tomb of Queen Yeturow at Nuri, Sudan & Nubia 25.


Well illustrated study of the Queen's spectacular painted tomb.


The Pyramid of Nastasen: What Current Archaeological Research Reveals About Pyramid Construction and Nastasen’s Reign at the End of the Napatan Period (2021)






Congratulations to Stephanie Denkowicz, who completed her dissertation regarding the pyramid of Nastasen, as submitted and approved by the Egyptology graduate program at the University of Manchester (December 2021).


Introduction to Diving the Pyramids of Nuri
for ages 9-14





In National Geographic's Explorer Classroom, listen along at any time about the underwater excavations. A 15 minute presentation followed by great q&a from students around the world!


Cleveland Museum of Natural History blog





Project co-director, Dr. Meghan Strong, is interviewed by the CMNH writers. Read about Dr. Strong's work at Nuri, advancing our understanding of this ancient era, applying new and interesting methods of analyses, and more.


Listen to us talk about what it is like to dive the burial chambers of a pyramid




In National Geographic's new podcast series, listed to project director Dr. Pearce Paul Creasman discuss the exhilaration and challenges of excavating underwater, under a pyramid, in the Sahara.


Click here!



Underwater excavation of the tomb of Nubian King Nastasen




With support from the National Geographic Society, we are excavating the underwater tomb of king Nastasen, who ruled Nubia ca. 335-310 BC.


The pyramid is about 100 x 100 feet its base and sits on the bedrock of a small plateau about a mile from the Nile River. Cut into the bedrock below the pyramid are three burial chambers for the king. Owing to rising groundwater over the past 2,300 years, his tomb is now underwater.



Nuri selected by the World Monuments Fund for the 2022 World Monuments Watch!




For the next two years, WMF will partner with our Expedition, and thus NCAM, to help conserve and preserve the site.

By including in the Watch, WMF considers Nuri one of "...the world's most significant heritage sites in need of immediate action."

1 March 2022


For an update on our most recent excavations, find us on Disney+ or the NatGeo Channel




"Flooded Tombs of the Nile"

2021


"A Paleopathological Investigation of Amputation in Ancient Nubia"
wins best student paper at the 2021 ASOR annual meeting in Chicago.




Gretchen Emma Zoeller won the best student paper for presentation at the November 2021 meeting.



Nuri news on CNN.Com




https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/world-monuments-fund-endangered-monuments-2022/index.html


Fieldwork covered by BBC




https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-48867830

&

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-48875686

&

https://www.bbc.co.uk/reel/video/p07g3cck/the-tomb-diver-revealing-a-pharaoh-s-secrets


National Geographic Funding





In 2019 and 2020, funding from the National Geographic Society's committee on exploration made excavations of the submerged tomb of Kushite king Nastasen possible.


American Schools of Oriental Research Funding





In 2021, Meghan Strong received a Harris Grant for the project "Analysis of Queen Yeturow's paintings from the Royal Pyramids and Necropolis of Nuri". This allows for expansion of analysis (performed at Cleveland State University) and publication of results. Additional funding from the Department of Archaeology at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History will complete photogrammetry of the tomb and fund digital epigraphy of Yeturow's tomb decoration.


UNESCO World Heritage Site





In 2003, Nuri (along with four other Napatan-era sites) was inscribed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization as a "World Heritage Site."


Read more about it by clicking here.


2019-2020 recipient of the Archaeological Institute of America's Site Preservation Grant!




With support from the AIA, we will be able to prepare the beautifully painted tomb of Queen Yeturow (Nu. 53) for tourist access, mark the formal site boundaries, and engage Sudanese university students in our work.



Paleogenetics (ancient DNA) & the Kingdom of Kush




With support from the Rust Family Foundation and the University of Arizona's Office of Research, Discovery, and Innovation, two paleogenetics projects in 2019-2020 will explore the genetics of Kush.



Thank you for visiting!


Contact: Expedition@NuriPyramids.org