Which Country Has the Most Pyramids? Plot Twist

Quick question: which country has the most pyramids in the world? If you said Egypt, you are not alone. Spoiler: it is actually Sudan, Egypt's southern neighbor. Researchers count around 230 Nubian pyramids in Sudan, compared to roughly 120 in Egypt. That is nearly double. We will show you who built them, what they look like, and why almost no one has heard of them. You will also learn why the largest cluster of pyramids in the world isn't in Giza, but in a Sudanese desert along the Nile.

Sudan actually has more pyramids than Egypt

Sudan is home to around 230 pyramids, while Egypt has roughly 120. That means Sudan has nearly twice as many pyramids as its more famous neighbor. The Sudanese pyramids are called Nubian pyramids. They were built by the Kingdom of Kush, an ancient African civilization that ruled what's now Sudan for over a thousand years.

Estimates vary slightly. Some sources put the Sudanese count at 220, others as high as 255. Egypt's total lands somewhere between 118 and 138, depending on what archaeologists choose to include. No matter which numbers you use, Sudan comes out on top. Over 200 of these pyramids stand in a single place called Meroë, an ancient royal city along the Nile. That makes Meroë the largest cluster of pyramids in the world.

Why almost no one knows about them

The Nubian pyramids are not as famous as the ones at Giza, even though there are more of them. Three reasons explain why.

First, they are smaller. The Great Pyramid of Giza is 481 feet (139 meters) tall. A typical Nubian pyramid is just 20 to 100 feet (6 to 30 meters) tall. In photos, they look less dramatic.

Second, Sudan is tough for tourism. Civil war, sanctions, and limited infrastructure mean fewer than 10,000 people visit the Meroë pyramids each year. Giza, by contrast, gets millions of visitors annually.

Third, colonial-era historians long treated the Kingdom of Kush as a minor offshoot of ancient Egypt. Only in recent decades have archaeologists started studying the Nubian pyramids in depth.

Did you know?

Sudan has more pyramids than any other country in the world. Most of them stand in Meroë, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011.

What the Nubian pyramids actually look like

Nubian pyramids look very different from their Egyptian cousins. Their bases are much smaller, often just 25 to 45 feet (8 to 14 meters) wide. But they rise steeply into the sky. The walls slope at roughly 70 degrees. For context: the Great Pyramid of Giza sits at about 51 degrees, which is why it looks much wider.

Most Nubian pyramids are built from sandstone. Each one had a small chapel on its east side, where relatives left offerings for the dead. The actual burial chamber sat below the pyramid, often carved straight into the bedrock.

Construction stretched from around 700 BC to 350 AD. That is over 1,000 years of pyramid building, far longer than the Egyptian pyramid era, which lasted roughly 700 years.

The 4 pyramid fields of Sudan

The Nubian pyramids cluster at four sites along the Nile. Each has its own story.

Meroë lies about 125 miles (200 km) northeast of Sudan's capital, Khartoum. Over 200 pyramids stand here in three groups. Kings and queens of Kush were buried at Meroë for over 600 years, from around 300 BC to 350 AD.

Nuri is farther north, across the Nile from the sacred mountain Jebel Barkal. The site holds over 60 pyramids, including the largest Nubian pyramid ever built: the tomb of Pharaoh Taharqa. He was one of the Black Pharaohs who ruled Egypt in the 7th century BC.

El-Kurru is the oldest of the four sites. It holds about 41 royal tombs, including that of Piye, the Kushite king who conquered Egypt and founded the 25th Dynasty.

Jebel Barkal features around 25 smaller pyramids at the base of a distinctive flat-topped mountain. In ancient Kush, the mountain was believed to be the home of the god Amun.

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Which country has the most pyramids in the world?▾

Sudan, with around 230 Nubian pyramids. Egypt has between 118 and 138 pyramids. That makes Sudan home to nearly twice as many pyramids as Egypt.

Who built the pyramids in Sudan?▾

The Kingdom of Kush, an ancient African civilization along the Nile. Kush ruled for over a thousand years and even controlled Egypt during the 7th century BC.

Where is the largest cluster of pyramids in the world?▾

In Meroë, Sudan. The site holds over 200 pyramids in close proximity. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011.

When were the Nubian pyramids built?▾

Between roughly 700 BC and 350 AD. The Nubian pyramid-building era spanned over 1,000 years, far longer than Egypt's pyramid age.

How tall are the pyramids in Sudan?▾

Most are 20 to 100 feet (6 to 30 meters) tall. That makes them much smaller than the Great Pyramid of Giza, which stands at 481 feet (139 meters).

Are the Nubian pyramids a UNESCO site?▾

Yes. Meroë was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011. Jebel Barkal and the surrounding region have been a UNESCO site since 2003.

Next time you think about pyramids, think about Sudan. The country holds more pyramids than any other place in the world. They are smaller, younger, and less famous than the ones at Giza, but just as fascinating. Like history facts like this? Check out our post on the oldest cities in the world or jump straight into the history quiz.