| Dakka |
C-Group Site (C-Group
people first appeared in Nubia at the time of the 6th Dynasty of
Egypt) |
| Quban |
Fortress
and base for mining operations (mines included the gold mines at
Wadi el-Allaqi and Wadi Gabgaba, the copper mines at Abu Segal and
diorite quarries in the desert west of Toshka) - time of Sesostris
I (12th Dynasty). |
| Wadi es-Sebua |
Fortified C-Group
settlement. |
| Sayala |
Includes
the grave of a chief from an A-Group
Settlement. |
| Aniba |
C-Group site (also
includes an important cemetery dating to the
period) |
| Toshka |
A site occupied
throughout the ancient period, it contains an A and C-Group
cemetery, it was an important administrative centre of Egypt in
Nubia in the 18th Dynasty (also in the Late Period) |
| Faras |
A site occupied
throughout the ancient period, it contains an A and C-Group
cemetery, it was an important administrative centre of Egypt in
Nubia in the 18th Dynasty (also in the Late Period) |
| Qustul |
A-Group cemetery, also
burials of Kings dating to the early Christian era. |
| Buhen |
Middle Kingdom fortress
site (although the site did originally flourish in the 4th and 5th
Dynasties), copper was also smelted here, the site was re-used by
rulers of the New Kingdom |
| Wadi Halfa |
Considered a strategic
position by the ancient Egyptians. Inscriptions here date to the
Nubian campaigns of Sesostris I. Another stela dates to the 19th
Dynasty which celebrates the building of a temple to Horus. In many
eras of ancient Egypt, Wadi Halfa marked Egypt's southern
border. |
| Mirgissa |
A fortress in the Middle
Kingdom, used as a port for the transport of goods from Nubia to
Egypt. |
| Batn el-Hagar |
Called 'Belly of Stones'
by the local inhabitants, a desolate region of Nubia which extends
for more than 100 miles - the river is filled with rapids which is
matched by wasteland on the shore - a natural defence for the
region. |
| Semna |
Frontier of Egyptian
control under Sesostris I and Sesotris III |
| Amara West |
Town, walled with a
stone temple - for a time the residence for the Viceroy of
Kush. |
| Sai |
Island on the Nile, an
important Kushite settlement, as such this was garrisoned by
Egyptian troops during the reign of Tuthmosis I. |
| Sedeinga |
Amenhotep III built 'an
impressive temple' here in honour of his Chief Queen
Tiye |
| Soleb |
Amenhotep III built a
temple here solely for the worship of himself - a pair of red
granite lions stood by the temple (these now reside in the British
Museum), inscriptions on the lions link Amenhotep III as the father
of Tutankhamun. |
| Sesebi |
Walled town, with stone
temple - also used for the residence of the Viceroy of
Kush |
| Kerma |
Large and important site
- Centre of Kushite Power - one of the earliest settlements in
tropical Africa. Evidence has been found of the first activity of
the site in the 4th millennium BC, graves date to 2,400BC and then
had constant development for the next 1,000 years. The town had a
large religious structure / temple as its focal point (in
1750-1600BC this also had workshops and other religious buildings
within the temples quarter). Mud brick walls and dry ditches
protected the town. Craftsmen skilled in metal working, woodworking,
ceramics, Jewellery etc were housed at Kerma. Tuthmosis I attacked
and sacked the town - the outer defences were demolished by him (it
is thought to stop Kerma becoming a focal point for Nubian uprising
against the Egyptians). |
| Napata |
Frontier settlement,
built by Tuthmosis III - this marked the entry point for goods
entering Egypt from the rest of Africa at this point in time. In the
8th Century BC a new and powerful Kushite kingdom emerged in the
region of Napata, this was to go on to become the greatest
civilisation of Nubia. The first period of this development took
place in the Napata Period (it would then continue to become the
Merotic Period following a break-away from Egyptian culture). This
Kushite Kingdom would gain in power and whose descendants would
eventually become pharaohs of Egypt (25th Dynasty). Rulers of Kush
were buried in pyramids at Nuri, close to Napata. |
| Gebel Barkal |
'Flat Topped Mountain'.
The most important religious centre in Nubia during the New Kingdom
- called 'Holy Mountain' by the Egyptians. It became the Nubian
centre for the cult of Amun, many temples were built at the base of
the mountain. |
| Kurgus |
Furthest point that
Tuthmosis I reached in his campaigns into Nubia |
| Meroe |
The chief city of Nubia
in the 6th century BC (although it was used as a royal residence as
early as the 8th century BC), the rulers of Nubia were buried here
in steeply sided pyramids. From the beginning of the 3rd Century BC
there was a gradual shift away from the pharaonic influence of
Egypt, it was then that the royal burials became to be placed at
Meroe than at the cemetaries close to Napata. The town of Meroe has
only been partly excavated, but a great temple to Amun has been
found which had an avenue of rams. In the 8th century BC a new and
powerful Kushite Kingdom emerged in Napata, this was to become the
greatest civilisation of ancient Nubia - the Kingdom of Meroe (the
Merotic Period) - it was to exist for over a thousand years
(although the major events were to take place in the first half -
the Napata Period). |
| Wad Ban Naga |
Important trade
centre |
| Musawwarat es-Sufra |
The site of the 'Great
Enclosure' - an area which included temples and a complete
arrangement of courts, rooms and passages. Decoration includes
sculptures of elephants - it is thought that this 'Great Enclosure'
may have been a place for pilgrimage and / or a royal
residence. |
| -
Naga |
Location of
temples. |
| Kadero |
Important
early site in Nubia - as early as 4,000BC there is evidence of the
domestication of cattle and cultivation of cereal crops as well as
hunting and gathering.
|
