The Nuri Necropolis is an ancient royal burial ground located in the Sahara desert of modern Sudan, roughly following the course of the Nile south of Kerma. The site is home to the pyramid tombs of Kushite kings and queens of the second Kingdom of Kush, with archaeologist Pearce Paul Creasman telling Gates that approximately 80 pyramids once stood here — a staggering figure given that all of ancient Egypt is believed to have produced only around 118 pyramids total. The largest of these is the pyramid of King Taharqa, the most celebrated of the five Kushite pharaohs who ruled Egypt during the 25th Dynasty, and the first pyramid built at the site. Rows of steep-sided stone pyramids rise dramatically from the desert dunes, creating a landscape that Creasman notes many visitors would instinctively mistake for Egypt. Gates investigated Nuri to understand how the Kushite rulers managed not only to conquer Egypt but to spark a cultural renaissance there — and to gain unprecedented access to a first-of-its-kind underwater archaeological investigation underway inside one of the flooded royal tombs.
Construction of royal pyramids at Nuri begins, with Taharqa's pyramid believed to be the first built at the site
Pyramid construction at Nuri is estimated to have ceased, capping a roughly 400-year period of Kushite royal burials
Archaeologist George Reisner conducts the first major excavations at Nuri
Gates visits Nuri and joins archaeologist Pearce Paul Creasman's ongoing underwater investigation inside the flooded tomb of King Nastasen, featured in Expedition Unknown S12E01
Archaeologist Pearce Paul Creasman, who appears on camera with Gates at Nuri, has been conducting what is described as a first-of-its-kind underwater investigation inside the flooded burial chamber of King Nastasen. Creasman contextualized the scale of Nuri for Gates, noting that the roughly 80 pyramids once standing at this single site represent a significant share of all known pyramid construction in the ancient world. He also pointed out that Sudan as a whole contains more pyramids than Egypt — a counterintuitive fact that speaks to how thoroughly the Kingdom of Kush has been overlooked in popular histories of the ancient world.
Mainstream archaeology holds that Nuri served as the primary royal necropolis for the second Kingdom of Kush, with burials spanning roughly 700 BC to 300 BC. The site's pyramids are steeper and generally smaller in base than their Egyptian counterparts, reflecting a distinct Kushite architectural style that nonetheless drew heavily on Egyptian models. King Taharqa, whose pyramid is the largest at Nuri and believed to be the first constructed there, ruled during a period of notable prosperity and territorial reach as one of the 25th Dynasty pharaohs of Egypt. The site was first brought to wider scholarly attention through excavations led by American archaeologist George Reisner in the early 20th century.
One of the genuinely unresolved questions surrounding Nuri is what remains inside the flooded subterranean chambers that Reisner and subsequent archaeologists could not fully access. The water table has risen significantly since antiquity, and many of the tomb chambers are now submerged — which is precisely what makes Creasman's ongoing underwater excavation so unusual and potentially significant. Whether those flooded chambers still contain artifacts, inscriptions, or other evidence of Kushite royal practice remains, as of Gates' visit, an open question.
Gates' episode contributes less a definitive answer than a vivid illustration of why Nuri matters — and why it has been, as Creasman implies, underappreciated relative to its Egyptian counterparts. The episode frames the Kushite achievement not as a footnote to Egyptian history but as its own remarkable story: a civilization from the south that conquered Egypt, ruled it wisely, and then built a necropolis that rivals Egypt's own in sheer pyramid count. Whether Creasman's underwater investigation ultimately yields new findings about King Nastasen's burial is a story that appears to be still unfolding.
Archaeologist Pearce Paul Creasman told Gates that Sudan contains more pyramids in total than Egypt — a fact that surprises most visitors familiar only with the Giza plateau.
Roughly 80 pyramids are believed to have once stood at Nuri alone, compared to approximately 118 known pyramids across all of ancient Egypt.
King Taharqa's pyramid at Nuri is described as the largest pyramid in Sudan and is believed to be the first pyramid constructed at the site.
Some of the subterranean burial chambers at Nuri are now flooded due to a rise in the local water table, making conventional excavation impossible and prompting Creasman's experimental underwater archaeology approach.
Nuri is a remote site in northern Sudan, and visitors should expect limited infrastructure and no formal tourist facilities on site. Access is generally possible but logistically challenging; travelers are advised to check current travel advisories for Sudan and arrange local guidance before attempting a visit.
Karima (Meroe region), approximately 15–20 km to the northeast; Khartoum is the nearest major international hub, roughly 300 km to the south.
The cooler months between November and February are generally considered the most comfortable time to visit desert sites in Sudan, when daytime temperatures are more manageable. The intense summer heat of the Sahara makes visits between June and September considerably more demanding.
Kingdom of Kush Pyramid Tombs
The Kingdom of Kush Pyramid Tombs represent the same Kushite civilization Gates explores at Nuri, and are likely covered in related Expedition Unknown investigations into Sudanese antiquity.
Jordanian Desert
Gates frequently pairs Nile-corridor and Near Eastern investigations in the same season, and the Jordanian Desert shares the same broad corridor of ancient civilizations Gates traces through Africa and the Middle East.
Ancient Egyptian tomb (Moses investigation)
Gates' investigation of ancient Egyptian sites connects thematically to Nuri, since the Kushite 25th Dynasty pharaohs buried at Nuri once ruled Egypt itself — making the two histories inseparable.