The Black Pharaohs: The Kushite Kings Who Ruled Egypt

By Mohammed Hossam, Egyptologist Guide · History · 7 min read · Published 12 November 2025

For nearly a century, a dynasty of Black African kings from Nubia ruled all of Egypt. Here's the remarkable, true story.

It's one of the most remarkable chapters of ancient history, and one that's often left out of the textbooks: for nearly a hundred years, Egypt was ruled by a line of Black African kings from the kingdom of Kush, in what is now Sudan. They are known today as the Black pharaohs.

Who they were

Around 744 BC, as Egypt fragmented, a Kushite king named Piye marched north from Nubia and conquered the whole of Egypt, founding what historians call the 25th Dynasty. He and his successors, including Shabaka and the famous Taharqa, ruled a vast realm stretching from the heart of Africa to the Mediterranean.

Builders and restorers

These were not destroyers but restorers. The Kushite pharaohs revered Egypt's ancient traditions, repaired and expanded its temples, and revived the building of pyramids, which had fallen out of use in Egypt centuries earlier. Taharqa in particular left monuments across Egypt and Nubia and even appears in the Bible.

Pyramids in Sudan

When the Assyrians eventually pushed the Kushites back south, their kingdom didn't fade. It flourished for centuries at Meroe, where its kings and queens were buried beneath steep-sided pyramids. In fact, Sudan today holds more ancient pyramids than Egypt does, a fact that surprises almost everyone.

Why this story matters

The Black pharaohs are a powerful reminder that African history is rich, complex and central to the ancient world. For many of our travelers, learning that Black African kings once ruled Egypt is one of the most moving parts of the journey.

Where to feel this history

In Aswan and at sites like Philae and Abu Simbel, you're in the borderland between Egypt and Nubia where this story unfolded, and our guides love telling it. See our Nubia guide and our Egypt tours that reach the deep south.

Want this heritage woven through your trip? Just tell us, and we'll make it a focus.

Explore the Kushite & Nubian Story

This is the pillar of our deeper series on Black African history along the Nile. Continue with:

• Kemet: What the Ancient Egyptians Called Their Own Land
• Nubia: The Ancient Black African Kingdom Beside Egypt
• Taharqa: The Kushite Pharaoh Who Ruled Two Lands
• The Warrior Queens of Nubia: The Mighty Kandakes
• The Forgotten Pyramids of Kush: Nubia's Black Kingdom