Taharqa was the most powerful of the Kushite pharaohs, whose kingdom stretched from the Mediterranean deep into modern Sudan. His reign began with prosperity and a celebrated high Nile.
The rising power of Assyria brought invasions that pushed him back south. He was buried beneath a pyramid at Nuri, near the sacred mountain of Jebel Barkal.
Key achievements
- A Kushite king who ruled both Egypt and Nubia from Memphis and Napata.
- Built extensively at Karnak and at Jebel Barkal in Nubia.
- Lost Memphis to the Assyrian king Esarhaddon in 671 BCE; buried in the largest pyramid at Nuri.
