This little-known country has more Pyramids than Egypt — and only a few people know about it

Pyramids, their purpose, and the way they were built with fewer resources and technology thousands of years back have fascinated people since they were discovered by the outside world. Although Egypt is synonymous with pyramids, it isn't the home to most of such structures that symbolize the presence of past civilizations. One surprising fact is that Sudan reportedly has the most pyramids of any nation. There are between 220 and 255 of these historic marvels within its boundaries.

Smaller in size than Egypt’s iconic pyramids, the structures of Sudan were built by the powerful rulers of the ancient Kingdom of Kush. Rising to prominence in the eighth century BCE in Nubia, the Kushites even ruled Egypt as the 25th dynasty, creating a legacy of kings known as the Black Pharaohs. The first of these rulers, Piye, marked his reign with a bold invasion of Egypt around 770 BC, establishing his rule from the capital of Napata. Inspired by the grand tombs of Egyptian pharaohs, Piye demanded a similar burial for himself, becoming the first to be honored with a pyramid at Sudan's ancient El-Kurru necropolis, as reported by The Express.

After their conquest of Egypt, the Kushites came back to their Nubian homeland, where they established a new capital at Meroë. It’s in this city that the majority of Nubia’s pyramids stand today. As Meroë flourished, the Kingdom of Kush thrived until the fourth century CE. However, the remains of this once-powerful civilization were not unearthed by archaeologists until the 1830s. Regretfully, Giuseppe Ferlini, the man credited with discovering them, was a known tomb raider and not a savior. Numerous buildings were left in ruins as a result of his careless handling of the pyramids. Much of Meroë's antique splendor is still in tatters, despite the restoration of several of its pyramids.

As a result, although millions of tourists visit Egypt to see the pyramids every year, just about 15,000 people visit the pyramids of Nubia. To make matters worse, potential explorers are reportedly discouraged from visiting several regions of Sudan by the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which further prevents them from learning about these historic treasures. As reported by The Express, the FCO states, “The British Embassy no longer registers British nationals in Sudan and the capacity of the British Embassy to help in times of crisis may be limited. You should consider your own travel arrangements carefully and make sure you have up-to-date travel documents and visas in case you need to leave at short notice.”

The country’s modern history has been plagued by civil war, violence, and acts of terrorism. Talking about the decline in tourism in the region, a tour guide, Abdelmagid, said, "Tourism has completely stopped. We have had no salaries for months. I have eight children and I am in debt to feed them. The shops I borrow food from have stopped giving me food because I can't pay them back." This history, long ignored and buried beneath layers of poverty, now faces the threat of erasure once more. It is now suffocated by the greed of war and the slow decay of neglect, as highlighted by Sky News.