Pharaohs of Kush, the trading empire of Aksum, the gold of Ghana and Mali, the stone city of Great Zimbabwe — three thousand years of African states.
Stop 01 · 700 BCE
The Kingdom of Kush
South of Egypt, along the Nile in what is now Sudan, the Kingdom of Kush grew rich on gold, ivory and trade. Around 744 BCE its kings turned the tables on their old overlord and conquered Egypt itself, ruling it for nearly a century as the 25th Dynasty. Later, from their capital at Meroë, Kushite rulers built hundreds of pyramids — more than Egypt ever did.