Taharqa: The Black Kushite Pharaoh Who Ruled Egypt
His statues leave no room for historical whitewashing.
Broad African features. Powerful royal imagery. The double cobra on his crown—symbolizing his authority over the united kingdoms of Kush and Egypt. His name was Taharqa. Born into the royal house of Kush in Nubia, south of Egypt in present-day Sudan, Taharqa was the son of the Kushite king Piye. He inherited an African empire spanning the Nile Valley and became pharaoh of Egypt’s 25th Dynasty around 690 BCE.
Taharqa did not rule Egypt as a servant, visitor or foreign captive.
He ruled as pharaoh. His reign became one of the most celebrated periods of Kushite power. Taharqa commissioned temples, sanctuaries, monuments, and colossal statues throughout Egypt and Nubia. His construction projects appeared at Karnak, Kawa, Gebel Barkal, and other sacred centers of the Nile Valley. At Karnak, he added an enormous colonnaded structure honoring Amun. In Nubia, he strengthened religious and political centers that linked Kushite authority to the older traditions of the Nile.
Taharqa also faced one of the ancient world’s most formidable military machines: the Assyrian Empire. He fought to defend Egypt and its regional allies against repeated Assyrian invasions. Assyrian forces eventually captured Memphis, prompting Taharqa to withdraw southward. Yet his resistance became part of a larger struggle between two great African and Near Eastern powers. Taharqa died around 664 BCE and was buried at Nuri in present-day Sudan. His pyramid remains as evidence of the Kushite civilization that produced kings capable of ruling both Nubia and Egypt.
European narratives often portrayed ancient Egypt as disconnected from the rest of Africa. Taharqa dispels that illusion. He was a Black African king from Kush. He wore Egypt's crowns. He built monuments along the Nile. He commanded armies against an empire. His African features are preserved in surviving statues—including the famous granite Sphinx of Taharqo at the British Museum. Taharqa does not need to be inserted into Egyptian history.
He is already carved into it.
We are the Descendants of the Taken Ones, and we remember the Black Kushite pharaoh who ruled one of Africa’s greatest civilizations. Thank you for your time. To support the channel. Please like, share, and subscribe, and pass this along to your family and friends. Remember: information kept to yourself is lost over time, but shared information becomes enduring knowledge. People who lose control of their history can be led to believe they never contributed anything.
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