Louvre Exhibition Puts Spotlight on Nubian King Taharqa

A new exhibition at Paris' Louvre Museum is putting the spotlight on Pharaoh Taharqa, king of Egypt and Kush during the 25th Dynasty who reigned from 690 BCE to 664 BCE. Taharqa ruled for almost three decades from Napata, the ancient capital of Nubia, now located in northern Sudan.

The exhibition - titled ‘Pharaoh of the Two Lands: The African Story of the Kings of Napata’ - also focuses on a line of African kings that span over the beginning of the 25th Dynasty, including the triumphant story of King Piye and his successors. On display are gold pieces, granite statues, papyrus works, and sarcophagi, which will continue to be showcased until July 25th. 

Marking the 200th anniversary of the discovery of the hieroglyphics by French archaeologist Jean-Francois Champollion, the exhibition is hosting artefacts from around the globe, many of which were unearthed by Louvre archaeologists over the past decade.