Napata Emerges as Capital of Kush

Around 800 BCE, the city of Napata emerged as the capital of the Kingdom of Kush, located near the Nile's Fourth Cataract in present-day northern Sudan. Originally an Egyptian outpost during Thutmose III's campaigns (c. 1450 BCE), Napata gained religious significance through its proximity to Jebel Barkal, considered the southern residence of the god Amun. Under rulers including Alara (c. 790 BCE), Napata became the center of a Kushite state that eventually conquered Egypt and established the 25th Dynasty.