NUBIA GREATNESS

Nubia




Narmer

Narmer, also known as Menes, became the first King of both Upper and Lower Kemet (Egypt). Born in Tini (a southern Nubian town later called Thinis by the Greeks), he ascended to the thrown by defeating Selk for reign over the Delta area and proceeded to demolish the barbarians (Caucasoids and Asian invaders) to unify Upper and Lower Kemet. The creator of hydraulic engineering, he was able to divert the flow of the Nile via a dam. He founded the Kemetian capital Men-ne-fer (Memphis) or "the good place." His reign established the lineage of rule and royal customs and traditions Kemetians maintained throughout their world domination.




Djoser Neterkhet

Djoser, a Pharoah of the 3rd Dynasty reign for 19 years. Before him, rulers were buried in small, low level tombs. Summoning the assistance of Grand Vizier and universal genius Imhotep, he designed the first pyramid ever built. His 135,000 sq. ft. burial complex help to establish his fame. In addition to phenomenal architectual accomplishments, Djoser also negotiated with and established trading with the Phoenicians and extended the southern border of his empire down to the First Cataract.





Akhet Khufu

Reigning for 24 years, Khufu's reign is most famous for his greatest achievement, The Great Pyramid. At 75,587 sq. ft. and over 48 stories high, it is the last Wonder of the World still standing. Merely accomplishing the task of creating such a monument exhibits his great skill: the administrative oversight of worker recruitment, engineering, obtaining the materials, and financial obligation was extraordinary. Not limited to pyramid building, Khufu also wrote "The Sacred Book" a religous text highly valued by the ancient Kemetians.





Imhotep

Perhaps the greatest thinker ever to walk the earth, Imhotep was a Grand Vizier, Grand Physician, Grand Architect, Chieft Priest, Astronomer, and Scribe. Details of his exploits are legendary: Historical reports suggest that he treated more than 200 diseases, Imhotep knew the circulation of blood (over 4,000 years before it was evident in Europe!!!), thousands of years before bacteria was discovered and before European and American doctors were aware, Imhotep knew to wash his hands before conducting surgery, he was about to approximate the circumference of the earth at 25,000 miles, he KNEW that the earth was round over 4,000 prior to Columbus, and, among other accomplishments, he design the first ever pyramid!!!Though Hippocratus is cited as "The Father of Medicine" it is Imhotep who deserves the title. This multi-genius was so incredible that he was deified (worshipped as a god) by both the Ancient Kemetians and the greeks.




User Maat Re Setep En Ra Ramessu Meriamen

Even before he was king, Ramses took on tremendous responsibilities. For his father, Sethy I, he was deputy in administrative, military, and religous affairs, all before the age of 25! When Ramses became ruler of Upper and Lower Kemet, he became known as "The Builder King," constructing massive monuments, tombs, and temples including: The Great Temple at Abu Simbel, the completion of Sethy I's limestone temple, the 54,000 sq. ft. Hypostlye Hall, the Ramesseum (his burial temple), a temple for his wife Nefertari, and many other monuments. Inaddition, Ramses was also known for his military genius, commanding an army at as young as 10 years of age!!!His military exploits helped expand the Kemetian borders all the way to the Euphrates River. During his 66 year reign, Ramsses The Great established libraries all throughout Kemet and colonies he established in Syria and Hittiteland. During his reign, Kemet was the WORLD leader in trade, the arts, science, math, military power, and education.




Nefertari Merimut

Queen Nefetari was the wife of the famous King Ramses II, though prior to their marriage she ruled with her father who was King of Nubia (south of Kemet). A woman of striking beauty, she immediately became Ramses II's great love. He placed her in very powerful and influential roles, serving in both governmental and religous affairs. After a treaty between Ramses II and Khattusilis III (a Hittite king) was signed, Nefertari's correspondence with the Hittite queen Pudukhepa made peace between the two nations a smoother transition. She was so beloved by Ramses that he erected a smaller temple at Abu Simbel in her honor, upon which he inscribed: "Ramses II, he has made a Temple, excavated in the Mountain of Eternal Workmanship...for the Chief Queen Nefertari, Beloved of Mut, in Nubia, forever and ever... Nefetari...for whose sake the very sun does shiine!..." (taken from Pharaoh Triumphant p.99)




Akenaton

Originally named Nefer Kheperu Ra Wah En Ra Amenhotep (Amenhotep IV), he is known as the great reformer. Upon obtaining the crown, Akenaton initially assumed the traditional role of king and chief religious figure. However, by his fifth year in power, he began to question traditional religion and art. He became the first known human to embrace the concept of monotheism (one god). He believed that there was only one god-Aton (represented by the sun disc) and that Aton was the spirit of radiating from the heat produce by the sun. Praising Aton, he changed his name to Akenaton (who is beneficial to Aton" to show his dedication and had Amen (the former primary god in Kemet) removed from as many scriptures and monuments as possible. He moved the capital to a new city he built named Akheaton. He began to embrace a practice of non-violence and non-aggression; which left Kemet very vulnerable. Unfortunately, because of his devotion to religious matters, the kingdom of Kemet lacked administrative guidance necessary to maintain its vast empire. By the end of his reign, Kemet has undergone a vast transformation




Neb Kheperu Ra Tutankhamen

Known now as "The Boy King," Tutankhamen ascended to the thrown at only 9 years old, the son-in-law of King Akenaten. After Akenaten's reign, Kemet was in a state of confusion and decline; his religious affairs leading to Kemet's temporary chaos. Under the guidance of wise advisors, "The Boy King" began the process of restoring order to Kemet. He changed his name from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamen, to represent his returned devotion to Amen, Kemet original primary god. He restored the name of Amen and reopened temples dedicated to him throughout Kemet. During his 10 year reign, he also fought battles to retain tax collections lost during his prodecessor Akenaten's reign. Tutankhamun was infamous when his tomb was discovered intact in 1922 A.D. Treasurers in his tomb amazed the world and made everyone aware of "The Boy King"




Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti

Nefertiti was the queen-consort of the controversial Kemetian Pharoah Akhetnaten. He was the first Pharaoh to establish worship of one god by directing exclusive worship of the sun god Aten, of which Nefertiti was a devout follower.Nefertiti was married to Akhenaten and she helped him initiate many religious, artistic, and cultural changes. She may have even exercised the priestly office, a position normally reserved for kings. Akhenaten's Own Words at Describing Nefertiti:
"The Hereditary Princess, Great of Favor,
Mistress of Happiness,
Gay with the two feathers, at hearing whose voice one rejoices,
Soothing the heart of the king at home, pleased at all that is said,
the Great and Beloved Wife of the King, Lady of the Two Lands,
Neferu-aten Nefertiti, living forever."
Nefertiti is displayed with a prominence that other Egyptian queens were not. Her name is enclosed in a royal cartouche, and there are in fact more statues and drawings of her than of Akhenaten. Some have even claimed that it was Nefertiti, not Akhenaten, who instigated the monotheistic religion of Aten. It is around the year 15 that Nefertiti mysteriously disappears from view. It could be that she died, although no indication of this exists to this date. Some scholars think that she was banished for some reason, and lived the rest of her years in the northern palace, raising Tutankaten. (Though the hypothesis remains that she was Smenkhkara, the mysterious succesor of Akhenaten.)Whatever the case, she is replaced by her oldest daughter, Meritaten, and we hear no more of her. Nefertiti was said to have died five days before her 40th birthday though her sarcophagus has never been found. Nefertiti's incredible beauty, attested by the famous bust sculpted in limestone at Akhet-Aten by Thutmose and her mystery make her one of the most intruiging persons in Ancient Kemet history.




Khnemt Amen Maat Ka Ra Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut was the daughter of Thutmose I and a royal descendant of the 18th Dynasty. The natural heiress to the throne, she married Thutmose II and they ruled Kemet jointly for the duration of their lives. Upon the death of Thutmose II, she assumed the role as Queen Regent and eventually, King. To express her power, she dressed as the kings of the past did, even wearing the diving beard. A ruler who preferred peace, she focus on restoring the beauty of Kemet as opposed to expanding its borders. She reopened the Sinai mines which brought more gold and turquoise to Kemet. She erected what was the largest obelisk up to her reign in Karnak and resotred old temples that were once neglected by the invading Hyksos. Her decisions brought great wealth to the Land of Kemet. Perhaps one of her greatest accomplishments was the establishment of trading between Kemet and the land of Punt (Ethiopia), the land from which many of Kemet's deities came. Her exploits made her reign one of the most prosperous of all time in Kemetian history.




Menkhepe Ra Tehutimes

Thutmose III reigned as one of Kemet's most powerful rulers ever; guiding Kemet to its highest level of excellence since its creation. Thutmose III ascended to the throne in an untraditional fashion. Prior to ruling Kemet he was a devout priest in the temple of Amen. On a feast day, however, the priest paraded with a symbol of the god around the northern colonnade of the Karnak Temple. When it stopped at Thutmose III, it symbolize his right to the throne. As the son of Thotmosis II and Aset, he his royal lineage returned to the thrown upon the death of the great Queen Hatshepsut. He then lead an army in a fierce battle to regain possession of Palestine, and after 20 years reestablished Kemetian ownership of Palestine and Syria. He was also victorious over Mitanni and established a provincial capital in the fourth cataract of Nubia. Under his leadership, the Kemetian army fought a battle in a land known as Megiddo. The battle destroyed the area so severely that the people said that it was what the end of the world would look like. From this, the term Armageddon is derived. Thutmose III's Kemet had control over areas as far away as mainland Greece and the Euphrates. Under his greatness, Kemet became the first empire of the world, an example of the greatness which lies within.



Neb Maat Ra Amenhotep

Amenhotep III was the son of Thutmosis IV and Queen Mutemiwa. He ruled Kemet during a period of peace and tranquility, allowing him to focus on the architectual, educational, and spiritual growth of his empire. Under his rule, international trade and communication rose dramatically. Amenhotep III broke out of tradition by marrying Tiye, a woman from Southern Nubia. She was so beautiful and loved by him that she became known as the "Great Royal Wife" and participated fully in governmental affairs. Militarily, he develloped a marine police force to provide security for local and visiting merchants. Politically, he maintained diplomatic correspondence with Babylon, Cypress, Mitanni, and other lands. Scarabs with his name and the name of his wife reached as far as Greece. Architectually, Amenophis III ordered the building of the Temple of Mut, furnished with 600 black granite statues of Sekhmet (the lioness goddess) and surrounded it with a crescent shaped lake. He created the Colossi of Amenhotep III--70 foot statues cut from a single block of granite and weighing over 700 tons. A ruler of 37 years, he was the father of two of Kemet's most famous rulers: Akenaton, and Tutankhamen.



Nefertem Khu Re Taharka

Taharka was one of the greatest Kemetian (Egyptian) (as well as Nubian) kings of all time. Inheriting the throne from his Uncle Shabaka, he became king at the age of 25! Upon his coronation, he expressed his power by arranging for mother, the Queen, to travel 1200 miles to see him crowned. Taharka's reign lasted for 26 years, during which time he became "Emperor of the World", unifying both Upper and Lower Kemet (Egypt) under a Nubian (truly Afrikan) King, restoring the order of the "Golden Ages" of Kemet. He made numerous economic and cultural advances in both Kemet and his homeland of Nubia. His reign brough about the building of the Chapel of Het Heru in Ipet Resyt (Luxor Temple), and expanded the Temple of Mut at Ipet Isut (Karnak) in addition to many, many other improvements. Militarily, Taharka battled the Assyrian King Esahaddon and King Baal of Tyre for control of Kemet. A Biblical figure, he is credited in II Kings 19:9 for saving is Hebrew brothers from certain death. The reign of Taharka and his military exploits established him as one of the most powerful rulers of the ancient world.


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