Nuri is the second cemetery of the Kushite rulers. It is situated 10 kilometres upstream of Jebel Barkal, on the southern bank of the Nile. Nuri was established by Taharqo, the most important king of the 25th Dynasty, who ruled over Egypt from 690 to 664 BC. Like his four fellow kings he opted for a burial in his homeland, but he left Kurru to have his tomb built at a virgin site. With 52 m long sides, Taharqo's pyramid is the largest pyramid of any Kushite ruler. It was built in two stages and today the first smaller pyramid, which forms the core of the enlarged structure, can be seen protruding from the crumbled top of the surviving monument.
Taharqo's successor, Tanwetamani, returned to Nuri but almost all the subsequent kings of the Napatan period had their tombs built at Nuri. The cemetery also comprises the tombs of the royal consorts and other members of the royal family. The late Napatan King Nastasen, who reigned in the second half of the 4th century BC, was the last to be buried at Nuri.
Since 2003, Kurru has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage serial property "Jebel Barkal and the sites of the Napatan region".