Shabaka

Shabaka was a ruler of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty who reigned from about 714 BC to 705 BC, with dates uncertain by about three years. The brother of Piye and son of Kashta and Pebatjma, he succeeded Piye and chose to govern directly from Memphis. This strategic move allowed him to complete the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under Kushite rule.

His administration was characterised by a cultural renaissance that consciously copied the language, monumental styles, and theological concepts of early Egyptian history. Shabaka maintained firm diplomatic relations with near eastern powers while undertaking substantial religious building projects in Memphis, Thebes, and Napata. Upon his death, he was buried in a royal pyramid at the ancestral cemetery of El-Kurru (tomb Ku. 15), but his mummy has not survived.

Scholars know Shabaka through numerous architectural works, including additions at Karnak, and most famously through the Shabaka Stone, an ancient basalt slab preserving an archaic Memphite theological text.

Monuments

• Shabaka Stone (British Museum)
• Karnak Pylon IV additions
• Pyramid at El-Kurru

Explore further

Try the name on the Cartouche Desk, or see where the reign falls on the timeline.