Tombos is the name of a series of sites on the east bank of the Nile in the area of the Third Cataract. First and foremost, the boulders of the cataract carry numerous New Kingdom rock inscriptions which are of great historical importance, as they shed light on the conquest of Nubia by the Egyptians in that era. They include the great victory stela of Thutmose I as well as testimonies from a range of high officials, among them three viceroys of Nubia.
A New Kingdom settlement has been located under the modern village of Tombos, but is yet to be explored. The associated cemetery does not make a spectacular sight, as the Egyptian-style tomb superstructures were built of mudbrick, of which only scant traces remain. However, careful archaeological exploration has transformed the site into a vivid testimony of life and death in New Kingdom Nubia.
The cemetery also comprises a quarter with later i.e. Napatan graves. A nearby granite quarry contains the unfinished statue of a Napatan king.
Several Kerma period cemeteries and settlements are distributed in the wider area.