National Geographic - UK (2022-02)

S

e

a

GRAND

ETHIOPIAN

RENAISSANCE

DAM

ETH

IOP

IA

ER

ITR

EA

Port Sudan

Kassala

AFRICA

SAHARA

EUROPE

A

SI

A

Arab

League

member

states

SUDAN

Arabs

Arabs

Others

B

ej

a

Nubians

EGYPT

SUDAN

BETWEEN

TWO WORLDS

Britain and Egypt

conquer Sudan

and jointly

govern until 1955.

1896-

1898

Sudan has long been shaped by outside

powers that have prized its rich resources

and strategic location at the intersection of

the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa. Since

gaining independence from Britain and Egypt

in 1956, the country has faced two brutal

civil wars and the secession of South Sudan.

Sudan is one of 10 African

nations that are members

of the Arab League.

Non-Muslim

Africans in south

Sudan revolt

against Muslim

government

in the north.

1964

Armed groups in

the western Dar-

fur region revolt,

claiming neglect

from Khartoum.

2003

International Crim-

inal Court issues

an arrest warrant

for Bashir for war

crimes in Darfur.

2008

Top generals seize

power, derailing

the transition to

democracy and

sparking massive

protests.

2021

First civil war

in the south

1955-

1972

Second civil war

in south Sudan

1983-

2005

Sudan gains inde-

pendence from

Egypt and Britain.

1956

Pro-democracy

revolution

2019

South Sudan

becomes an inde-

pendent nation.

2011

Mohammed Ali

conquers Sudan

and rules on

behalf of the

Ottoman Empire.

1822

Mahdi Moham-

med Ahmed

leads revolt and

establishes the

first Sudanese

nationalist gov-

ernment, a strict

Islamic state.

1881

Egypt rules

Nubia, known to

ancient Egyptians

as Kush.

1550-

1069 B.C.

Kushite kings

rule Egypt as

pharaohs of the

25th dynasty.

750-

656 B.C.

Kingdom of Kush

collapses.

A.D. 350

Emissaries of

Roman emperor

Justinian intro-

duce Christianity,

giving rise to

a succession of

Christian Nubian

kingdoms.

543

Arab conquest

of Egypt; arrival

of Islam

640

Nubian-Christian

forces repel

Arab invaders

and negotiate a

truce, known as

the Baqt, which

endures 600 years.

652

Last Christian

Nubian kingdom

falls; Muslim sul-

tans rule Sudan.

1504

Omar al Bashir

takes power in

a military coup.

1989

A DIVERSE MIX

Arabic spread into the region with

the rise of Islam in the seventh

century, but Sudan is still home to

more than 500 ethnic groups and

over 400 languages. Most ethnic

Nubians are concentrated in small

pockets and primarily speak Arabic;

there are efforts to revive the

Nubian language. The nomadic Beja

speak their ancient language, Beja.