583. Early States on the Nile
by abdelRahman ali mohammed
& deRek Welsby
Sudan, Nubia and EgyptDiscussions of Sudan’s history before the late nineteenth century are
complicated by differences between present-day political and cultural
boundaries and those of earlier periods. The first cataract of the Nile near
present-day Aswan is a key reference point. From the emergence of the
Pharaonic state around 3000 bce onwards, the southern border of Egypt
lay hereabouts. Egypt often controlled territory further south, but to the
Egyptians the land beyond the cataract remained an alien realm. In later
periods, although the location of the frontier fluctuated , a major cultural
boundary remained. Following the Mahdist revolt in the 1880s and the
expulsion of Egypt from Sudan, Egyptian control was maintained as far
south as Wadi Halfa, and in January 1899 the official frontier between the
two countries was fixed along the Twenty-second Parallel, which lies just
north of the Second Cataract. In any treatment of the history of Sudan
prior to this time, the part of Egypt that lies south of the First Cataract
must be included.
Not only boundaries, but geographical and cultural terminology change
over time. Thus the term Nubia may be used historically to describe an
extensive cultural zone, reaching as far north as the First Cataract, but
in the present day it has a more restricted definition, signifying those
reaches of the river north of the Nile bend where speakers of Nubian
languages reside.The Sudan Handbook, edited by John Ryle, Justin Willis, Suliman Baldo and Jok Madut Jok. © 2011 Rift Valley Institute and contributors
(www.riftvalley.net).