Nubians

This article is about Ethno-linguistic group. For the people in Uganda, see Nubians (Uganda). For indigenous ethnic groups who inhabit the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan state in Sudan, see Nuba peoples.

Nubians
Nobī
النوبيون
Modern Nubian men in Aswan
Regions with significant populations
 Sudan167,831 (1956 census)[1] 812,000[2][3][4]
 Egypt99,000 (1960s)[5]
300,000[6]–5,000,000[7]
Languages
Nubian languages[a]
Arabic (Sudanese Arabic, Sa'idi Arabic, Egyptian Arabic)
Religion
Sunni Islam
Related ethnic groups
Sudanese Arabs,[8] Beja, Egyptians, Cushites, Nilotic peoples

Nubians (/ˈnuːbiənz, ˈnjuː-/) (Nobiin: Nobī,[9] Arabic: النوبيون) are a Nilo-Saharan speaking ethnic group indigenous to the region which is now northern Sudan and southern Egypt. They originate from the early inhabitants of the central Nile valley, believed to be one of the earliest cradles of civilization.[10] In the southern valley of Egypt, Nubians differ culturally and ethnically from Egyptians, although they intermarried with members of other ethnic groups, especially Arabs.[11] They speak Nubian languages as a mother tongue, part of the Northern Eastern Sudanic languages, and Arabic as a second language.[12]

Neolithic settlements have been found in the central Nubian region dating back to 7000 BC, with Wadi Halfa believed to be the oldest settlement in the central Nile valley.[13] Parts of Nubia, particularly Lower Nubia, were at times a part of ancient Pharaonic Egypt and at other times a rival state representing parts of Meroë or the Kingdom of Kush. By the Twenty-fifth Dynasty (744 BC–656 BC), all of Egypt was united with Nubia, extending down to what is now Khartoum.[14] However, in 656 BC the native Twenty-sixth Dynasty regained control of Egypt. As warriors, the ancient Nubians were famous for their skill and precision with the bow and arrow.[15] In the Middle Ages, the Nubians converted to Christianity and established three kingdoms: Nobatia in the north, Makuria in the center, and Alodia in the south. They then converted to Islam during the Islamization of the Sudan region.

Today, Nubians in Egypt primarily live in southern Egypt, especially in Kom Ombo and Nasr al-Nuba (Arabic: نصر النوبة) north of Aswan,[16][17][18] and large cities such as Cairo, while Sudanese Nubians live in northern Sudan, particularly in the region between the city of Wadi Halfa on the Egypt–Sudan border and al Dabbah. Some Nubians were forcibly moved to Khashm el Girba and New Halfa upon the construction of the High Dam in Egypt which flooded their ancestral lands. Additionally, a group known as the Midob live in northern Darfur, a group named Birgid in Central Darfur and several groups known as the Hill Nubians who live in Northern Kordofan in Haraza and a few villages in the northern Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan state.[19]

The main Nile Nubian groups from north to south are the Kenzi (Kenzi/Mattokki-speaking), Faddicca (Nobiin-speaking), Halfawi (Nobiin-speaking), Sukkot (Nobiin-speaking), Mahas (Nobiin-speaking), and Danagla (Andaandi-speaking).[20]

  1. ^ "Language and ethnic statistics in 20th century Sudanese censuses and surveys". Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  2. ^ Project, Joshua. "Mahas Nubian in Sudan". Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  3. ^ Project, Joshua. "Dongolawi Nubian in Sudan". Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  4. ^ Project, Joshua. "Midobi in Sudan". Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  5. ^ "تحقيق- نوبيون في مصر لا يرون في مقعدهم البرلماني الوحيد أملا في العودة لأرض الآباء". Reuters (in Arabic). 18 October 2015. Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  6. ^ "Changing Egypt Offers Hope to Long-Marginalized Nubians". National Geographic News. 1 February 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  7. ^ "Egypt's young Nubians revive dream of return to homeland". Associated Press. 15 July 2018.
  8. ^ Hale, Sondra (1973). Nubians: A Study in Ethnic Identity. Institute of African and Asian Studies, University of Khartoum. p. 24. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  9. ^ Reinisch, Leo (1879). Die Nuba-Sprache. Wien: Wilhelm Braumüller.
  10. ^ Charles Keith Maisels (1993). The Near East: Archaeology in the "Cradle of Civilization. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-04742-0.
  11. ^ "Egypt – People | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  12. ^ "Sudan | History, Map, Area, Population, Religion, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  13. ^ "Ancient Sudan~ Nubia: Burials: Prehistory". ancientsudan.org. Archived from the original on 6 September 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  14. ^ "Nubia – ancient region, Africa". 16 June 2023.
  15. ^ Brier, Bob; Hobbs, A. Hoyt (2008). Daily Life of the Ancient Egyptians. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 249. ISBN 978-0-313-35306-2.
  16. ^ "52 Years After Displacement, Scars Of Loss Remain For Nubians". Egypt Today. 25 October 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  17. ^ "For Egypt's Nubians, years of patience wear thin and anger rises". Reuters. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  18. ^ "جماعات النوبة.. اعتزال الآخر وانصهار مع الذات". aljazeera.net (in Arabic). Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  19. ^ Sesana, Renato Kizito; Borruso, Silvano (2006). I Am a Nuba. Paulines Publications Africa. p. 26. ISBN 978-9966-081-79-7.
  20. ^ Lobban Jr., Richard A. (2003). Historical Dictionary of Ancient and Medieval Nubia. Scarecrow Press. p. 214. ISBN 978-0-8108-6578-5.


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