first episode, the history of Sudan
_ Granny, Granny!
= Hello there, my beloved ones, children of the beloved ones!
_ Granny, did you see that tonight they gave us a history lesson about Sudan?
= Oh, wow!
_ Come on, Granny, tell us what Sudan was like in the past.
= Alright, let me tell you about it...
Sudan in the past was known by many names, including "Tasetee," "Tangasyou," and "Kush."
The Greeks used to call Sudan "Ethiopia," which means "faces burned by the sun."
The name "Bilad al-Sudan" was used for the geographical area south of the African Sahara Desert, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean in the east. The name appeared in the Torah and Assyrian texts, where the land was referred to as "Kush." The current name "Sudan" is derived from the Greek word for "black." It is the second African country to be named after the color of its people.
= Hello there, my beloved ones, children of the beloved ones!
_ Granny, did you see that tonight they gave us a history lesson about Sudan?
= Oh, wow!
_ Come on, Granny, tell us what Sudan was like in the past.
= Alright, let me tell you about it...
Sudan in the past was known by many names, including "Tasetee," "Tangasyou," and "Kush."
The Greeks used to call Sudan "Ethiopia," which means "faces burned by the sun."
The name "Bilad al-Sudan" was used for the geographical area south of the African Sahara Desert, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean in the east. The name appeared in the Torah and Assyrian texts, where the land was referred to as "Kush." The current name "Sudan" is derived from the Greek word for "black." It is the second African country to be named after the color of its people.
Well, Granny, tell us about the ancient kingdoms of the past.
= In the past, there were...
The ancient Sudanese kingdoms:
* The First Kushite Kingdom (The Kingdom of Kerma).
It extended its control northward to the southern edges of Egypt, southward to the middle of Sudan, and eastward to the Red Sea. The kingdom also controlled trade routes between North and Central Africa.
= Great, now we know the first kingdom. Let’s move to the second one...
* The Second Kushite Kingdom (The Kingdoms of Napata and Meroë).
This period marked a developed phase of the Sudanese political entity, which first emerged during the Kingdom of Kerma as a monarchy. The Kingdom of Napata was the first phase of the Kushite Kingdom, with Jebel Barkal and its surroundings as its capital. In the second phase, the kingdom became known as the Kingdom of Meroë, with Meroë as its new capital located in North-Central Sudan in the "Bajrawiya" area. The kingdom managed to extend its control over the Nile Valley, stretching as far north as the White Nile in the Mediterranean and parts of the Levant in Eastern Mediterranean, and southward to the Kawa area south of Khartoum.
After the collapse of the Kingdom of Kush in the mid-fourth century AD, Sudan entered a period of political instability lasting two centuries, during which the central state fragmented.
_ Now we know about the Kushite kingdom. Let's move on to the Christian kingdoms...
* The Christian Sudanese Kingdoms: "Yes, Christian!" They were (Nobatia, Makuria, Alodia).
In Sudan, there were three Christian kingdoms starting from the mid-sixth century AD. Their authority extended along the Nile strip, from the far north of Sudan to the central southern parts of Sudan, with extensions into the eastern and western regions of Sudan. After unifying these kingdoms, they were able to maintain their political and spiritual authority in Sudan for nearly a thousand years. They fell with the arrival of Arab groups and the advancing Islamic armies. The alliance of the Abdallab and Funj Sheikhdoms succeeded in overthrowing the Christian kingdoms in the 16th century AD, leading to the establishment of the Islamic Kingdom of Sennar, which laid the foundation for the modern Sudanese state.
_ Now we know the ancient kingdoms and civilizations of Sudan.
= Hold on, let me catch my breath!
_ Haha, Granny, we didn’t expect Sudan’s history to be this interesting!
= How could it not be interesting? It’s the land of civilizations, cultures, goodness, and kindness.
_ Granny, don’t we have historical landmarks like in Europe?
= Oh, how could we not?! We definitely have them!
Some of our landmarks...
= In the past, there were...
The ancient Sudanese kingdoms:
* The First Kushite Kingdom (The Kingdom of Kerma).
It extended its control northward to the southern edges of Egypt, southward to the middle of Sudan, and eastward to the Red Sea. The kingdom also controlled trade routes between North and Central Africa.
= Great, now we know the first kingdom. Let’s move to the second one...
* The Second Kushite Kingdom (The Kingdoms of Napata and Meroë).
This period marked a developed phase of the Sudanese political entity, which first emerged during the Kingdom of Kerma as a monarchy. The Kingdom of Napata was the first phase of the Kushite Kingdom, with Jebel Barkal and its surroundings as its capital. In the second phase, the kingdom became known as the Kingdom of Meroë, with Meroë as its new capital located in North-Central Sudan in the "Bajrawiya" area. The kingdom managed to extend its control over the Nile Valley, stretching as far north as the White Nile in the Mediterranean and parts of the Levant in Eastern Mediterranean, and southward to the Kawa area south of Khartoum.
After the collapse of the Kingdom of Kush in the mid-fourth century AD, Sudan entered a period of political instability lasting two centuries, during which the central state fragmented.
_ Now we know about the Kushite kingdom. Let's move on to the Christian kingdoms...
* The Christian Sudanese Kingdoms: "Yes, Christian!" They were (Nobatia, Makuria, Alodia).
In Sudan, there were three Christian kingdoms starting from the mid-sixth century AD. Their authority extended along the Nile strip, from the far north of Sudan to the central southern parts of Sudan, with extensions into the eastern and western regions of Sudan. After unifying these kingdoms, they were able to maintain their political and spiritual authority in Sudan for nearly a thousand years. They fell with the arrival of Arab groups and the advancing Islamic armies. The alliance of the Abdallab and Funj Sheikhdoms succeeded in overthrowing the Christian kingdoms in the 16th century AD, leading to the establishment of the Islamic Kingdom of Sennar, which laid the foundation for the modern Sudanese state.
_ Now we know the ancient kingdoms and civilizations of Sudan.
= Hold on, let me catch my breath!
_ Haha, Granny, we didn’t expect Sudan’s history to be this interesting!
= How could it not be interesting? It’s the land of civilizations, cultures, goodness, and kindness.
_ Granny, don’t we have historical landmarks like in Europe?
= Oh, how could we not?! We definitely have them!
Some of our landmarks...
The most important Sudanese archaeological landmarks:
_ Kerma
_ Jebel Barkal
_ El-Kurru
_ Nuri
_ Bajrawiya
_ The Royal City
_ Naga
_ Al-Musawarat As-Sufra
_ Old Dongola
_ Alright, Granny, we’ll continue tomorrow after school. Now we’re off to attend the “Shaaloufa" ceremony for Manawiya.
= Alright, but don’t be late! Come back before sunset so we can have tea together.
What do you think the next post will be about?
Should I tell you?! 🫣
Wait for the next post, until we meet again. 🌸
_ Kerma
_ Jebel Barkal
_ El-Kurru
_ Nuri
_ Bajrawiya
_ The Royal City
_ Naga
_ Al-Musawarat As-Sufra
_ Old Dongola
_ Alright, Granny, we’ll continue tomorrow after school. Now we’re off to attend the “Shaaloufa" ceremony for Manawiya.
= Alright, but don’t be late! Come back before sunset so we can have tea together.
What do you think the next post will be about?
Should I tell you?! 🫣
Wait for the next post, until we meet again. 🌸
