Geography
Nubia is part of the modern day country of Sudan. However, historically the land of Nubia stretches from Aswan (modern day the country of Egypt) in the north to Kosti in the White Nile and Sinnar in the Blue Nile in the south, and from the Red Sea coast to Kordofan and the Libyan Desert in the west. Most of Sudan's topography is consisted of deserts, except for the narrow strip of the Nile valley which provide fertile agriculture and abundant pasture for settled human communities. Because of the availability of food along the Nile Valley, human community there grew in number more than in any other location in Sudan. As a result the first unified civilization in the world developed there.
However unlike the Nile valley of Egypt many portions of the Nile valley in Nubia are and were not supportive for extensive agriculture as a result pasture was a main source of food for the Nubians more than the ancient Egyptians. From Aswan to Lower Wadi Halfa the Nile cut through a barren stretch of desert that is not supportive for the living of any sort of human community. Five Cataracts interrupt the flow of the Nile from south of Aswan to little north of the city of Berber in central Sudan. This makes sailing impossible except for the short distances that separate from one Cataract to the other. Agricultural lands are available in the Dongola Reach and along the curve of the Nile Valley as far south as Abu Hamed. This fertile region of the Nile valley produced enough agricultural supply for prominent Nubian kingdoms and cities to develop.
Around the Dongola Reach and south in the Bayuda desert are also plenty of postural lands. From Abu Hamed to the city of Berber south, the Nile valley becomes less fertile. However, south of the city of Berber the Nile valley becomes fertile and supportive for extensive agriculture. There in these southern portions of the Nile valley, prominent Nubian cities grew, such as Dangeil and Meroe. However; immediately south of Khartoum, where the Nile is converged by the White and the Blue Nile, is called el-Gezeera (In Arabic meaning the island). There the Nile valley becomes more fertile than in any other region in Nubia. The area of El-Gezeera is liable for extensive agriculture and has been supportive for Nubian settlements sine ancient times. Prominent Nubian cities grew in el-Gazeera, like the Funj city of Sinnar along the White Nile and the Kushite city of Kosti along the White Nile.
East of the Nile Valley is the Nubian Desert, where permanent human settlements becomes impossible. There along the Sudanese Red Sea coasts, the Beja or the Medjay-Nubian as known to the ancient Egyptians formed their own communities depending mainly on pasture and subsistent agriculture in more southerly regions of el-Butana (Southeastern Sudan). South and east of el-Buttana along the Gash river (which runs from the mountains of Ariteria and west into Sudan) flourished an agricultural culture known as the Gash-culture. The people of this culture have been identified as the Punites, who developed their own chiefdoms out of trade in incense and exotic items. The Punites traded with neighboring regions, including Nubia and Egypt.
The Libyan Deserts, west of Nubia, is consisted of ,almost, endless stretches of sand-dunes that dominate the landscape and continue across Sahara deserts of north and central Africa all the way to the opposite side of the African continent. Extremely little rainfall occur in the Libyan deserts and only few regions and oasis are supportive for pastoral activities. South of the Libyan desert and adjacent to the White Nile, is the region of Kordofan where the land is little more fertile than in Libyan deserts, subsistent agricultural communities flourished growing few crops every season. The youth of these communities annually crossed the Libyan deserts to the north in search of pasture for their animals. |
