Northern State (Sudan)

Template:Short description Template:Infobox settlement Northern State (Template:Langx Template:Transliteration) is one of the 18 wilayat (states) of Sudan. It has an area of 348,765 km² and an estimated population of 936,255. Northern Sudan was known in ancient times as Nubia. Jebel Uweinat is a mountain range in the area of the Egyptian-Libyan-Sudanese border. The state has been part of historical Sudanese kingdoms and countries such as the Mahdist State and the Kingdom of Kush. The state is bordering Egypt to the North, River Nile State to the east, Khartoum State to the southeast, North Kordofan to the south, and North Darfur and Libya to the west. The disputed Wadi Halfa Salient is located on the border of the state and Egypt.

History

Northern State encompasses much of the historical region of Nubia, one of the earliest centers of civilization in the Nile Valley.<ref name="Adams1977">Adams, W. Y. (1977). *Nubia: Corridor to Africa.* Princeton University Press.</ref> Its location along the Nile made it a corridor for cultural exchange, trade, and political influence between inner Africa and Egypt.<ref name="Trigger1965">Trigger, B. G. (1965). *History and Settlement in Lower Nubia.* Yale University Press.</ref>

Over the centuries, the territory of present day Northern State came under the control of several successive Nubian and Sudanese polities. These kingdoms developed complex societies, systems of administration, and distinctive architectural traditions, leaving behind archaeological remains that form part of Sudan's national heritage.<ref name="UNESCO">UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Archaeological Sites of the Island of Meroe</ref>

The main Nubian kingdoms and states that controlled Northern State, either fully or partially, include: The Kingdom of Kerma, one of the earliest urban centers in sub-Saharan Africa (Template:Circa), centered near modern-day Kerma.<ref name="Bonnet2006">Bonnet, C. (2006). *Kerma: Territoire et métropole.* Errance.</ref> The Kingdom of Kush, succeeding Kerma, emerged with capitals at Napata and later Meroë (Template:Circa), becoming a major regional power and ruling Egypt during the 25th Dynasty.<ref name="Kendall1997">Kendall, T. (1997). *Nubian Pharaohs and Meroitic Kings: The Kingdom of Kush.* Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.</ref> Nobatia, a Christian Nubian kingdom established in Lower Nubia around the 4th century CE, with its capital at Faras.<ref name="Jakobielski1972">Jakobielski, S. (1972). *A History of the Bishopric of Pachoras (Faras): The Cathedral and Its Treasures.* Nakladem Panstwowego Wydawnictwa Naukowego.</ref> Makuria, centered at Dongola, was one of medieval Nubia's dominant Christian states, lasting from approximately the 6th to the 14th century CE.<ref name="Welsby2002">Welsby, D. A. (2002). *The Medieval Kingdoms of Nubia: Pagans, Christians and Muslims on the Middle Nile.* British Museum Press.</ref> Alodia, based further south, at times exerted cultural and religious influence over northern regions during the medieval Nubian period.<ref name="Spaulding1995">Spaulding, J. (1995). *The Heroic Age in Sinnar.* Red Sea Press.</ref> Dotawo, a late Nubian state that emerged as a successor to Makuria in the later medieval period, maintaining limited control in the region until around the 15th century CE.<ref name="Edwards2004">Edwards, D. N. (2004). *The Nubian Past: An Archaeology of the Sudan.* Routledge.</ref>

Following the decline of the medieval Nubian kingdoms, Northern State entered a new era of political transformation. By the late 14th century, much of the region had fragmented into smaller polities and local chiefdoms. During this period, Arab migration and intermarriage accelerated, contributing to cultural and linguistic changes along the Nile Valley.<ref name="Spaulding1985">Spaulding, J. (1985). *The Early History of the Fung Kingdom of Sinnar.* The Journal of African History, 26(3).</ref>

In the 16th century, parts of southeastern Northern State came under the influence of the Funj Sultanate, which extended its authority along sections of the Nile through alliances with local rulers.<ref name="Holt1970">Holt, P. M. (1970). *A Modern History of the Sudan: From the Funj Sultanate to the Present Day.* Weidenfeld and Nicolson.</ref> Meanwhile, northern areas closer to Egypt experienced periods of autonomy interspersed with foreign intervention. Egyptian Mamluks fleeing Ottoman rule in the early 19th century briefly established fortified settlements in the Dongola and Merowe regions, where they exerted limited control until they were subdued by Muhammad Ali's forces during the Turco-Egyptian conquest of Sudan (1820–1824).<ref name="Sanderson1966">Sanderson, L. P. (1966). *The Nile Valley and the Red Sea Hills in the Turkiya, 1820–1881.* Sudan Notes and Records, 47(1).</ref>

Under the Turco-Egyptian administration (1821–1885), Northern State was incorporated into a colonial framework centered on taxation and the extraction of resources. The building of administrative centers and trade routes linked the area more closely to Khartoum and Cairo, although resistance and local uprisings were frequent.<ref name="OFahey1994">O'Fahey, R. S. (1994). *The Enigmatic Frontier: Northern Sudan in the Turkiya and Mahdist Periods.* Journal of African History, 35(2).</ref>

In the late 19th century, the region became a theatre of the Mahdist War (1881–1899). The Mahdist forces, led by Muhammad Ahmad, gained significant support along the Nile, and several battles took place near Dongola. Following the defeat of the Mahdists by the Anglo-Egyptian campaign in 1898, Northern State was integrated into Anglo-Egyptian Sudan (1899–1956).<ref name="Hill1959">Hill, R. (1959). *Egypt in the Sudan, 1820–1881.* Oxford University Press.</ref>

During the Anglo-Egyptian period, Dongola and surrounding towns became administrative and trade centers connecting Egypt with the central Sudanese heartland. After independence in 1956, Northern State saw the building of the Merowe Dam, the largest contemporary hydropower project in Africa.

Sudanese civil war (2023–present)

On 15 April 2023, Northern State saw limited clashes as part of the wider fighting that took place across Sudan at the start of the war. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) battled Sudanese and Egyptian forces in the town of Merowe but were defeated and withdrew toward Khartoum. Their withdrawal ended RSF activity in the state. Northern State has not experienced further direct combat since April 2023, apart from incidents of drone activity.

RSF drone attacks

Beginning in late 2024 and continuing into 2025, Northern State was affected by a series of RSF drone attacks that included strikes on the Merowe Dam and nearby military positions. Several attacks targeted the dam's power station and caused widespread electricity outages in Northern State and in other parts of Sudan. Additional strikes were reported against the headquarters of the 19th Infantry Division and Merowe Airport. The Sudanese military stated that some drones were intercepted, although others caused structural and infrastructural damage.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Displacement from El Fasher

After the fall of El Fasher to the RSF on 26 October 2025, a large influx of displaced civilians was recorded in Northern State. Humanitarian agencies reported that about 32,000 people from El Fasher arrived in the city of Al Dabbah, where the Sudanese Red Crescent established reception sites.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

Northern State lies in the far north of Sudan, stretching along the Nile Valley from approximately the Fourth Cataract to the Egyptian border. It borders Egypt to the north, River Nile State to the east, Khartoum State to the southeast, and North Darfur, Libya, and North Kordofan to the south and west.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The state's geography divides into two main physical zones: the narrow Nile floodplain, and the surrounding desert regions. To the east of the Nile is the Nubian Desert, and to the west lies the Libyan Desert. These desert areas are primarily rocky or stony, with occasional sand dunes, and receive very little rainfall.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Nubian Desert is characterized by a sandstone plateau crossed by seasonal wadis that generally do not reach the Nile. These wadis flow only after rare rainstorms and then quickly disappear, since the climate is extremely arid, with very low and irregular precipitation, especially in the interior away from the river.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

A geographic landmark in the state is Jebel Barkal, a sandstone mesa near Karima. It rises above the surrounding plain and forms part of a geological and archaeological landscape associated with ancient Nubian civilization.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Demographics

Population

According to 2023 population estimates published by Sudan's Central Bureau of Statistics, Northern State has a population of 936,255. Most residents live in settlements along the Nile Valley, where agriculture and transportation routes are concentrated, while the surrounding desert regions remain sparsely populated.

Languages

Arabic is the primary language used in administration, education, and daily life across Northern State. Nobiin, also known as Mahasi or Halfawi, is widely spoken in riverine Nubian communities along parts of the Nile. Farther south along the river, the Nubian language Dongolawi, locally called Andaandi, is used by the Danagla people, including in areas around Al Dabbah.

Ethnic composition

Northern State has a diverse population that includes Sudanese Arabs such as the Shaigiya and Jaʿali along the Nile, various Arabized groups, and indigenous Nubian communities concentrated in the riverine areas.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>