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BERBER

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Originally appearing in Volume V03, Page 764 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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BERBER , a See also:

town and mudiria (See also:province) of the Anglo-See also:Egyptian See also:Sudan. The town is on the right See also:bank of the See also:Nile, 1140 ft. above See also:sea-level, in 18° 1' N., 330 59' E., and 214 M. by See also:rail N.W. of See also:Khartum. Pop. about 6000. Berber derived its importance from being the starting-point of the See also:caravan route, 242 M. See also:long, across the Nubian See also:desert to the Red Sea at See also:Suakin, a distance covered in seven to twelve days. It was also one of the See also:principal stopping-places between See also:Cairo and Khartum. The caravan route to the Red Sea was superseded in 1906 by a railway, which leaves the See also:Wadi Halfa-Khartum See also:line at the mouth of the See also:Atbara. Berber thus lost the Red Sea See also:trade. It remains the centre and See also:market-See also:place for the produce of the Nile valley for a considerable distance. See also:East of the town is an immense See also:plain, which, if irrigated, would yield abundant crops. Berber, or El Mekerif, is a town of considerable antiquity. Before its See also:conquest by the Egyptians in 182o its ruler owed See also:allegiance to the See also:kings of See also:Sennar. It was captured by the Mandists on the 26th of May 1884, and was re-occupied by the Anglo-Egyptian See also:army on the 6th of See also:September 1897.

It was the See also:

capital of the mudiria until 1905, in which See also:year the See also:head-quarters of the province were transferred to Ed Darner, a town near the confluence of the Nile and Atbara. At the See also:northern end of the mudiria is See also:Abu flamed (q.v.), important as a railway junction for See also:Dongola mudiria. The best-known of the tribes inhabiting the province are the See also:Hassania, Jaalin, See also:Bisharin and Kimilab. During the Mandia most of these tribes suffered severely at the hands of the dervishes. In 1904 the See also:total See also:population of the province was estimated at 83,000. It has since considerably increased. The riverain population is largely engaged in See also:agriculture, the See also:chief crops cultivated being See also:durra, See also:barley, See also:wheat and See also:cotton.

End of Article: BERBER

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