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KORDOFAN

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Originally appearing in Volume V15, Page 908 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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KORDOFAN , a See also:

country of See also:north-See also:east See also:Africa, forming a mudiria (See also:province) of the Anglo-See also:Egyptian See also:Sudan. It lies mainly between 12° and 16° W. and 29° and 322° E., and has an See also:area of about 130,000 sq. m., being bounded W. by See also:Darfur, N. by the Bayuda See also:steppes, E. by the See also:White See also:Nile mudiria and S. by the country of the Shilluks and other See also:negro tribes, forming See also:part of the Upper Nile mudiria. The greater part of Kordofan consists of undulating plains, riverless, barren, monotonous, with an See also:average See also:altitude of 1500 ft. Thickets and small acacias dot the steppes, which, See also:green during the kharif or See also:rainy See also:season, at other times See also:present a dull See also:brown burnt-up aspect. In the See also:west, isolated peaks, such as See also:Jebel See also:Abu Senum and Jebel Kordofan, rise from 150 to 600 ft. above the See also:plain. North-west are the See also:mountain See also:groups of Kaja and Katul (2000 to 3000 ft.), in the east are the Jebel Daier and Jebel Tagale (Togale), ragged granitic ranges with precipitous sides. In the See also:south are See also:flat, fertile and thickly wooded plains, which give See also:place to See also:jungle at the See also:foot of the hills of See also:Dar Nuba, the See also:district forming the south-east part of Kordofan. Dar Nuba is well-watered, the scenery is diversified and See also:pretty, affording a welcome contrast to that of the See also:rest of the country. Some of the Nuba hills exceed 3000 ft. in height. The south-western part of the country, a vast and almost level plain, is known as Dar Ilomr. A granitic See also:sand with abundance of See also:mica and feldspar forms the upper stratum throughout the greater part of Kordofan; but an admixture of See also:clay, which is observable in the north, becomes strongly marked in the south, where there are also stretches of See also:black See also:vegetable See also:mould. Beneath there appears to be an unbroken See also:surface of mica schist.

Though there are no perennial See also:

rivers, there are watercourses (khors or wadis) in the rainy season; the See also:chief being the Khor Abu Habl, which traverses the south-central region. In Dar Homr the See also:Wadi el Ghalla and the Khor Shalango drain towards the Homr affluent of the See also:Bahr el Ghazal. During the rainy season there is a considerable See also:body of See also:water in these channels, but owing partly to rapid evaporation and partly to the porous See also:character of the See also:soil the surface of the country dries rapidly. The water which has found its way through the granitic sand flows over the surface of the mica schist and settles in the hollows, and by sinking See also:wells to the solid See also:rock a See also:supply of water can generally be obtained. It is estimated that (apart from those in a few areas where the sand stratum is thin and water is reached at the See also:depth of a few feet) there are about goo of these wells. They are narrow shafts going down usually 30 to 5o ft., but some are over 200 ft. deep. The water is raised by rope and bucket at the cost of enormous labcur, and in few cases is any available for See also:irrigation. The very See also:cattle are trained to go a See also:long See also:time without drinking. Entire villages migrate after the See also:harvest to the neighbourhood of some plentiful well. In a few localities the surface depressions hold water for the greater part of the See also:year but there is only one permanent See also:lake—Keilat, which is some four See also:miles by two. As there is no highland area draining into Kordofan, the underground reservoirs are dependent on the See also:local rainfall, and a large number of the wells are dry during many months. The rainy season lasts from See also:mid-See also:June to the end of See also:September, See also:rain usually falling every three or four days in brief but violent showers.

In See also:

general the See also:climate is healthy except in the rainy season, when large tracts are converted into swamps and See also:fever is very prevalent. In the shita or See also:cold See also:weather (See also:October to See also:February inclusive) there is a cold See also:wind from the north. The self or hot weather lasts from See also:March to mid-June; the temperature rarely exceeds 1o5° F. The chief constituent of the See also:low scrub which covers the See also:northern part of the country is the See also:grey See also:gum See also:acacia (hashob). In the south the red gum acacias (See also:lath) are abundant. In Dar Hamid, in the N.W. of Kordofan, date, dom and other palms grow. The basbab or See also:calabash See also:tree, known in the eastern Sudan as the tebeldi and locally Homr, is fairly See also:common and being naturally hollow the trees collect water, which the natives regularly tap. Another common source of water supply is a small See also:kind of water See also:melon which grows See also:wild and is also cultivated. In the dense jungles of the south are immense creepers, some of them See also:rubber-vines. The See also:cotton plant is also found. The See also:fauna includes the See also:elephant, See also:rhinoceros, See also:buffalo, See also:giraffe, See also:lion, See also:leopard, See also:cheetah, See also:roan-See also:antelope, hartebeeste, See also:kudu and many other kinds of antelope, See also:wart-hog, See also:hares, See also:quail, See also:partridge, jungle-See also:fowl, See also:bustard and See also:guinea-fowl. Nearly all the kinds of See also:game mentioned are found chiefly in the western and See also:southern districts.

The ril or addra gazelle found in N. and N.W. Kordofan are not known elsewhere in the eastern Sudan. See also:

Reptiles, sand-flies and mosquitoes are common. Ostriches are found in the northern steppes. The chief See also:wealth of the See also:people consists in the gum obtained from the grey acacias, in oxen, camels and See also:ostrich feathers. The finest cattle are of the humped variety, the bulls of the See also:Baggara being trained to the See also:saddle and to carry burdens. There are large herds of See also:camel, the camel-owning See also:Arabs usually owning also large See also:numbers of See also:sheep and goats. Dukhn, a See also:species of See also:millet which can grow in the arid northern districts is there the chief See also:grain See also:crop, its place in the south being taken by See also:durra. Dukhn is, however, the only crop cultivated in Dar Homr. From this grain a See also:beer called merissa is brewed. See also:Barley and cotton are cultivated in some districts. A little See also:gold dust is obtained, but the old gold and other mines in the Tagale country have been, apparently, worked out.

See also:

Iron is found in many districts and is smelted in a few places. In the See also:absence of See also:fuel the See also:industry is necessarily a small one. There are large beds of hematite some 6o m. N.W. and the same distance N.E. of El Obeid. Inhabitgnts.—The See also:population of Kordofan was officially estimated in 1903 to be 550,000. The inhabitants are roughly divisible into two types—Arabs in the plains and Nubas in the hills. Many of the villagers of the plains are however of very mixed See also:blood—Arab, Egyptian, See also:Turkish, Levantine and Negro. It is said that some See also:village communities are descended from the See also:original negro inhabitants. They all speak Arabic. The most important village tribe is the Gowama, who own most of the gum-producing country. Other large tribes are the Dar Hamid and the Bederia—the last-named living See also:round El Obeid. The See also:nomad Arabs are of two classes, camel owners (Siat El Ilbil) and cattle owners (Baggara), the first-named dwelling in the dry northern regions, the Baggara in southern Kordofan.

Of the camel-owning tribes the chief are the See also:

Hamar and the See also:Kabbabish. Many of the Hamar have settled down in villages. The Baggara are See also:great hunters, and formerly were noted slave raiders. They possess many horses, but when journeying place their baggage on their oxen. They use a stabbing See also:spear, small throwing spears, and a broad-bladed See also:short See also:sword. Some of the richer men possess suits of See also:chain See also:armour. The See also:principal Baggara tribes are the Hawazma, Meseria, Kenana, Habbania, and Homr. The Homr are said to have entered Kordofan from See also:Wadai about the end of the 18th See also:century and to have come from North Africa. They speak a purer Arabic than the riverain tribes. The Nubas are split into many tribes, each under a mek or See also:king, who is not uncommonly of Arab descent. The Nubas have their own See also:language, though the inhabitants of each See also:hill have usually a different See also:dialect. They are a See also:primitive See also:race, very black, of small build but distinctive negro features.

They have feuds with one another and with the Baggara. During the malzdia they maintained their See also:

independence. The Nubas appear to have been the aboriginal inhabitants of the country and are believed to be the original stock of the Nubians of the Nile Valley (see See also:NuBIA). In the northern hills are communities of black people with woolly See also:hair but of non-negro features. They speak Arabic and are called Nuba Arabs. Some of the southern hills are occupied by Arab-speaking negroes, escaped slaves and their descendants, who called themselves after the tribe they formerly served and who have little intercourse with the Nubas. The See also:capital, El Obeid (q.v.), is centrally situated. On it converge various See also:trade routes, notably from Darfur and from Dueim, a See also:town on the White Nile 125 M. above See also:Khartum, which served as See also:port for the province. Thence was despatched the gum for the See also:Omdurman See also:market. But the railway from Khartum to El Obeid, via See also:Sennar, built in 1909-1911, crosses the Nile some 6o m. farther south above Abba See also:Island. Nahud (pop. about Io,000), 165 m. W.S.W. of El Obeid, is a commercial centre which has sprung into importance since the fall of the dervishes.

All the trade with Darfur passes through the town, the chief See also:

commerce being in cattle, feathers, See also:ivory and cotton goods. Trade is largely in the hands of Greeks, Syrians, Danagla and Jaalin. Taiara, on the route between El Obeid and the Nile, was destroyed by the dervishes but has been rebuilt and is a thriving mart for the gum trade. El Odoaiya or Eddaiya is the headquarters of the Homr country. It and Baraka in the Muglad district are on the trade road between Nahud and Shakka in Darfur. Bara is a small town some 50 M. N.N.E. of Obeid. Talodi and Tendek are See also:government stations in the Nuba country. The Nubas have no large towns. They live in villages on the hillsides or summits. The usual habitation built both by Arabs and Nubas is the tukl, a conical-shaped hut made of See also:stone, mud, wattle and See also:daub or See also:straw. The Nuba tukls are the better built.

In the chief towns houses are built of mud bricks with flat See also:

roofs. See also:History.—Of the See also:early history of Kordofan there is little See also:record. It never formed an See also:independent See also:state. About the beginning of the 16th century See also:Funj from Sennar settled in the country; towards the end of that century Kordofan was conquered by See also:Suleiman See also:Solon, See also:sultan of Darfur. About 1775 it was conquered by the Funj, and there followed a considerable See also:immigration of Arab tribes into the country. The Sennari however suffered a decisive defeat in 1784 and thereafter under Darfur viceroys the country enjoyed prosperity. In 1821 Kordofan was conquered by Mahommed See also:Bey the defterdar, son-in-See also:law of Mehemet See also:Ali, See also:pasha of See also:Egypt. It remained under Egyptian See also:rule till 1882 when Mahommed Ahmed, the See also:mandi, raised the country to revolt. It was in Kordofan that See also:Hicks Pasha and his See also:army, sent to crush the revolt, were annihilated (Nov. 1883). The Baggara of Kordofan from that time onward were the chief supporters of the mandi, and his successor, the See also:khalifa Abdullah, was a Baggara. In Kordofan in 1899 the khalifa met his See also:death, the country having already passed into the hands of the new Sudan government.

The chief difficulty experienced by the See also:

administration was to habituate the Arabs and Nubas, both naturally warlike, to a state of See also:peace. In consequence of the See also:anti-slave raiding See also:measures adopted, the Arabs of Talodi in May 1906 treacherously massacred the mamur of that place and 40 men of the Sudanese See also:regiment. The promptness with which this disturbance was suppressed averted what otherwise might have been a serious rising. (See SUDAN: Anglo-Egyptian, § " History.") See The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, edited by See also:Count See also:Gleichen (See also:London, 1905) ; H. A. MacMichael, Notes on the History of Kordofan before the Egyptian See also:Conquest (See also:Cairo, 1907); See also:John See also:Petherick, Egypt, the Sudan, and Central Africa (London, 1861); Ignaz Pallme, Beschreibung von Kordofan (See also:Stuttgart, 1843; trans. Travels in Kordofan, London, 1844) ; See also:Major H. G. See also:Prout, General See also:Report on Province of Kordofan (Cairo, 1877) ; See also:Ernst Marno, Reise in der egypt. Equat. Provinz (See also:Vienna, 1879) ; papers (with maps) by Capt. W.

See also:

Lloyd in the Geog. Journ. (June 1907 and March 1910); and the bibliography given under SUDAN: Anglo-Egyptian.

End of Article: KORDOFAN

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