Research On The History And Culture Of The Nubians In Egypt

Nubia is the district between the first and the fourth cataract of the Nile River,in nowadays Egypt and Sudan.Nubia is a bridge or a corridor that connects the northern and southern,eastern and western parts of Africa.Nubians are the people who natively live in the land of Nubia,a minority group that spread across the boundary of Egypt and Sudan.Nubians have a history of over five thousand years,a unique language of their own,and some traditions that cannot be found among other Egyptians and Sudanese.In the past,the land of Nubia witnessed several outstanding ancient African civilisations,namely the A-Group,C-group,Kingdom of Kerma,Kingdom of Kush.During the Napatan period of the Kingdom of Kush,Nubians' power extended to Upper and Lower Egypt,uniting Egypt and Nubia from the south,founding the famous 25th dynasty of Egypt.At the end of the Kingdom of Kush,Christianity came into Nubia,and a few prosperous Christian kingdoms were founded there.Later on,in the 14tth-15th century of our era,Islam replaced Christianity,and has been the major religion in Nubia until today.During the recent centuries,Nubians went through conflicts,changes and developments along with their country.When Egypt was taken over by the Ottoman Empire,Nubia was under its rule as well.In the 19th century,the United Kingdom established its colony in Egypt and Sudan,and their policy to Nubia was comparatively relaxed,which brought about a short period of independent development.At the end of the 19th century,the first Aswan Dam was built near the first cataract of the Nile,flooding some of the Nubian land.In the 1960s,the Aswan High Dam was built,and almost the whole Lower Nubia became under water.Nubians were relocated with their whole villages and caught the attention of the researchers from all over the world.Nubians have always shown distinguished abilities of adapting to new environments and preserving their traditions at the same time.Their self-identification was not reduced but strengthened after the relocation.This research tries to explain the development of Nubian civilization from ancient to modern times,focusing on the modern and contemporary Egyptian Nubians,in hope to find out the traits of change and development of their society and traditions.Based on field investigations in cities and Nubian villages in Egypt,this research also discusses the present-day Nubian life and traditions.