ancient nubia

Kush, heir of Egyptian traditions and Assyrian metalurgy, called "the Birmingham of Sudanese Africa", was essential in the difusion of metalurgy to Sud-Saharan Africa. The last Isian nation was attacked and destroyed by their Christian Axumite neighbours, causing the diaspora of their excellent blacksmiths... what indirectly would allow for Bantu expansion into the tropical jungle, virtually impossible without iron tools.

The destruction of Kush gave way to the creation of several smaller states, Nobatia in the north, Dongola in the center and Alwa in the south. In 533, Justinian sent his general Narses to "convert" these kingdoms that were still adept to the Isian religion.

It seems that he succeeded, because, after some Arabic pillages in the 7th century and the imposition of a tribute, Nubians and Abyssinians joined forces and, in 737, launched the first crusade ever with the declared purpose of liberating the Patriarch of Alexandria (their "Pope"). The figures mentioned talk about 100,000 knights and the same number of camel riders.

They also joined the European crusades of the 12th century: Nubian mercenaries rebelled and joined the army of St. Louis... only to be massacred by Salahdin soon after. Some of them, nevertheless, flee to Nubia where they gather forces and launch a new expedition against Egypt. Salahdin sends his brother to pillage and conquer northern Nubia in reprisal.

In 1275, King David of Dongola quits paying tribute to the Mamelukes and attacks Asswan again. But he's defeated and killed. His eventual successor, Schemaun, leads three succesive rebellions. Mamelukes defeat him twice and place a puppet king in his place, after the third, Mamelukes conquer the country and place a stable garrison. In 1315, the last Christian king of Dongola is formally deposed and a Muslim one is enthroned. Alwa will still survive for two centuries more until it is conquered by Fung.

Nubia would be ancient Sudan (specially the center and north of it). In a more restricted sense it can also be the northernmost region of it (Nobatia, modernly also called Nubia). It's a geographical/ethnic term. Kush is the state that existed there in the first centuries of the Common Era, which, as I said before, was destroyed by Axum (Abyssinia).

In older sources and/or in a wider meaning, you can also see it as Ethiopia, a term that is simmilar to Arabic Sudan or Western Black Africa: meaning the Land of the Blacks.


The Christian kingdoms of Nubia

Check also Wkipedia: Nubia.

Although it has many typos as its from my rough draft and not final copy, and the word Kush*te was censored by the stupid forum, I wrote an artcile for AE on Nubia that can be found on this sites artcile directories, under ancient empires I think.

If I were to write it agian now it would be so much better, since Im a history major with a concentration in African history.  But alas too lazy to re-write it now.

Even after the 3 christian kingdoms, Nubia continued to exist more or less as the Islamic Funj sultanate.  That was eventually toppled.  Nubia was also the source of the "MAd Mahdi" who booted Egypt-England out of Sudan in the 19th century.