Reflection on the character of the Sudanese state and the making of a dominant power bloc

Abstract

State formation in the Sudan may be traced to the middle of eighth century B.C. and the rise of Nubian Kingdoms which exerted cultural as well as economic influence over the lands that now constitute the modern Sudan and many other outlying regions. Over the centuries, trade and economic interestd precipitated conflicts which at various times led to encroachment upon Sudanese teritory by the Pharaohs, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs, the Turks and the British. It was not until the beginning of the nininteenth century that the transformation of Nubia was completed and Islamic Funj Kingdom was established.