Kingdom of Taqali

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The Taqali or Tegali Kingdom was a state in the Nuba Mountains in what is now Central Sudan .

In contrast to the surrounding Kurdufan , the highlands of the hills were quite humid and thus enabled agriculture and a dense population. The state was around the Taqali massif , the highest part of the mountains in the northeast of the region. Its early history is unknown, although oral tradition has it that it was founded many centuries ago at the same time as the Sultanate of Sannar . Researcher Janet Ewald doubts these narratives, believing that the state could hardly have appeared before the late 18th century and that the early rulers on the king's list were semi-mythological.

Ewald argues that the first true ruler of Taqali was Muhammad wad Jayli and that he and his son Ismail "invented" the state. She believes the empire was established during the period of disorder in Kurdufan, when the Sultanate of Sannar fell and Darfur's power grew. Muhammad began the process of unifying the region. As Makk he was inherited by his brother Umar. Umar, however, was overthrown around 1783 by Ismail and Adschaid, the queen mother. Ismail usurped the regime and continued to expand the state, taking control of the region's "99 hills". His son Abakr followed him peacefully, but afterwards the state was gripped by a succession dispute that took up most of the period between 1840 and 1880.

Despite its small size, the Taqali Kingdom remained independent from its more powerful neighbors. While the Nuba Mountains had a good location for agriculture , they were surrounded by the dry Kurdufan . This region was far too dry to support a large army and only smaller expeditions could be sent. The rocky terrain of the Taqali massif served as a natural fortification. The Sultanate of Sennar indeed exercised enough pressure to Taqali of the annual payment tribute to move, but the area was never conquered. When Sannar was wrecked in the Egyptian invasion of 1821, the situation continued similarly. The Egyptians launched three attacks on the kingdom, but each one fizzled out. Ultimately, an agreement was reached that Taqali would remain de facto independent, but still pay the Egyptians a nominal amount and officially be included in Egyptian Sudan.

In the end the state was conquered by the forces of Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad . Makk Adam balanced between the Egyptians and the Mahdi, assuring both parties of his support, but neither helping. Then in 1883 the Mahdi decided that Taqali had to be conquered. His armies reached more than any previous one, and Makk Adam was captured in July 1884 and eventually died in captivity . The uprisings in Taqali continued and Hamdan abu Anja was sent to put down this resistance. This was done and the region was heavily looted and destroyed.

After the defeat of the Mahdists, the Mukuk of Taqali were reinstated in office and dignity, but they were now closely controlled by the British. Taqali proved to be a useful partner and the British gradually gave the empire more and more territory for control and administration . This continued after Sudan's independence in 1956, but after the coup in 1969 all administrative power was stripped from the state. Despite its political powerlessness, the Makk or Woster of Taqali remained a formal leader of the inhabitants of this region to this day.

Mukuk from Taqali

literature

  • Janet J. Ewald: Soldier, Traders, and Slaves. State Formation and Economic Transformation in the Greater Nile Valley, 1700–1885. The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison WI et al. 1990, ISBN 0-299-12600-5 .