Sultanate of Sannar

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Central Africa around 1750

The Sultanate of Sannar , also known as the Empire of the Fung or Funji , existed from 1504 to 1821 and was located in what is now Sudan . It is also known as the Black Sultanate (actually the blue = deep black ) and mainly contributed to the Arabization and Islamization of various Sudanese ethnic groups. Its capital was Sannar .

history

The palace of Sennar was already in ruins at the time of the Egyptian invasion.

The Fung were shepherds and horsemen who apparently came from the area south of Nubia . However, their exact origin remains unknown. The first ruler is Amara Dunqas , who founded the empire in 1504. In the 16th century they extended their rule in the north to the area of Khartoum . In its heyday, the empire stretched from the area around the 3rd cataract in the north to Fazoghli in the south and from the Red Sea in the east to Kurdufan in the west. Around 1600 the Fung adopted the Muslim faith, settled down and inhabited cities (e.g. Alt Dunqula , el-Chandaq , Wad Nimeiri , Gerri , Arbaji). Sultan Baadi II (1645–1680) had the first mosque built in Sannar . The history of the Funj is best known from the Funj chronicle , which was written by Katib al-Shuna (born 1784/85).

A decline in power can be observed as early as 1600. The northern province became virtually independent under the Viceroy of Qerri . There were wars with the Ethiopian Emperor Susenyos in 1618/19 and Dinka incursions weakened the empire. In the 18th century there were numerous uprisings in the northern provinces. The Sultan of Sannar lost his trade monopoly during this time, and other people who followed a stricter form of Islam entered the empire and founded trading colonies, as well as mosques and Koran schools.

In 1821 the kingdom of Sannar was conquered by Turkish-Egyptian troops .

Form of rule

By and large, the Funj represented an elite who had only a loose supremacy over the peoples subject to them.

The subordinate kings were referred to as Manjil or Manjilak and were in turn subject to the Makk or Mek , who ruled in the north as viceroy. They had to appear in the capital once a year and provide soldiers if necessary. The viceroys sons grew up at the court of Sannar, with the Sultan choosing the successor from among them. The Sultan in Sannar also ensured that these viceroys were connected to the ruling house through marriage.

The Sultan always appeared veiled and was not allowed to be seen even while eating. He was supported by a council of 20 people. The Amin (commander in chief) and Jundi (master of ceremonies) were the most important officials at the court. The royal line ran across the female line. At the coronation he was given a cap with two horns.

Culture

The most important architectural remains are the Qubbas , which are mausoleums of holy men. There are some fortresses that are assigned to the Funj and of course the mosques in the various towns and cities. Residential buildings were mostly made of adobe bricks and were rectangular with a flat roof, but there were also vaults. Few of the Funj buildings have been preserved, however, and sites of the Funj are very seldom the target of excavations.

List of sultans

  • Amara Dunqas 1503-1533 / 4
  • Nayil 1533 / 4-1550 / 1
  • Abd al-Qadir I. 1550 / 1-1557 / 8
  • Abu Sakikin 1557 / 8-1568
  • Dakin 1568-1585 / 6
  • Dawra 1585 / 6-1587 / 8
  • Tayyib 1587 / 8-1591
  • Unsa I. 1591-1603 / 4
  • Abd al-Qadir II 1603 / 4-1606
  • Adlan I. 1606-1611 / 2
  • Badi I. 1611 / 2-1616 / 7
  • Rabat I. 1616 / 7-1644 / 5
  • Badi II. 1644 / 5-1681
  • Unsa II. 1681-1692
  • Badi III. 1692-1716
  • Unsa III. 1719-1720
  • Nu 1720-1724
  • Badi IV. 1724-1762
  • Nasir 1762-1769
  • Isma'il 1768-1769
  • Adlan II. 1776-1789
  • Awkal 1787-1788
  • Tayyib II. 1788-1790
  • Badi V. 1790
  • Nawwar 1790-1791
  • Badi VI. 1791-1798
  • Ranfi 1798-1804
  • Agban 1804-1805
  • Badi VII. 1805-1821

literature

  • Osbert GS Crawford : The Fung Kingdom of Sennar. With a geographical account of the Middle Nile Region. Bellows, Gloucester 1951.
  • Martin Fitzenreiter: History, Religion and Monuments of the Islamic Period in Northern Sudan. Part 1: The history of Sudan in Islamic times. In: The ancient Sudan. Announcements of the Sudan Archaeological Society in Berlin eV No. 6, April 1997, ISSN  0945-9502 , pp. 37–50, ( digitized version (PDF; 1.1 MB) ).