Fazogli
Encyclopedia
Fazogli or Fazokl, was a district in colonial Egypt
under British
rule. It lay on the border of present day Sudan
and Ethiopia
, between the Blue Nile
and the Sobat River
, and included the mountains in the modern Asosa Zone
of the Ethiopian Benishangul-Gumuz Region. The west slope of the hills drains the White Nile
.
The area was believed to be rich in gold
deposits, which led an Egypt
ian military expedition under the leadership of Ismail bin Muhammad Ali, son of Wali
Muhammad Ali
into the area (1820 - 1823) in part determine the truth of this belief, as well as to capture some 30,000 inhabitants to be slaves. He was accompanied by Frédéric Cailliaud
, George Waddington, and George Bethune English
, all of whom later wrote accounts of the expedition. Pasha Mohammad Ali later organized Fazogli into a number of sheikhdoms to govern its inhabitants. Later geologists who surveyed the area for gold included Josef von Russegger.
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
under British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
rule. It lay on the border of present day Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
and Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, between the Blue Nile
Blue Nile
The Blue Nile is a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. With the White Nile, the river is one of the two major tributaries of the Nile...
and the Sobat River
Sobat River
The Sobat River is a river in South Sudan, Africa. The most southerly of the great eastern tributaries of the Nile, the Sobat enters the White Nile at Doleib Hill, near the city of Malakal in the Upper Nile state of South Sudan...
, and included the mountains in the modern Asosa Zone
Asosa Zone
Asosa is one of the three Zones in Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia. This Zone was named after the Asosa Sultanate, which had approximately the same boundaries. Asosa is bordered on the south by the Mao-Komo special woreda, on the west by Sudan, on the northeast by the Abay River which...
of the Ethiopian Benishangul-Gumuz Region. The west slope of the hills drains the White Nile
White Nile
The White Nile is a river of Africa, one of the two main tributaries of the Nile from Egypt, the other being the Blue Nile. In the strict meaning, "White Nile" refers to the river formed at Lake No at the confluence of the Bahr al Jabal and Bahr el Ghazal rivers...
.
The area was believed to be rich in gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
deposits, which led an Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian military expedition under the leadership of Ismail bin Muhammad Ali, son of Wali
Wali
Walī , is an Arabic word meaning "custodian", "protector", "sponsor", or authority as denoted by its definition "crown". "Wali" is someone who has "Walayah" over somebody else. For example, in Fiqh the father is wali of his children. In Islam, the phrase ولي الله walīyu 'llāh...
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali of Egypt
Muhammad Ali Pasha al-Mas'ud ibn Agha was a commander in the Ottoman army, who became Wāli, and self-declared Khedive of Egypt and Sudan...
into the area (1820 - 1823) in part determine the truth of this belief, as well as to capture some 30,000 inhabitants to be slaves. He was accompanied by Frédéric Cailliaud
Frédéric Cailliaud
Frédéric Cailliaud was a French naturalist, mineralogist and conchologist. He was born, and died, in Nantes.He travelled in Egypt, Nubia, and Ethiopia, collecting minerals and making observations...
, George Waddington, and George Bethune English
George Bethune English
George Bethune English was an American adventurer, diplomat, soldier, and convert to Islam.The oldest of four children, English was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he was baptized at Trinity Church on April 1, 1787. He later attended Harvard College, where his dissertation won a Bowdoin...
, all of whom later wrote accounts of the expedition. Pasha Mohammad Ali later organized Fazogli into a number of sheikhdoms to govern its inhabitants. Later geologists who surveyed the area for gold included Josef von Russegger.