Ibn Selim el-Aswani
Encyclopedia
Ibn Selim el-Aswani was a tenth century Egypt
ian diplomat who was dispatched to Nubia
and left a written record of his travels. He traveled through much of Lower Nubia
to the Makuria
n capital at Dongola
. He was dispatched to the court of Georgios II
by the Egyptian General Jawhar on behalf of the Caliph to demand the resumption of the baqt payments and to encourage the Makurians to convert to Islam. His mission was rebuffed, but the record of his voyage, which survive in an abbreviated form published by al-Maqrizi
, are one of the most important sources on Medieval Nubia. He describes a quite centralized and prosperous Makurian state. He also describes the Alodia
n capital of Soba
, though he might not have actually visited it. Unlike many other Arab writers, he seems quite favourably disposed to the Christian kingdoms.
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 diplomat who was dispatched to Nubia
Nubia
Nubia is a region along the Nile river, which is located in northern Sudan and southern Egypt.There were a number of small Nubian kingdoms throughout the Middle Ages, the last of which collapsed in 1504, when Nubia became divided between Egypt and the Sennar sultanate resulting in the Arabization...
and left a written record of his travels. He traveled through much of Lower Nubia
Lower Nubia
Lower Nubia is the northern portion of Nubia, downstream on the Nile from Upper Nubia. It lies between the First and Second Cataracts, roughly from Aswan in the north to Wadi Halfa in the south. A great deal of Lower Nubia was flooded with the construction of the Aswan High Dam and the creation...
to the Makuria
Makuria
The Kingdom of Makuria was a kingdom located in what is today Northern Sudan and Southern Egypt. It was one of a group of Nubian kingdoms that emerged during the decline of the Aksumite Empire, which it had been part of from approximately 4BC to AD 950...
n capital at Dongola
Old Dongola
Old Dongola is a deserted town in Sudan located on the east bank of the Nile opposite the Wadi Al-Malik. An important city in medieval Nubia, and the departure point for caravans west to Darfur and Kordofan, from the fourth to the fourteenth century Old Dongola was the capital of the Makurian state...
. He was dispatched to the court of Georgios II
Georgios II of Makuria
Georgios II was ruler of the Nubian kingdom of Makuria. When Jawhar, the governor of Egypt, sent a mission to receive the baqt, he included an invitation to Georgios to embrace Islam...
by the Egyptian General Jawhar on behalf of the Caliph to demand the resumption of the baqt payments and to encourage the Makurians to convert to Islam. His mission was rebuffed, but the record of his voyage, which survive in an abbreviated form published by al-Maqrizi
Al-Maqrizi
Taqi al-Din Ahmad ibn 'Ali ibn 'Abd al-Qadir ibn Muhammad al-Maqrizi ; Arabic: , was an Egyptian historian more commonly known as al-Maqrizi or Makrizi...
, are one of the most important sources on Medieval Nubia. He describes a quite centralized and prosperous Makurian state. He also describes the Alodia
Alodia
Alodia or Alwa was the southernmost of the three kingdoms of Christian Nubia; the other two were Nobatia and Makuria to the north.Much about this kingdom is still unknown, despite its thousand year existence and considerable power and geographic size. Due to fewer excavations far less is known...
n capital of Soba
Soba
is the Japanese name for buckwheat. It is synonymous with a type of thin noodle made from buckwheat flour, and in Japan can refer to any thin noodle . Soba noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or in hot broth as a noodle soup...
, though he might not have actually visited it. Unlike many other Arab writers, he seems quite favourably disposed to the Christian kingdoms.