The stone monuments and antiquities of the Jebel Marra region, Darfur, Sudan, c. 1000-1750 AD

grantor: University of TorontoOne of the world's richest collections of untouched archaeological sites is found in the region of Darfur. Prior to its incorporation into the modern state of Sudan in 1916, Darfur was one of the old Sudanic sultanates that stretched in an east-west line across pre-colonial Africa, forming a bridge between Muslim north Africa and the largely animist regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Population movements and cultural influences were absorbed from both north and south, forming a vibrant and constantly evolving civilization. In the absence of scientific archaeological work, the history of Darfur is presently derived from a mass of often contradictory and frequently fanciful accounts provided by the mediaeval Arab geographers, early travelers, and the officials of the Anglo-Egyptian condominium government of Sudan (1898-1955). Added to this material is a wealth of oral tradition preserved by the many indigenous and more recently arrived cultural groups who call this province home. The value of oral tradition as historical evidence and its usefulness as a tool of archaeology is critically examined and discussed in detail. A number of groups have succeeded in forming ruling dynasties in Darfur, including the legendary founders of the state, the Tora, and their successors, the Daju (12th cent.-14th cent. AD), the Tunjur (15th-16th centuries), and the Kayra Fur (early 17th century-1916). These dynasties are examined through a combination of linguistic evidence, physical evidence, and a review of the available written accounts and oral traditions. The work also deals with the regional context, and evaluates the evidence cited in support of existing theories suggesting Meroitic and/or Christian Nubian penetration of Darfur. The parameters of this study are provided by a concentration on the Jebel Marra mountain range as the traditional heartland of the oldest cultures in Darfur, and the site of the most extensive collections of monuments and antiquities. Beginning in the eleventh century AD, a period possibly belonging to the shadowy Tora, the study covers the period up to the ascension of the Kayra Fur sultan Muhammad Tayrab (c.1750), after which the Fur began to build their monuments almost exclusively in brick and entered into the larger historical record.Ph.D