The story of the Nubian people is the history of the first Black African civilization! The Nubian Kingdoms dates back to the first monarchies of Africa. The African civilization pre-dates many present day civilizations which mean that the African civilization therefore pre-dates many Western civilizations and certainly the Nubian monarchies pre-dates most if not all the present day Monarchies.  

Nubians with a history and traditions which can be traced to the dawn of civilization, the Nubian settled along the banks of the Nile from Aswan south of Egypt to the 6th cataract just south of Khartoum (capital of Sudan).

Along this great river they develop one of the oldest and greatest civilizations in Africa. Until they lost their last kingdom (Christian Nubia) only 5 centuries back the Nubian remained as the main rivals to the other great African civilization of Egypt. A great civilization and great people who deserved equal or even more fame than their rival Egyptian civilization instead overlooked and it findings and monuments where attributed to their rivals. Belatedly recognized, the Nubian culture and history is one of the main concern or archaeologists, scholars, museums and universities world-wide nowadays. Although Sudan had remained the main homeland of Nubians through their long history, their descendants today live in Sudan and Egypt, Libya, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia throughout Africa and in the Western world the millions of descendants those taken during the days of slavery!

Postscript: Later History

From Late Antiquity and into the early Middle Ages, Upper and Lower Nubia formed three independent kingdoms, Nubadia (called Nubia in Arabic) between the First and Third Cataracts, Makuria between the Third and Fifth Cataracts, and Alodia (called Alwa in Arabic) above the Fifth Cataract. These kingdoms converted to Christianity around the sixth century AD, long after Egypt had become Christian. However, they maintained that faith centuries after Egypt had succumbed to the forces of Islam. These three nations were not always on peaceful terms with each other.

However, it was probably as early as the seventh century AD that Nubadia and Makuria united to form a single federated kingdom which was to last some six hundred years under the King of Makuria. Despite the union, each of the two kingdoms always kept their separate identities.

This United Kingdom was weakened in the late thirteenth century by a series of attacks on Nubia by Mamelukes from Egypt, who ultimately claimed--apparently in name only-- suzerainty over Lower Nubia.  

In the fourteenth century, Makuria was overrun by nomadic Arab invaders from the southeast who established a short-lived Muslim kingdom there. This state ultimately degenerated into a series of warring principalities without any royal authority and the population reduced to the level of Bedouin. Nubadia and its client- state, the Kingdom of Dotawo survived for more than a century thereafter, until disappearing in the unrecorded dwindling of cultural identity. In AD 1550 the Ottoman Turks annexed a disunited Lower Nubia to their great Near Eastern empire. Nubian independence, national identity, and Christianity disappeared without leaving any record. And yet the Nubians did go on, as a people.

The coming of Nubians to Uganda

The Nubian lands was finally dissolved and broken up in 1900, prior to that in 1897 His Majesty great ancestors were amongst others taken into the land that at that time comprised of different Kingdoms which included that of the Buganda Kingdom and the Bunyoro the land presently known as Uganda! Whilst Royal Throne-Chief-Advisor Her Majesty's H.I.M Empress Shebah 'Ra - Queen Shebah III Kasambu 'Ra lines related great ancestors of the family Upper Nubia- Abdul Shibah Kasambu'Ra lines were from 1889 -1959 resettled from Sheba Regions and Wadi Halfa, to New Halfa. Merowe, Nuri Khartoum and Coptic and Temple Traditionalist lines into West Africa and early 1900s to the Caribbean. The Family Imperial and Royal Houses were united in 2000 by a unification symbolic marriage of the family east and west Kasambu'Ra lines thrones in 2000, which should not be mis-interpreted as a formal Imperial Lines marriage, just that of Thrones Houses unified as one line. It should be realized, Emin Pasha's soldiers drew their officers or commanders mainly from the Nubian homeland in the Lower Egypt- Upper Sudan border areas. Among the commanders sent by the Khedive Ishmael of Egypt was Abd'Alah Surur Kasambu'Ra, a Nubian descendant in the Royal bloodlines of the mighty Pharaoh- Ra! Abd'Alah Surur Kasambu'Ra later through the alliances with the Buganda Kingdom became a settler at Bombo the Crown Lands of the Buganda Kingdom which was given to the Nubians who relocated from the Gate of Nubia...these forefathers to that of the Throne Heir the father of His Majesty all lie buried in Bombo. To explain a bit more of how and why the alliance between the Nubian entourage and Buganda, briefly The Nubians assisted the Buganda Kingdom in defeating their enemy the Bunyoro and was given Bombo in recognition of that.

A point worthy of consideration is that, Nubia was Islamized and Islam regards Pharaohs as anti-Islamic. Emin Pasha's troops came to be the Islamized Nubians whose language was then Arabic instead of their indigenous ancestral Nubian language. The Islamic factor as one reason and the political environment in Uganda as the second were not conducive for the Nubian to form a Kingdom among them in Uganda!

His Majesty's Father Throne Heir Al Hajj Sebbi Bin Abd' Allah Kasambu'Ra married Al Hajat Janet Asia Nabayeggo the daughter of a Highly Placed Bagandan Chief of the Buganda Kingdom. But Throne Heir Al Hajj Sebbi Bin Abd' Allah for religious reason abstained leadership and instead established the family businesses in amongst others Industry but never took the Throne. His to Throne Heir his son Kasambu'Ra Adam the present King was before and after the death of his father busy with his studies of Computer Engineering at the Institute of Technology in Sweden, The people under his Supervision were taken care of by the Traditional Elders committee throughout in Bombo!

The history off the Nubians are longer than the day and those Ugandans of Nubian origin since their forefathers entered what is now known as Uganda.

The coming of the Nubians to present day Uganda may be traced back as the 1830's. For Islamic influence in Uganda often associated with the Nubians reached the northern districts of modern Uganda from the north towards the middle of the nineteenth centaury.. By 1859 the Dangala (inhabitants of Dongola) had pushed beyond the boundaries of Egyptian-occupied territories in all directions and established trading posts as far as Farlaro, Acholi land, in fact the Acholi leaving in the north of Bunyoro and the Victoria lakes were penetrated by the late 1850's. Furthermore, in 1872 Lango came to be effectively effected by the intrusion from the north.

Generally it is known that Emin Pasha recruited the remnants of his solders from amongst the Nile tribes of present day southern Sudan, West Nile and northern Uganda. These soldiers were mainly of the tribes of Dinka, Madi, Foljulo, Moru, Baka, Magaraka, Abukaya, Mundi, Alur, Lendu, Lugbara, Acholi, and etcetera. Something to be observed is the close relationships and connections between the tribes of modern day Sudan and those of modern northern Uganda. Because a considerable number of recruits came from these tribes and they came to constitute Emin's Pasha's Force, it is how most of these tribesmen came to be the "Nubians" as we know today!

The other soldiers were "detribalized", by the natural sociological process; they came to adopt the language, culture (indeed religion) of their conquerors or commanders. They regarded then as today Nubi whose language actually some "Creole" Arabic, now know as the 'Nubian' language.

The Islamic religion and the complexity of the sociological formation resulting thereto created a Neo-Islamic culture of a domineering cosmopolitan complexity. Hence the cultural characteristics of the resultant Nubians came to be almost synonymous with the identity of Pax-Islamica. It was this strong cultural influence that found its way into modern Uganda as far as the shore of Lake Victoria.

These cultural transformations and formations should be borne in minds if we are to understand the following historical narratives in its true perspective. The soldiers who moved southwards were not militaristic; infact Emin Pasha's soldiers practiced some missionary activity in the equatorial provinces. The proselytizations and the process of Islamizations usually occurred following the procedure of imitation and often ending with the adoption of the Muslim creed and the colloquial Arabic Nubian language.

As an impact the Neo-Islamic Nubian presence is vividly seen in the northern districts of Uganda. There considerable settlements of this same nature in West Nile, Guka, Kitgum and Masindi, West Nile is characterized by numerous Quranic schools in which the Nubian language is the medium of instruction. For Emin Pasha's troops not only converted the people of this area to Islam, but many of them also settled among the local population in and around the trading centers. The descendants of these soldiers and those who, from long associating with them lost all connections with there tribes from which they originally sprang are therefore collectively termed Nubi. Due to this sociological fact, in many parts of Uganda the term Nubi and Muslim are used synonymously.

It is a historical fact that the fate of the Nubians of Uganda is traced to the emergence of the Mahdist state in the Sudan. The outbreak of the Mahdist revolt in the Sudan had its effect on the Equatorial Provinces and in particular the garrisons lying to the north of Lake Albert in the Northern district of mordern Uganda. Emin Pasha failed to convince his soldiers to accept evacuations plans that would take them to the coast and to Egypt. For the soldiers loyalty to Khedive made them suspicious of any evacuation through countries possibly dominated by non-Muslim Europeans power. This...led to disintegration of Emin Pasha's Forces into small military unviable units. The rebellious officer Faddy Mullah was killed in January 1884.

When Captain Lugard arrived at Kavallis he was greatly impressed by Selim Bey and his garrison of devoted men, it was this small force of Selim Bey that Lugard recruited in the I.B.E.A. Co. These historical notes introduce us to a fact that would be of a political significance to Uganda. Well into the twentieth century. For the Nubians played a significant role in laying the foundation of the Armed Forces of the modern Uganda.

Lugard then established a chain of posts about two day's march, apart and settled the majority of his new troops in them. Several British officers were posted to command these Nubian soldiers and in 1895, by means of enlisting the grown-up followers and boys, the number of companies was brought up to seventeen. They were scattered over Buganda, Toro, and Busoga etcetera and called the Uganda Rifles. At this critical point let it be known that the descendants of the present day Nubians became a critical factor in the colonial equations that once balanced resulted into the modern Uganda. These means that Nubians came here before there was any entity known as 'Uganda' and these Nubians took part in the making of modern Uganda.

Bombo formed the largest number of Nubians in Uganda! Bombo was also one of the important centers of Islam in East Africa, Most of the religious teachers, Muslim Sheiks, visited Bombo frequently to teach in its schools. It is equally interesting to not that of those religious leaders; the most important was Sheik Hajj Mohammad Abd'Allah a Muslim teacher and missionary from Bornu in Takrur-modern Nigeria.

The Nubian had for many years a special position in Uganda and were in effect permitted a special status. This largely owned to the fact that the cantonment existed at Bombo the land of Surur Kasambu'Ra the Nubian bloodlines King of the Nubians, the Nubians, serving soldiers, retired soldiers and others who lived there formed the largest collection of Nubians in Uganda! Nubians also live as communities in several districts around Uganda! All Nubians are binded and share the same cultural norms and traditional heritage! 

Some Sociological Characteristics of Nubians

The following characteristics make Nubians rather unique when sociologically considered in relationship to the tribes of Uganda, they, the Nubians, are acutely distinguished by the following:- Their indigenous language has been influence by Arabic and Islamic culture to become the present-day Nubian language. Nubians are scattered more or less all over Uganda.

Virtually all African' tribes have their own languages. Often times these languages are related to proximate ones, and are collectively given a single broad generic label. For example, the Bantu languages, the Luo, etcetera. However, when one examines closely the case of the ''Ki- Nubi'' one finds that it is in a class by itself, partly because it is not related to the other indigenous African languages nor is it grouped with them. But it has more to do with the combination of Nubi/Arabic language.

Perhaps it was this predominance of the Arabic segment in Ki- Nubi that has led to the conclude that the Ki-Nubi'' speakers were all southern Sudanese Muslims despite the obvious fact that, the Southern Sudanese are by and large, believers in traditional religious tendencies although some of their political leaders and elites subscribes to the Christian faith. Indeed to round up this issue of language, It should be emphasized that Ki-Nubi '' unlike Kiswahili Is not an African language although it has evidently borrowed many African words from the innumerable languages it has interacted with across the years Nations or tribe tends to have two pre-dominant myths- the myth of ancestry and the myth of mission. But for Nubians their ancestry and mission are all subsumed into the quranic story of the genesis of man and the mission is realized as that of vice-regent on this earth, as many a history book will show the Nubians are people of the oldest civilization of Africa and the earth they date back in history as over 4000 years ago! The history of the Nubians is a long and eventful one!

The Nubians do have land throughout Africa, in fact as mentioned above Bombo given to the Nubians is still under its cultural, traditional domicile and houses over 10,000 people at present. There is too the Royal family real Estate and homes which is an incredible number and the houses, also a few international Industrial businesses....and several acreage of land rich with mineral resources and high quality Timber and Agricultural lands in Africa. Suru'Ru Kasambu'Ra Royal lines at the time also settled in Kenya where another part of the Royal family with extended family bonds and land are still presently living in Kibera and Ngong....more