Portal:Ancient Egypt/Selected article/8



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, of which it had been part. Makuria originally covered the area along the Nile River from the Third Cataract to somewhere between the Fifth and Sixth Cataracts. It also had control over the trade routes, mines, and oases to the east and west. Its capital was Dongola and the kingdom is sometimes known by the name of its capital. Makuria is much better known than its neighbor Alodia to the south, but there are still many gaps in our knowledge. The origins of Makuria are uncertain. Ptolemy mentions a Nubian people known as the Makkourae, who might be ancestors to the Makurians. The kingdom is believed to have formed in the 4th or 5th century.

One of the most debated issues among scholars is over the religion of Makuria. Up to the fifth century the old Egyptian mythology seems to have remained strong, even while its counterpart in Egypt disappeared. In the fifth century the Nubians went so far as to launch an invasion of Egypt when the Christians there tried to turn some of the main temples into churches.

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