DARFUR

also spelled Darfur (Arabic: House of the Fur), historical region of the Bilad as-Sudan (Arabic: Land of the Blacks), a region roughly corresponding to the westernmost portion of the present-day Republic of The Sudan. It lay between Kordofan in the east and Wadai in the west and extended southward to the Bahr al-Ghazal and northward to the Libyan Desert. In prehistoric times the northern inhabitants of Darfur were related to the predynastic peoples of the Nile River valley. From about 2500 BC Darfur was probably within the sphere of the Egyptian caravans that traded southward from Aswan. Its first traditional rulers, the Daju, or Dagu, were possibly in some way connected with ancient Egypt, and trade was no doubt conducted from Darfur both with Egypt during the New Kingdom and with the cities of Napata and Meroe in the kingdom of Cush (Kush; now in the northern Sudan). The rule of the Daju in Darfur was eventually followed by that of the Tunjur, or Tungur. The Christian period, which probably lasted in Darfur from 900 to 1200, was ended by the advance of Islam eastward from the empire of Kanem-Bornu (centred on Lake Chad). By 1240 the king of Kanem was claiming control of a trade route with Egypt that extended eastward as far as Sai, and it is from this date that the influence of Kanem and Bornu on Darfur probably derived. Indeed, Darfur may have been a province either of Kanem or of Bornu at one or more of their great periods. The chiefly clan of the Keira were the ruling dynasty in Darfur from about 1640 to 1916. The first historic mention of the name Fur occurred in 1664. During that period the kings of the Keira sultanate of Darfur apparently used the term Fur to refer to the Negroid inhabitants who accepted both their Islamic religion and their rule. As the Keira dynasty became progressively Negroid, its members became known as Fur. The inhabitants of Darfur were completely Islamized under the rule of the Keira sultans. The sultans fought intermittently with the Wadai kingdom (to the east) and also tried to subjugate the semi-independent Arab tribes who inhabited the country. In the 1870s Darfur came under Egyptian rule, with provincial status. Various revolts were suppressed by the Egyptians, and in 1881 Rudolf Karl Slatin was appointed governor. Though he defended the province against the forces of al-Mahdi, a religious reformer and Sudanese political leader, he was obliged ultimately to surrender to him in December 1883. Darfur was thereafter incorporated into al-Mahdi's dominions. Following the overthrow of al-Mahdi's successor, 'Abd Allah, or the Khalifah, in 1898, the new (Anglo-Egyptian) government of the Sudan recognized 'Ali Dinar as sultan of Darfur (1899). A rising by him in 1915 provoked a punitive expedition, in which he was killed (November 1916). Thereafter Darfur became a province (and later two provinces) of the Sudan. Geographically, Darfur consists of an immense rolling plain that is approximately 170,000 square miles (440,000 square km) in area. The volcanic highlands of the Marrah Mountains dominate the central part of this plain. The Marrah Mountains stand at an average elevation of 7,200 feet (2,200 m), with the highest peak, Mount Marrah, rising to 10,131 feet (3,088 m). Elsewhere, the sparsely populated plains of Darfur are relatively featureless and arid, particularly in the north, where they merge into the Libyan Desert. Soils, which are generally stony or sandy, support some seasonal grass and low, thorny shrubs with tropical maquis vegetation. The Marrah highlands receive heavier rainfall than other parts of Darfur, and a number of large wadis (seasonal watercourses) rise in the mountains and flow southward across the plains. Arabs constitute the majority of the population in the northern part of Darfur, while Arabs and Furs predominate in the southern portion. Other ethnic groups include the Beja, Zaghawa, Nubian, and Daju peoples. Heavy rainfall in the Marrah highlands permits the intensive cultivation of cereals, rice, and fruits. Crops grown at other locations in the southern part of Darfur include sorghum, millet, sesame, peanuts (groundnuts), other root crops, and vegetables. In the arid north, camels, sheep, and goats are raised. Traditional handicrafts include work in leather and wood as well as carpet weaving. Nyala and Al-Fashir are the principal towns.