Funj Sultanate: Map & History
The Funj Sultanate, also known as Funjistan, Sultanate of Sennar or Blue Sultanate was an Islamic kingdom in what is now Sudan, northwestern Eritrea and western Ethiopia.
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The Funj Sultanate, also known as Funjistan, Sultanate of Sennar or Blue Sultanate was an Islamic kingdom in what is now Sudan, northwestern Eritrea and western Ethiopia. Succeeding the medieval Nubian kingdoms of Makuria and Alodia, it was established in 1504 by Sultan Amara Dunqas, a convert to Islam who founded its capital Sennar on the Blue Nile. It was dominated by the Funj people, an arabized people of unclear ethnic origin who ruled over an ethnically diverse population including Nubians, Beja, Bedouin and Hamaj. It reached its peak in the late 17th century, when it extended from the Third Cataract southwards to the western fringes of the Ethiopian Highlands and the Sobat River, east to the Red Sea, and west to Kordofan and the Nuba Mountains. It encouraged the spread of Islam by inviting Sufi holymen, which in turn also accelerated Arabization and the formation of the modern Sudanese Arab tribes. In the 18th century the power of the Funj declined, especially after the Hamaj seized power in a coup in 1762. From the late 18th century the Sultanate disintegrated and was torn apart by civil wars. In 1821 the last sultan, greatly reduced in power, was forced to surrender to the Turco-Egyptian conquest.
Modern Countries Once Part of Funj Sultanate
At its mapped extent, Funj Sultanate covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Funj Sultanate's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Funj Sultanate in Depth
History
Christian Nubia, represented by the two medieval kingdoms of Makuria and Alodia, began to decline from the 12th century. By 1365 Makuria had virtually collapsed and was reduced to a rump state restricted to Lower Nubia, until finally disappearing c. 150 years later. The fate of Alodia is less clear. It has been suggested that it had collapsed as early as the 12th century or shortly after, as archaeology suggests that in this period, Soba ceased to be used as its capital. By the 13th century central Sudan seemed to have disintegrated into various petty states. Between the 14th and 15th centuries many Bedouin tribes grew in Sudan and introduced Islam and the Arabic language to the region.
Government
The royal family traced their lineage to a legendary ancestress. The sultan's successor was chosen by the royal court from sons of previous rulers and Funj noblewomen. A nobleman's status depended on marrying a princess, such that each nobleman owed political favours to whom he received his wife from. They also donated their female kin as wives to their superiors, with the sultan typically having 600 noble wives, a senior nobleman 200, and a lesser lord 30. They were socially subordinate to their maternal uncle, and responsibility for executing the sultan after he were deposed by the royal court rested with the sultan's maternal uncle. Sumptuary laws were strict, such as mandating a social distance between noblemen and commoners, and severe breaches were punishable by enslavement.
Military
The army of Sennar was feudal. Each noble house could field a military unit measured in its power by its horsemen. The population, although generally armed, was only rarely called to war, in cases of uttermost need. Most Funj warriors were slaves traditionally captured in annual slave raids called salatiya, targeting the stateless non-Muslims in the Nuba mountains pejoratively referred to as Fartit. The army was divided into infantry, represented by an official called muqaddam al-qawawid, and cavalry, represented by the muqaddam al-khayl. The Sultan rarely led armies into battle and instead appointed a commander for the duration of the campaign, called amin jaysh al-sultan.
Economy
Most of the sultanate's wealth was derived from the land (technically belonging to the sultan), and the economy was based on agriculture. Lesser lords paid tribute to their political superiors in the form of goods such as cloth, tobacco, gold, ivory, horses, medicines, spices, and perfumes, and senior noblemen redistributed wealth derived from governmental practices among their subordinates, such as slaves derived from the judicial system or warfare. Subjects were tied to their lord's estate, and paid levies from arable and pastoral agriculture, as well as further fees that could be paid for with labour.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Funj Sultanate (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Funj Sultanate: Key Facts
| Official language | Classical Arabic |
|---|---|
| Religion | traditional African religion |
| Currency | barter |
| Founded | 1505 |
| Dissolved | 1821 |
Preceded by
- Kingdom of Fazughli
Facts from Wikidata Q1475713 (CC0).
Funj Sultanate Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Funj Sultanate appears, with the other states of the time.
Funj Sultanate Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 630,271 km² in 1512 CE.
Funj Sultanate: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Funj Sultanate exist?
The Funj Sultanate is dated to 1507 CE – 1821 CE, in the Early Modern & Age of Discovery era.
What was the capital of the Funj Sultanate?
The capital of the Funj Sultanate was Sennar.
How large was the Funj Sultanate at its peak?
At its peak in 1512 the Funj Sultanate covered about 630,271 km².
How did the map of the Funj Sultanate change over time?
The Funj Sultanate appears on 3 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1600 CE to 1800 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
Other Sovereign Realms
High & Late Middle Ages • Capital: Avarga
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne, Constantinople
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Lahore, Delhi
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Raigad