Sudan

**Ancient Timeline**

8000 BC - a settled and cultured place existed in North East Sudan called Nubia. (Otherwise called Kush.)
750 BC - Kushite king conquered upper Egypt. 590 BC - Egyptian army conquered, compelling the Kushite court to move further forward. 540 AD - Byzantine missionaries arrived and started preaching Christianity. 540-1093 AD - Many failed Arab military conquests. Islam progressed through intermarriages and contacts with Arab merchants and settlers. (particularly Sufi nobles) 1093 AD - Muslim Prince took the throne.

**Modern Time Line ** 1820 - Ottoman empire invaded Sudan 1881 - Muhammad Ahmed took over 1898 - After many years of fighting, British and Egyptians defeated the Suadanese 1940 - Independence movement of the country gained momentum 1956 (January 1st) - Sudan officially became independant 1972 - Southern region was declared a separate entity 1985 - Independence revoked. New laws based on severe interpretations of the Islamic code 1985-1996 - Rights were revoked and Sudan was in a time of turmoil and war 1993 - Omar Hassarr Ahmad Al-Basir came into power 1998 - New constitution was introduced that allowed a multiparty system and freedom of religion. However when National Assembly began to reduce the power of the president, Bashir declared a state of emergency, and rights were again revoked. 2005 - Peace agreement was signed to stop one of Africa's worst civil wars - South Sudan began to run it's own affairs 2010 - Sudan's president, Omar Hassarr Ahmad Al-Basir, was indicted and charged with genocide.

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**Modern Facts ** =====


 *  **Population: 43,939,568 people**
 *  **President: Omar Hassar Ahmad Al-Basir**
 *  **Sudan is the largest country in Africa**
 *  **Imports: food, manufactured goods, refinery, medicines, chemicals, textiles and wheat**
 *  **Exports: oil, petroleum, cotton, sesame, livestock, ground nuts and sugar**
 *  **Sunni Muslim 70%, Christian 5%, Indigenous Beliefs 25%**

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**Conclusion ** =====

In the ancient times of Sudan, Islam was not always the religion. When Sudan was first starting out it was called Nubia or Kush, depending on where you came from. The new place was home to new cultures, and ideas. Many different religion fought to grasp the hold of this new-upcoming place. First Sudan was governed by the Egyptians who at that time called themselves Kushites. Then 540 AD Byzantine missionaries arrived and started to preach the Christian thought. All throughout this time Arab military were trying to get their foot in the door as well. The many military conquests that were tried failed. Islam was able to spread to Sudan when a Muslim prince took the throne, turning Sudan into an Islamic center. Later in Sudan's history strong Islamic leadership took place. In1985 independence of South Sudan was revoked as well as the new severity of the Islamic laws that were set in place. Throughout Sudan's history Islam weaved in and out, without the spread of Islam to Sudan, Sudan would not have the wide variety of cultures and people that it has today. Islam played a key role in making Sudan what it is today, culturally.

**Bibliography** Pictures: [] [] [] [] []

Information: http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/ www.worldbookonline.com www.cnn.com www.wikipedia.org www.ancientsudan.org [] []

Johanna El-Khoury & Emily Hulak

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