Legends: the Kushites of Nubia

Fact: Historically, Nubia was one name used to describe lands to the south of Egypt. Connected to Egypt by the Nile river, these lands interacted very strongly with Egyptian culture. At times throughout thousands of years of shared history, the two lands warred. At other times, they were strong allies. Egypt conquered these southern lands, and were once or twice conquered by them in turn and ruled by Nubian pharaohs. Nubia was the conduit through which African trade reached Egypt, just as Egypt conveyed to Nubia the relics, trade goods, and ideas of Mediterranean civilizations. Fiction: The Cheopian kingdom of Nubia is located on the northern shores of the continent, and does not share a common river or even border with Omolara (Cheopia's 'Egypt'). It has an Egyptian-style culture with a more central-African geography. It is currently co-ruled by Pharaoh Netek-amen and Queen Amentari of the Kushite people (a race of dark-skinned elves). The large Congo-esque central jungle and northern range of volcanic mountains have no historic precedent, but should be a lot of fun. The Khendes river runs east to west along this kingdom's southern border. Some Cool Nubia Links: Nubia - Egypt (basics) Factual History Nubian Tribute Really Cool Graphic Navigator! Be sure to click around on the wall painting. Nubia - Detailed

What's in a Name: Here are a few pointers in case you want to make good use of a search engine with regards to Nubia. In historical Egyptian reading, you will often encounter the terms 'Upper Kingdom' and 'Lower Kingdom'. It is important to realize that these terms refer to 'upper' as being up the Nile; and hence, more southerly. Likewise, upper Nubia meant even further south. In Cheopia, the geography is quite different. Omolarans still refer to Nubia and other lands collectively as 'the upper kingdoms' as they are both 'up' the Eshabti (Omolara's main river) as well as more northerly. 'Nubia' is actually a name that was settled upon in Roman times to describe the regions south of Egypt as a whole. Nub was a term for 'gold', a plentiful commodity for which this region became well known. The earliest Egyptians referred to lands immediately to the south as 'The Land of Wawat'. This later became the 'Kingdom of Kush' Khenet-hennefer, and 'Ta-sety' (Land of the Bow). To the Greeks, the people were known as Ethiopians and Nubia as the land of Ponts, (i.e. the land of gods). The lower east-most area bordering the Red Sea was 'The Land of Punt', sort of where Sudan is today.

Some Customs and Traditions Nubians have long been sought after as temple guardians and private mercenaries. Particularly the Medjay, a tribal people from the land of Medja are noted as savagely fierce warriors. They are often incorporated as mercenaries into various Cheopian armies, typically forming an elite force of bowmen or lightly-clad spearmen. In Omolara, they are sometimes employed as a police force for their honesty, impartiality, and generally good nature in times of peace. The word medjay has become Omolaran slang for "policeman". Throughout Nubia, the cult of Isis has a tremendous and devoted following. Isis is not only the Cheopian goddess of magical powers; she is also the representation of the queen mother. In the most famous fable of the period, Isis roams the world in search of the corpse of her husband Osiris. She returns Osiris to his rightful resting place, only to have Osiris' evil brother Set cut him to pieces and scatter him throughout the land. Isis then takes her son Horus and sets out to find every piece of the corpse so she may tenderly bury it in the hopes that she can resurrect him again. She is successful, and Osiris becomes the god of the underworld. Although Isis, Osiris, and Horus are then established as the main trinity in Nubia, Isis is by far the most popular of the three. This can be partially attributed to her role as the devoted, untiring, nurturer of the land and culture of Nubia. In contrast, the Omolarans worship Ra in larger numbers. Just as the Omolaran pharaohs are supposed to be born of Ra, Isis is honored as the Queen mother of the Nubians. Perhaps as a result of the strong influence of women figures in religion, Nubia and its Kushite populace are sometimes ruled by strong queens rather than male pharaohs. These queens are called both 'gore', meaning ruler, and 'kandake', meaning queen mother. Even when a male pharaoh reigns, the queen plays an important part in decision making. In the present day, good relations between Nubia, Himyar, Syrtica, and Omolara (the four pharonic countries) is assured by an exchange of hostages. The children of the nobles of each land are drafted to serve as pages at the court of a different pharaoh. The Nubians are believed to be the first human race on earth, and most of their customs and traditions were adopted by the ancient Cheopians. A Nubian has been always renowned for his sheer honesty. He is often an artist by nature. Seven is deemed the lucky number, and nine is sacred. A Nubian often prefers to marry one of his cousins. A Nubian wedding ceremony often lasts for 40 days, with a long series of rituals. Numerous presents to the bride, and her female relatives. These presents are boarded on a camel or elephant adorned with decorations colourful silk fabrics and jewelry. During the wedding ceremony the groom is well-dressed, holding a sword and a whip. The social status of a Nubian is judged by the wealth and richness of land he owns, as well as by his noble descent. Performance of prayers, for a Nubian, is an evidence that he is a worhy person and an object of pride to his tribe. It is a further evidence that he is not a charltan or a slave. A Nubian who doesn’t perform his prayers, is punishable by public disdain and banishment from the tribe. Nubian women are known to wear conspicuous amounts of jewelry. A Nubian woman adorns herself also with tattoo, normally shaped like a mole on the cheek a crescent on the forehead or a line drawn from the lower lip down to the chin. The Nubian woman is also known for her frequent use of henna and perfumes. The burial mounds of Nubian nobles are small pyramids with sides sloped more steeply than the great pyramids with a rectangular 'entry' building or courtyard added to the front.

Some Items of Commerce Cheopia is home to many exotic creatures that are rarely found elsewhere. Nubians hunt and trade in hides of such creatures as the leopard, the giraffe, the lion, the rhinosaurus and soforth. In some cases whole live creatures are traded abroad. Omolarans value such creatures as the capuchin monkey for their cuteness and fine suitability as familiars. Other products such as osterich eggs and feathers are also considered rare and valuable. Elephants are sometimes used in warfare. The forest of Nubia abounds with treasures. Several fine varieties of wood are harvested and traded abroad such as hbny (ebony) for its beauty, and Black Ironwood for its strength. Ivory is harvested not only from loxodont tusks, but also from the hardened nuts of certain rare plants. Whereas many of the drier countries of Cheopia are mad for assembling proud gardens of rare plants from afar, Nubia has an incredible natural diversity. Nubians actually prefer to nurture their native life forms, and take care that plants specimens from abroad do not get out of hand and unbalance their ecology. Nubia is rich in gold. Ironically, Nubians pay a fairly high price to import silver (which they consider more rare) for their jewelry. But, they are not fools about it. Nubians are well respected for their stonework, particularly the artistic sculpting of soft stones into statuary.

Focus on Wood The woods of trees native to Omolara: (acacia, almond, fig, date and dom-palms, persea, poplar, sider, sycamore, tamarisk and willow) tend to have knots, poor grain or poor strength. So the Omolarans import wood from other regions for their furniture and other uses. Ash, beech box, cedar elm, fir, lime maple, oak, pine, plum and yew come from Phoenicia, Hati, and other lands. From Nubia comes Black Ironwood and Hbny. NUBIAN HBNY: The color of the heartwood was jet black. It dries rapidly and is very dense. An excellent polished finish can be obtained and it is used in musical instrument components and for decorative items and furnishings. BLACK IRONWOOD: This timber is what is known as an 'ironwood', being so exeptionally hard and dense that it will not float on water. It dries slowly in a process that must be carefully controlled to avoid degradation. A high polish finish can be obtained and it is used for many turned items including musical instruments. Some Fun Wood Links Ancient Near East Wood, Wood Scarce in Eqypt, All about hardwoods, Unusual Plants, Timber Descriptions, Weights of Common Substances