1. Introduction

The introduction presents a description of the geographical region of Nubia followed by an overview of its history from late antiquity until the Mamluk period. Christianity was introduced into Nubia in the sixth century AD under the auspices of the church organisation of Byzantine Egypt, and subsequently the churches of the region came under the jurisdiction of the Coptic patriarchate of Alexandria. At that period Nubia consisted of three kingdoms: Nobadia, Makuria and Alodia. These kingdoms were subsequently united in a single kingdom with its capital at Dongola. In the early Islamic period the Muslims invaded Nubia, but failed to conquer the region. A peace treaty was drawn up between the Muslims and the Nubians known as the baqṭ. Nubia remained an independent Christian kingdom until the thirteenth century AD , when finally the Muslim Mamluks took control of the Nubian capital of Dongola.