sultanate · Egypt, North Africa and Sudan

Musabba'at sultanate

1650 CE – 1785 CE (approx.) · capital Bara

A Fur-linked sultanate in Kordofan, rival of the Funj and Darfur, that briefly dominated the plains between the Nile and Darfur.

Origins

The Musabba'at were a branch of the ruling Keira family of Darfur who moved east into Kordofan in the 17th century after a dynastic dispute. They founded a sultanate in the plains of northern and central Kordofan, around Bara.

Rule and society

Kordofan was a contested frontier rich in gum, cattle and slaves, crossed by routes between the Nile and Darfur. Under Sultan Hashim in the later 18th century, the Musabba'at expanded their rule over much of Kordofan, competing with the Funj Sultanate and the Darfur Sultanate. Little is known of their institutions.

Decline and legacy

In 1785 Muhammad Tayrab of Darfur invaded Kordofan and drove Hashim out, ending the Musabba'at state. Kordofan stayed under Darfur until the Turco-Egyptian Sudan conquered it in 1821.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Musabba'at sultanate. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/musabbaat-sultanate
MLA
“Musabba'at sultanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/musabbaat-sultanate. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Musabba'at sultanate.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/musabbaat-sultanate.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Musabba'at sultanate’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/musabbaat-sultanate (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻