other · Egypt, North Africa and Sudan

Zubayr's Bahr al-Ghazal

1856 CE – 1874 CE (approx.) · capital Dem Zubayr

The private trading and slaving empire of the merchant Zubayr Rahma Mansur in south-western Sudan, which grew strong enough to conquer Darfur.

Origins

Zubayr Rahma Mansur, a Ja'ali merchant from the Nile, entered the Bahr al-Ghazal region around 1856 to trade in ivory under the Turco-Egyptian Sudan. He built a chain of fortified stations, called zaribas, and made Dem Zubayr his headquarters, forming alliances with local Azande and other chiefs.

Rule and society

Zubayr's power rested on a private army of enslaved soldiers armed with firearms, known as bazingers. His network traded ivory and enslaved people north to Kordofan and Egypt. He defeated an Egyptian force sent against him, and in 1873 the Khedivate of Egypt recognised him as governor of the Bahr al-Ghazal.

Decline and legacy

In 1874 Zubayr invaded the Darfur Sultanate, killing Sultan Ibrahim and handing the country to Egypt. Detained in Cairo from 1875, he lost control of his domain; his son Sulayman rebelled and was killed in 1879.

Lineage

Zubayr's Bahr al-GhazalTurco-Egyptian Sudan 1821 CE – 1885 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Zubayr's Bahr al-Ghazal. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/zubayrs-bahr-al-ghazal
MLA
“Zubayr's Bahr al-Ghazal.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/zubayrs-bahr-al-ghazal. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Zubayr's Bahr al-Ghazal.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/zubayrs-bahr-al-ghazal.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Zubayr's Bahr al-Ghazal’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/zubayrs-bahr-al-ghazal (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻