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Sudan in the "Book of All Kingdoms"

Last modified: 2008-02-09 by zeljko heimer
Keywords: sudan | book of all kingdoms | graciona | dongola | abdeselib |
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Dongola

[Flag of Dongola]
image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 5 December 2007

The 74th flag mentioned and illustrated in the Book of All Kingdoms is attributed to Dongola, a state somewhere in current Sudan, said to be founded and peopled by Nubians. This as depicted in the 2005 Spanish illustrated transcription, a white flag with a black cross patty with two horizontal bars, and the vertical bar throughout, the flag in the ogival default shape of this source. The anonymous author of Book of All Kingdoms describes the flag thus: "E el rey d’ella á por se&ntilda;ales un pendón blanco con una cruz fecha así." (="The King of Dongola has for his device a white flag with a cross like this.", as translated in the Halkyut Society edition.)
António Martins-Tuválkin, 5 December 2007

Dongola was the capital of the Christian Nubian kingdom of Makuria, and was often used as the name of the whole kingdom. The core of the kingdom lay between the 3rd and 5th cataracts in the Nile valley of northern Sudan. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muqurra , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Sudan#Christian_Nubia and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Dongola for more info on Makuria and Dongola.
Ned Smith, 5 December 2007


Graciona/Granciona

[Flag of Graciona/Granciona]
image by Eugene Ipavec, 7 December 2007

The 78th flag mentioned and illustrated in the Book of All Kingdoms is attributed to Graciona / Granciona, the capital of Empiror Abdeselib, suppoesedly located somehwere in current Sudan. This as depicted in the 2005 Spanish illustrated transcription, a white flag with a black cross patty throughout (actually, stratched to top, bottom and hoist, but not exending to the fly tip), the flag in the ogival default shape of this source. According to the Halkyut Society edition (#70 on plate 15 between p.34-35), the manuscript "S" (the [f0fXXs]) shows this flag. The anonymous author of Book of All Kingdoms describes the flag thus: "E este emperador Abdeselib á por senales un pendón de plata con una cruz prieta d'esta manera." (="The Emperor Abdeselib has for his device a white flag with a black cross like this.", as translated in the Halkyut Society edition.)
António Martins-Tuválkin, 6 December 2007