The stone monuments and antiquities of the Jebel Marra region, Darfur, Sudan, c. 1000-1750 AD

"One of the world''s richest collections of untouched archaeological sites is found in the region of Darfur. Prior to its incorporation into the modern state of Sudan in 1916, Darfur was one of the old Sudanic sultanates that stretched in an east-west line across pre-colonial Africa, forming a bridge between Muslim north Africa and the largely animist regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Population movements and cultural influences were absorbed from both north and south, forming a vibrant and constantly evolving civilization. In the absence of scientific archaeological work, the history of Darfur is presently derived from a mass of often contradictory and frequently fanciful accounts provided by the mediaeval Arab geographers, early travelers, and the officials of the Anglo-Egyptian condominium government of Sudan (1898-1955)..."