Egyptian Efforts to Protect Trade Caravans and Develop Desert Routes in Sudan, 1821-1879

Abstract

Following the expansion of Egyptian rule in Sudan in 1821, transportation and communication routes witnessed significant development. The Egyptian administration prioritized this sector to serve commercial and economic activities and to consolidate political and administrative unity between the two parts of the Nile Valley through economic integration. This was achieved by connecting Sudanese regions to one another and by breaking their isolation from the outside world, especially from Egypt and Abyssinia (Ethiopia). Special attention was given to the desert land routes that had been used by trade caravans for centuries but had become insecure in the preceding period. The Egyptian authorities worked diligently to pave, develop, and explore these routes, ensuring their safety by involving Bedouin tribes in their protection and in overcoming the various human and natural threats that endangered them.