Taqali (also spelled Tegali from the Tagale people) was a state of Nuba peoples that existed in the Nuba Mountains, in modern-day central Sudan. It is believed to have been founded in the eighteenth century, though oral traditions suggest it was established two centuries earlier. Due in part to its geographic position on a plateau surrounded by desert, Taqali was able to maintain its independence for some 130 years despite the presence of hostile neighbors. It was conquered by Sudanese Mahdists in 1884 and restored as a British client state in 1889. Its administrative power ended with the 1969 Sudanese coup, though the Makk of Taqali, its traditional leader, retains ceremonial power in the region.
HINT:
In this Dossier
Taqali in the context of Nuba Mountains
The Nuba Mountains (Arabic: جبال النوبة), also referred to as the Nuba Hills, are an area located in South Kordofan, Sudan. The area is home to a group of indigenous ethnic groups known collectively as the Nuba peoples. They are not the same as the Nubians who are indigenous to north Sudan. Rather their name is derived from the name of the mountains, “Nuba”. In Antiquity, the area was a part of the Kingdom of Kush. In the Middle Ages, the Nuba mountains had been part of the Nubian kingdom of Alodia. In the 18th century, they became home to the kingdom of Taqali that controlled the hills of the mountains until their defeat by Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad. After the British defeated the Mahdi army, Taqali was restored as a client state. Infiltration of the Messiria tribe and Muraheleen of Baggara Arabs has been influential in modern conflicts. Up to 1.5 million people live in the mountains, mostly ethnic Nuba, with a small minority of Baggara.
View the full Wikipedia page for Nuba Mountains