Malha: Homeland of the Midobs

9 Feb 2013

Malha: Homeland of the Midobs

Malha, a North Darfur town inhabited by Sudan’s Midob tribe, is a serene and mountainous locality rich in tourist attractions such as a large volcanic crater, mountain springs and a lake.

By Abdullahi Shuaibu

Malha, one of the most northern towns in Darfur, is commonly known as “Midob town” due to the high concentration of the Midob ethic group in the area. The terrain in Malha is flat, with dusty plains broken by several mountain ranges. The town is home to the famous Malha volcanic crater, which is a center of attraction in the locality and was believed to have been formed 5,000 years ago. Today, the crater draws Sudani tourists, who relax beside the lake and enjoy the views from hikes in the mountains.

This quiet and serene locality derives its Arabic name “Malha” (which translates as “salty”) from the abundant salty water in the area that emerges from volcanic springs along the mountainsides. Activity in the area centers on the Midob villages, which are located at the foot of the mountains. Each family lives in a settlement that consists of a small number of separate dome-shaped huts that are constructed of poles, branches and grass. Married Midob women live with their children in the huts. Their husbands also live in the huts when they are not herding livestock or engaged in other vocations that take them away from their homes.

There are roughly 50,000 Midobspeaking people in Malha and the surrounding communities. A large percentage of the Midob live in the main town and are ruled by Malha’s King, Tom Mohamed El-Sayah, who is 75 years old and inherited the throne from his late father who reigned during the British colonial days in Sudan.

According to historians, the Midob language can be traced to the language of the Nubians in Northern Sudan. Current cultural practices and traditions link the Midob to the Mahas and Dongolawi, which are Nubian groups from the old town of Dongola in North Sudan. It is also mentioned in history books that the Midob were rulers in the Nubian civilization, with their roots extending deeply into Egypt. The Nubian civilization later became part of Egypt when Muhammad Ali Pasha invaded and occupied Sudan in 1820.
 

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Read the full story in the January issue of Voices of Darfur. Download the magazine (PDF) here.

 

The landscape of Malha, a quiet and serene North Darfur locality that derives its Arabic name “Malha” (which translates as “salty”) from the abundant salty water in the area that emerges from volcanic springs along the mountainsides. Photo by Sojoud Elgarrai.