Funj

alternative Fung

1. pluralplural onlyAn ethnic group in present-day Sudan from which the historical sultanate of Funjistan arose.

   The plains of Kordofan proper did not fall to the Funj until the reign of Bādi IV Abū Shūlūkh (reigned 1724–62).

   1983, The New Encyclopaedia Britannica: Micropaedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica, page 359

   3 more examples

   It is known that the Funj rose from southern Nubia (present-day southern Sudan) to overthrow the kingdom of Alodia, but their origins before that remain obscure and disputed. The Funj themselves claimed descent from the Umayyad dynasty through those who escaped slaughter at the hands of the Abbasids and fled to Abyssinia. A currently more accepted theory is that they are Nubians who mixed with Arabs.

   It is possibly the jabalawīn′s own identification with Sinnār, a suitable answer for groups who appear to have lost their own cultural identity as a scattered minority in the midst of society, that makes them often become associated with the Funj in present-day local traditions.

   1981, Alessandro Triulzi, Salt, Gold, and Legitimacy, Instituto Universitario Orientale, page 77

   2014, Anders Breidlid, et al. (editors), A Concise History of South Sudan, Fountain Publishers, Revised Edition, page 52, Slavery was the cornerstone of Funj wealth and power. In the 18ᵗʰ century, the Funj rulers built up a military division of slaves from foreign lands who were loyal only to themselves. By the mid 18ᵗʰ century, these Funj rulers were very powerful.