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The term “Nuba”:

The first reference to this region (Nubia) and its inhabitants appeared in the writings of the Greek geographer Eratosthenes (240 BCE), who stated: “The people of Nubai inhabit the western bank of the Nile between Meroe (Kabooshia) and Dabba, and they are subject to the king of Meroe (Kabooshia).” Later, the Roman historian Strabo (27 BCE) mentioned: “The Nubai owned the land between Meroe (Kabooshia) and the First Cataract of Aswan.” Following them, the Roman historian Pliny the Elder (70 CE) wrote: “The Nubai owned both the eastern and western banks of the Nile, with their center located on the island of Tenops” (present-day Argo Island).

This evidence indicates that the inhabitants of this region were historically known as the Nubai. From this, we deduce that the term “Nuba” either evolved historically from “Nubai”—especially since the ancient texts do not suggest any connection to the Greek language, nor do they imply that the Greeks coined the term—or that “Nuba” is an ancient Nubian word unrelated to the Copts (descendants of the ancient Egyptians) or their ancestors, the ancient Egyptians.

The researcher tends to support the second hypothesis, that “Nuba” is an ancient Nubian word with connections to ancient Egyptian. In the Nubian language, the word nab means “gold,” and it appears in many traditional songs still performed today at bridal henna celebrations. For instance, a song goes:

Durij ori wawa nab-n-argadeih
Meaning: “Flow eternally, O waterwheel of gold,” where the waterwheel symbolizes married life.

Another song says:

Wo amir agrinal nab geloy fojjo … agrinal fojjoka inassi toialla
Meaning: “Stand, my prince, let us see what has been scattered in your gathering. Was red gold scattered in your gathering? Let your sister gather what was scattered.”

From another perspective, the term “Nub” or “Nubu” in ancient Egyptian also means “gold.” Archaeological studies suggest that the contents, locations, and characteristics of tombs found in Nubia represent a culture identical to the Egyptian culture of the pre-dynastic era. Burial customs and handicrafts in Nubian tombs are strikingly similar to those found in Egyptian tombs. This suggests that Nubians and Egyptians in the pre-dynastic and early dynastic periods were a single lineage and that Egypt and Nubia formed a unified cultural and genealogical zone.

Given the cultural unity of the two neighbors and the linguistic exchanges between ancient Nubian and ancient Egyptian as a tool of that culture, the similarity in some of their ancient vocabulary likely influenced the designation of the region, referring to its wealth in gold. Gold mines were abundant in the Wadi Allaqi and other areas whose names hint at their existence, such as Nab-n-Defei. As previously explained, nab means “gold” and defei means “region” or “village.” For instance, the village of Ad-Derr was once called Defei, and elderly Nubians still refer to it by that name.

The nun in Nab-n-Defei serves as a grammatical particle for specification, meaning “the village of gold.” Another interpretation worth noting is that some sources (e.g., Sayed Hamid, The New Nubia, p. 35) suggest that tribes originating from the original Nubian inhabitants, predating the arrival of immigrant tribes, were called the Nob. Thus, could the term “Nubian” describe individuals from these tribes, while “Nuba” referred to the region? Especially since nob in Nubian means “origin.”

Regardless of speculation, it is reasonable to conclude that the term “Nuba” originated from the region and its people and was not imposed by any outsider or colonizer.

Dr. Mustafa Abdelkader