My memories of El-Geneina the Seat of the Dar Masalit Sultanate in the Darfur Province

My memories of El-Geneina the Seat of the Dar Masalit Sultanate in the Darfur Province

By Mahmoud A. Suleiman

El-Geneina the Seat of the Sultanate of Dar Masalit

El Geneina, the capital of the Sultanate of Dar Masalit located on the banks of the great Valley (Wadi) Kaja. Moreover, this may have arisen after the Sultanate moved its capital from the ancient capital city of historical Dergail. Dergail was the first capital of the Sultanate of Dar Masalit (1870 -1920 AD). The Masalit have a unique administrative system linking the tribe with a strong bond that does not neglect any individual in the tribe. The administrative hierarchy is pyramid shaped. It begins at the top by the Sultan, who represents Summit. After the Sultan come in a descending order the Firshas- plural of Firsha-, Umdas, Damalij (singular Dimlij), Sheikhs, Khalifas (singular Khalifa) and Warang. This administrative system empowered the members of the tribe as one part of a heart, one powerful hand, and a cohesive group for collective responsibility. The distance between the country’s capital Khartoum and the city (El Geneina), capital of Dar Masalit is about 1200 km (745.7 miles). El-Geneina City is about 350 kilometres from El-Fasher and only 27 kilometres from the Chadian borders. It is located 800 metres above sea level.