The Sudan is a hard land. Its geography leaves relatively few choices…
-Kingdoms of the Sudan, O’Fahey and Spalding
Along the Nile there is water and soil. There is gold in the Red Sea Hills. In Kordofan there are grasslands and gum trees. Depending on the winter rain, the land there is more or less hard. Sa’b, Difficult, KhairAllah might say. Al-Mayya Sa’ba, Al-Qush Sa’b, Al-Ābār Sa’ba. Water, Grazing, Wells. Difficult. Hard.