Shaigiya

Also known as: Shaiqiya; Shawayga

Language family: Arabic

An Arabic-speaking riverine people of likely Nubian origin, the Shaigiya were subjects of the Funj Sultanate before breaking away around 1690 to rule their own territory along the Nile. Renowned as cavalry, they expanded their lands after helping suppress a Ja'alin revolt in 1822, and later fought Mahdist forces during the reconquest of Sudan in the 1890s. The Shaigiya are counted among the three major Nile Arab tribes of northern Sudan, alongside the Ja'alin and Danagla, and historically hosted Islamic schools that drew students from across the country.