Shaigiya tribe

The Shaigiya (also rendered Shaiqiya, Shawayga or Shaykia; Arabic: الشايقيّة) are a Sudanese Arab tribe in northern Sudan. They inhabit the region of Dar al-Shaigiya, which stretches along the banks of the Nile River from Korti to the now flooded 4th Nile cataract as well as parts of the Bayuda desert. Their tribal capital is Merowe (not to be confused with the archaeological site of Meroe). The Shaigiya are one of the most prominent Sudanese Arab tribes and have played a major rule in Sudanese politics since its independence in 1956. Modern researchers regard the Shaigiya to be Arabized Nubians. While speaking Arabic today it was reported by various 19th-century sources that the Shaigiya were bilingual in Arabic and Nubian.