Taqali

Taqali (also spelled Tegali) was a state of Nuba peoples that existed in the Nuba Mountains, in modern-day central Sudan. It is believed to have been founded in the eighteenth century, though oral traditions suggest it was established two centuries earlier. Due in part to its geographic position on a plateau surrounded by desert, Taqali was able to maintain its independence for some 130 years despite the presence of hostile neighbors. It was conquered by Sudanese Mahdists in 1884 and restored as a British client state in 1889. Its administrative power ended with the 1969 Sudanese coup, though the Makk of Taqali, its traditional leader, retains ceremonial power in the region.