The region south of the Fourth Cataract is called Shingiter. It refers to the area located between the southeast of the town of Abu Hamad and the north of the current railway station number six. As for the eastern and western borders, they are not clearly known. It is believed that the town of Abu Hamad, located on the Nile River at its bend towards the west, is approximately in the middle of the Shingiter region.

The name Shingiter originates from Nubian. Shingiter means metal or currency. The word Shingiter is pronounced with a damma on the sheen, sukoon on the noon, and damma on the qaf. The word Shingiter is a diminutive of the aforementioned Nubian word, meaning gold.

This region was the focus of ancient peoples, who worked there to extract gold and other minerals like emeralds. They used to send captives from the north to this region to work in the mines, and the traces of these people still exist today. The desert area between Wadi Halfa and Abu Hamad was known as "Atem Tur," from which the current name Athoor evolved.

It appears that the low groundwater level in this region was the primary reason for abandoning the work due to the difficulties arising from the lack of sufficient water for mining operations. Mining operations were limited due to the scarcity of water. Despite these difficulties, Arab attention, starting from the advent of Islam, turned to mining in this region. Water was the primary factor creating problems between the miners and the Nubians residing on the Nile River, especially in the region of Makuria or Dongola. We find these water-related problems as one of the reasons that led to clashes between the Arabs and the Nubians, as the Muslims engaged in fierce fighting with them because the Nubians refused to allow them passage and to use a Nile source to obtain the water necessary for their mine workers.