From here, Sudan became linked with Egypt since the dawn of history, and this link was born of natural, economic, and social factors. During the eras of the Middle and New Kingdoms of Egypt, relations between the two halves of the valley became wider and deeper. In the New Kingdom era, the prevalent, benevolent aspects of modern life dominated Nubian society, thanks to the efforts of the Egyptians in this regard.

The Red Sea played its role as a link between Egypt and Sudan, and between the Arabian Peninsula and the African world, or between North and South Africa, irrespective of the canal that connected the Nile to the Gulf of Suez. There were several caravan routes starting from the Thaniyat Qena, where the Nile and the inhabited areas are closest to the sea, in addition to the dry wadis. These wadis contributed to establishing relations with sub-Saharan Africa, similar to how the routes of Sinai established links between the Arabian Peninsula and Egypt.

As for the routes that Sudan followed southward, they did not generally follow the course of the Nile. The common route from north to south aimed for the Nile River south of Aswan, across the Al-Athmur desert to Abu Hamad.

Similarly, communications from the valley passed through Assiut via the oases, heading to southern and western Darfur. The story of the Forty Days' Road from Assiut to Sudan is ancient, and this road remained among the many trade routes that traversed the Western Desert to Sudan and from there to the heart of the African continent.

Hence, Egypt was one of the main routes, indeed the most traversed route to Sudan via the Nile Valley, as an inevitable consequence of the connections linking them. The Nile Valley (Egypt and Sudan) was the point of arrival for successive waves of Arab human migration via the Isthmus of Suez at times, and via Bab el-Mandeb, the Red Sea, and the shores of Africa at other times.