Whether it was before Islam, during the Islamic expansion, or in more recent Arab migrations – in the later Islamic eras – the Arabization of Sudan was primarily achieved through Egypt. This is because the main gateway for Arab migration during those intensive movements was the Nile Valley.

This is because it is historically established that the arrival of these tribes in Sudan occurred via Egypt. Then, their success in settling in those new, vast, and fertile Sudanese lands helped attract other Arab groups who came directly via the Red Sea. However, these latter groups, who arrived via the eastern coast of the Red Sea, were not as numerous or dense as depicted in those narratives that consider the Red Sea a primary passage for Arab migrations to Sudan.

This is because using land routes was much easier than sea crossings, especially since sea travel in those eras involved many difficulties, as transportation was more challenging. This is because the Arab, in his migratory movement, moved with his tribe, carrying his family, belongings, and sheep. This was not feasible for a direct crossing from the eastern Red Sea coast to the western coast, where the region of Sudan is located.

Crossing via Bab al-Mandab might be more acceptable and objective for movement and expansion into the lands of Sudan than the idea of the Red Sea. However, this does not mean that the Red Sea did not play a role in migration to Sudan, but its role was not primary or fundamental in the Arab expansion and Arabization in Sudan.

Similarly, the Muslims who crossed the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt for the first time formed the basic material or the essential backbone that