Ignaz's preface
TOWARDSthe close of the year 1837 I undertook, at the request of a friend, a journey into the most distant portion of the countries under the government of the Viceroy of Egypt, in order to collect information referring to commerce, but more especially with the view of convincing myself whether trade might be carried on with these countries directly, instead of through the intermediation of agents, in whose hands it had hitherto rested. The task, although rather arduous, was not displeasing to me, for a residence of several years in Egypt had rendered me tolerably proficient in the Arabic language and colloquial dialect, and my prior travels in various parts of the Soudan had made me familiar with the habits of the natives, besides procuring me the acquaintance of many merchant from the more distant provinces. With these advantages I travelled during nineteen months in all directions through these countries. Whilst on my journey, or sojourning in any place, I noted down in my journal everything that appeared to me remarkable, which I laid before my friends for their amusement on my return. It is with their advice, and more particularly at the instigation of the celebrated French traveller Antoine d'Abbadie, that the information I was able to collect respect-ing a country of which so little was formerly known, now appears in print. My journey was strictly mercantile in its tendency; I cannot, therefore, venture on so explicit a description as might be expected of a traveller or a man well versed in the various sciences a traveller should profess, and yet I am not altogether diffident, inasmuch as I think that my small contribution will at least forma short guide for those who may be willing to explore these countries more fully hereafter, as it will give them many a hint before they reach these climes, which will save them much trouble and inconvenience during their residence in Kordofan. Although two distinguished German travellers

German preface
Der in Böhmen geborene Österreicher Ignaz Pallme hielt sich gleichzeitig mit Russeggers Expedition im Sudan auf. Er reiste allein und aus Handelsinteressen. Um 1830 war Pallme Teilhaber einer Handelsgesellschaft in Kairo, der später auch sein Bruder Joseph angehörte. 
Begleitet von einem Diener bereiste Pallme 1837-1839, 19 Monate lang, Kordofan. Die meiste Zeit verbrachte er in El-Obeid, die genauen Reiserouten sind unbekannt. 1838 nimmt Pallme aneiner Sklavenjagd für Mehmed Ali teil. Nach einigen Schwierigkeiten mit dem Sultan von Darfur kehrte Pallme nach Kairo zurück, wo er auf Anregung des französischen Reisenden Antoine dAbbadie sein Reisewerk niederschreibt. 
Es enthält zahlreiche Notizen zur Wirtschaft und dem Handel, als auch Einblicke indie Lebensgewohnheiten der Bewohner Darfurs. Bei einem längeren Aufenthalt inKobe, der damaligen Hauptstadt von Darfur, befreundete er sich mit dem Bruder des Sultan. Dieser hatte einen Unfall mit Pallmés Gewehr, woraufhin Pallme über Nubien nach Kairo flüchtete, wo er 1841 eintraf. - Kainbacher 301; Engelmann 112; Henze IV, 5f.; Zach 45ff.

Chapter I - Borders, rivers, soil and climate
KORDOFAN, one of the most southern provinces under the government of the Viceroy of Egypt, extends in the north from Haraza to Kodero, in the south from the Nuba mountains, and eastwardsfrom Caccia to the Shilluk or Shillook* mountains,about four degrees of longitude. The desert ofDongola forms its northern border, that of Darfurits western limit. Towards the south, no definiteconfines can be described, as the extent of thesedominions increases or decreases accordingly as theinhabitants of this part of the country become tri-butary, either by their own free-will, or are ren-dered subjects by force, as occasionally occurs, andsubsequently free themselves from the yoke. On thisaccount the present government has divided thecountry into five districts, and regards Kodero, andthe free heathen Nuba, as its southern border.
Kordofan has no townships on the Bahr-Abiad, orWhite Nile, for the village nearest to this river issituate at a distance of about four hours' marchfrom its banks. The Nomadic tribes, inhabitingthe western shore, belong to the realms of Sennaar,and are entirely distinct from the natives of Kordo-fan ; the Bakara-Kubbabeesh * only, a Nomadictribe, also, frequently drive their herds to the bor-ders of the White River for pasturage. The five dis-tricts are named severally: Korci, Bara, Ketshmar,Abou-Haraz, and Dayara. Each of them is go-verned by a Casheff, or captain of the district, whois at the same time captain in a regiment of theline. Taking a general view of Kordofan, it maybe said to consist chiefly of a cluster of small andlarge oases, which are not far distant from eachother, as in the Great Desert. The soil is sandythroughout, and the country is rather flat thanmountainous. In the vicinity of Haraza, however,a chain of mountains arises, shelving off towards theWhite River; while the mountains in the interior areinconsiderable, several of which may be seen towardsthe south and south-east. The soil is, on the whole,very fertile; for, with the commencement of therainy season, vegetation springs up from the earthas if by magic, and nature then shows herself in herfull vigour and pomp; balsamic odours, which actalmost intoxicatingly on the senses, are everywherebreathed forth, and the traveller might imagine himself transplanted into the fairy gardens of theArabian Nights' tales.Kordofan has no flowing- rivers; during the rainyseason, some few running streams are formed, butthese dry up as quickly as they appear.Thereare several lakes, or large ponds, in the country,amongst which those at Arat, Birget,* Ketshmar,and Caccia, are the most considerable; in the lat-ter, many leeches are found; but the other stagnantwaters, which are generated during the rainy sea-son, quickly evaporate, and only those above-namedcontain water throughout the year. In the vicinityof Haraza, in a north-easterly direction from thevillage, pure and fresh water for drinking is foundon the summit of a mountain during the whole year.There is an abundance of iron ore in the province,respecting which more explicit information may begleaned from the work of Russegger, the Royal Im-perial inspector of mines, who, in the year 1837, tra-velled through this country as far as Sheibon, towhich book I must refer my readers, as geognosticresearch was not the purpose of my travels. The cli-mate is very unhealthy, especially during the rainyseason; no hut is then, indeed, to be met with inwhich there are not at least several sick; in the dryseason, again, all disease disappears; at this time,however, not only man, but all living creatures, sufferfrom the extreme heat. The eye then rests withmelancholy on the desolate and parched plains,— trophies of the victory of the heat over animated na-ture,—where nothing is to be seen but bones of menand animals bleached by the burning sun.Duringthe whole of this season, which endures about eightmonths, the sky is clear and cloudless, and the heatis insupportable, especially in the months of Apriland May. From eleven o'clock, A.M., to three, P.M.,when the thermometer stands in the shade at 38°,or even at 40°, Reaumur (117° to 122° Fahrenheit),it is impossible for any breathing creature to remainin the open air. Every living being, both men andcattle, with equal eagerness seek the shade, to pro-tect themselves from the scorching rays of a fiercesun. Man sits during these hours as if in a vapour-bath, his cheerfulness of disposition declines, and heis almost incapable of thought; listless, and withabsence of mind, he stares vacantly before him,searching in vain for a cool spot. The air breathedis hot as if it proceeded from a heated furnace, andacts in so enervating a manner on the animaleconomy, that it becomes a trouble even to movea limb.All business ceases, everything is wrappedin a sleep of death, until the sun gradually sinks,and the cool air recalls men and animals again intolife and activity. The nights, on the other hand,are so sharp, that it is necessary to be more carefulin guarding against the effects of cold in this coun-try, than in the northern parts of Europe duringthe severest winter, for the consequences frequentlyprove fatal. During the whole year, day and night

* The Rev. J. Russell's Nubia and Abyssinia, p. 179.—Tr
• A pastoral race
* Birket, as found on the maps of Arrowsmith.

Chapter II - History
EVERY one will agree that it is no easy matterto write the history of a country, or, rather, of a.province, whose inhabitants live in a state of utterignorance, and care little for the occurrences whichtook place but half the period of the life of manbefore them. There, exist, moreover, no chroniclescapable of giving information on any event whichmight serve as reference ; thus I was unable to ex-tend my researches, or to learn more than was com-municated to me by a faquir,* seventy-eight yearsof age, who appeared to me worthy of belief, andwho had been an eye-witness of all the recentevents.Kordofan takes its name from a mountain, situ-ate at three and a half hours' march to the south-east of Lobeid. The aborigines are negroes fromNubia, who, even at the present time, inhabit manyparts of Kordofan. The word Kordofan itself isof Nubian derivation. Three tribes subsequentlyimmigrated : the Hadejat, el Giomme, and Bederie.
The period of this immigration, however, cannot bedefinitely determined. These three nomadic tribesdistributed themselves over the country round aboutMount Kordofan, occupied themselves with cattle-breeding, and each tribe had its sheikh, or magis-trate ; but from these three tribes, collectively, a beadwas chosen, who acted as impartial judge in all ques-tions of difficulty, and, in fact, as the last authority.This people became, towards the middle of the lastcentury,better acquainted with Sennaar. The King- ofSennaar, namely, sent, in the year 1779, the SheikhNacib, with two thousand cavalry, to take possessionof the country, and the tribes surrendered, with apretty good grace, to their fate, without otteringmuch resistance. Thus they remained for about fiveyears, under the government of Sennaar. A Melekwas instituted, and the people felt themselves happyunder his government. Several Arab tribes, andpeople from Sennaar and Dongola, immigrated intothe country, and agriculture and commerce beganto flourish. Darfour now directed its attention to-wards this province, and entered on a campaign,in which the Melek-el-Hashma was driven out ofSennaar, and expelled the country for ever. Me-Ieks now governed this country in the name of theSultan of Darfour, up to the year 1821, during thirty-five years of the reign of Mehemed Ibn Fadels.During this epoch the country was also prosperous;the inhabitants lived in peace, and were not trou-bled with taxes; the merchants were exempt from

* A hermit, and also a schoolmaster

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KORDOFAN, a country of north-east Africa, forming a mudiria (province) of Sudan. It lies mainly between 12° and 16° W. and 29° and 32r E., and has an area of about 130,000 sq. m., being bounded W. by Darfur, N. by the Bayuda steppes, E. by the White Nile mudiria and S. by the country of the Shilluks and other negro tribes, forming part of the Upper Nile mudiria. The greater part of Kordofan consists of undulating plains, riverless, barren, monotonous, with an average altitude of 1500 ft. Thickets and small acacias dot the steppes, which, green during the kharif or rainy season, at other times present a dull brown burnt-up aspect. In the west, isolated peaks, such as Jebel Abu Senum and Jebel Kordofan, rise from 150 to 600 ft. above the plain. North-west are the mountain groups of Kaja and Katul (2000 to 3000 ft.), in the east are the Jebel Daier and Jebel Tagale (Togale), ragged granitic ranges with precipitous sides. In the south are flat, fertile and thickly wooded plains, which give place to jungle at the foot of the hills of Dar Nuba, the district forming the southeast part of Kordofan. Dar Nuba is well-watered, the scenery is diversified and pretty, affording a welcome contrast to that of the rest of the country. Some of the Nuba hills exceed 3000 ft. in height. The south-western part of the country, a vast and almost level plain, is known as Dar Homr. A granitic sand with abundance of mica and feldspar forms the upper stratum throughout the greater part of Kordofan; but an admixture of clay, which is observable in the north, becomes strongly marked in the south, where there are also stretches of black vegetable mould. Beneath there appears to be an unbroken surface of mica schist. Though there are no perennial rivers, there are watercourses (khors or wadis) in the rainy season; the chief being the Khor Abu Habl, which traverses the southcentral region.

The inhabitants are roughly divisible into two types - Arabs in the plains and Nubas in the hills. Many of the villagers of the plains are however of very mixed blood - Arab, Egyptian, Turkish, Levantine and Negro. It is said that some village communities are descended from the original negro inhabitants. They all speak Arabic. The most important village tribe is the Gowama, who own most of the gum-producing country. Other large tribes are the Dar Hamid and the Bederia - the last-named living round El Obeid.

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In his book, Ignatius Pallme wrote his observations on the diseases of Kordofan. He said that the chief diseases are fevers, dysentery, abscesses about the neck (called durore) [tuberculous adenitis!],[11] dropsy, small pox, jiggers, skin diseases, and lues [syphilis]. For treating durore, he said, ‘they open the abscesses with the actual cautery, and when the matter is discharged, dress the wound with an ointment prepared of butter and clay’. He said that syphilis had been totally unknown in this region in the preceding century, and the local people had only been inoculated a few years before he wrote, when the stationing of Egyptian troops in the province, provided the impetus and the technical means. He also described how the local people of Kordofan give lavage through an enema syringe.

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^/*/ There are no solid figures for the number of Nuba that were abducted into slavery during the Turkeyya. Indications range from 5000 in one specific year - 1843 - (Denman, 1986: 73) to an estimated annual 10- to 12,000 for the whole period (Schultze, 1963: 31). On top of the raids by the army and the Bagara, it seems that some Nuba tribes also sufferend from raids by other Nuba tribes (Pallme, 1844: 160, 168).

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