Wawat

Wawat (Ancient Egyptian: wꜣwꜣt) was the ancient Egyptian name for a region of Lower Nubia, extending roughly from the First Cataract near Elephantine to just north of the Second Cataract (in the area now submerged beneath Lake Nasser).

Like regions farther south, Wawat was inhabited by Kushite peoples archaeologically represented by the C-Group culture (c. 2400–1550 BCE), during the Old and Middle Kingdoms. Egyptian texts often referred to these populations collectively as Neḥesy (“southerners”). Wawat played a significant political and military role in Egyptian history, particularly as a frontier zone during periods of state expansion, diplomacy, and trade into inner Africa.