Awlad Hassan is an ethnic group of Sudan. It is an

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

-speaking minority. The number of persons in this group exceeds 50,000. Most members of this group are

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

. As described in the book "The Arab Conquest of the Western Sahara", for centuries after the first Arabs passed through

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

, the presence of Arabic culture in the

Western Sahara Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the ...

was limited to scholars and mystics. Then, in the Middle Ages, came a small band of Yemeni

tradesmen A tradesman, tradeswoman, or tradesperson is a skilled worker that specializes in a particular trade (occupation or field of work). Tradesmen usually have work experience, on-the-job training, and often formal vocational education in contrast ...

who came to dominate the desert trade routes. Their descendants, the Awlad Hassan, imposed themselves on the native Berbers, introducing a new society, language and religion.

References

Ethnic groups in Sudan {{Sudan-ethno-group-stub