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Before the borders
For centuries the Eastern Desert between the Nile and the Red Sea was crossed by nomadic and semi-nomadic peoples, among them the Ababda and the Bishari, who moved herds between seasonal pastures and wells. Political authority in the region was loose, and no fixed line separated Egypt from the lands to the south.
In the nineteenth century, Egypt under Muhammad Ali and his successors extended its rule south into Sudan. The Mahdist uprising of the 1880s ended Egyptian control there, until an Anglo-Egyptian force reconquered Sudan in 1896–1898.
1899: the 22nd parallel
On January 19, 1899, Britain and Egypt signed the agreement creating the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium, under which the two states jointly governed Sudan, with Britain dominant in practice. The agreement defined Sudan as the territory south of the 22nd parallel north. An amendment of July 10, 1899 placed the Red Sea port of Suakin under Sudan.
The 22nd parallel was a convenient line on a map. It cut across grazing lands, wells, and the routes of communities who had never known such a boundary.
1902: the administrative line
On November 4, 1902, the British adjusted the arrangement for administrative purposes. The new line followed the land use of local communities more closely.
Bir Tawil, south of the parallel, was used as grazing land by the Ababda, who were associated with Aswan, so it was placed under the administration of Cairo. The Halaib Triangle, north of the parallel on the coast, was used by Beja communities associated with Sudan, so it was placed under the administration of Khartoum.
Under the Condominium, both areas were ultimately governed within the same British-dominated system, and the difference between the two lines had little practical effect.
1956 to the present: two states, two lines
Sudanese independence turned an administrative detail into an international dispute.
- January 1, 1956: Sudan becomes independent. The question of which line forms the international border is left unresolved.
- 1958: Egypt moves to include Halaib in a plebiscite and sends officials to the area; Sudan protests. The crisis subsides without a settlement.
- Early 1990s: the dispute resurfaces over offshore oil-exploration concessions.
- Mid-1990s onward: Egypt takes control of the Halaib Triangle on the ground and administers it thereafter. Sudan maintains its claim.
- 2014 onward: private individuals begin announcing claims to Bir Tawil, beginning with Jeremiah Heaton's "Kingdom of North Sudan".
- April 15, 2023: war breaks out in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.
- October 21, 2026: the Sovereign Empire of Brendania is proclaimed by Declaration of Independence, claiming Bir Tawil as its sovereign territory, with Brendan Smith I as its Emperor.
Why the history matters
Bir Tawil is unclaimed because of choices made more than a century ago by an imperial administration, and because of the incentives those choices created for two later states. It is not unclaimed because it is worthless or undiscovered.
The Empire of Brendania's account of the territory starts from that history. Its founding instruments do not claim authority derived from any Egyptian or Sudanese law, and its foreign policy commits it to peaceful engagement with both states.
Frequently asked questions
When was the Bir Tawil border drawn?
The 22nd-parallel border was set by the Anglo-Egyptian agreement of January 19, 1899. The administrative boundary that placed Bir Tawil under Egyptian administration was drawn on November 4, 1902.
Who drew the Bir Tawil border?
Both lines were drawn under British rule during the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium over Sudan.
When did Bir Tawil become unclaimed?
Effectively after Sudan's independence in 1956, when Egypt and Sudan adopted different boundaries. The positions hardened in the dispute over Halaib from 1958 onward.
Who claimed Bir Tawil most recently?
The Sovereign Empire of Brendania, proclaimed on October 21, 2026, under His Imperial Majesty Brendan Smith I.