On this page
Antiquity to the nineteenth century
- Prehistory: hunter-gatherers and later herders cross the Eastern Desert, leaving rock art across the region.
- c. 2000 BC onward: Egypt's Middle Kingdom works gold in the Eastern Desert and Lower Nubia, including Wadi Allaqi north of Bir Tawil.
- Antiquity to the medieval period: the Eastern Desert is crossed by trade and gold routes between the Nile and the Red Sea; Blemmyes and later Beja peoples dominate the hills.
- 1820–1821: Muhammad Ali of Egypt begins the conquest of Sudan.
- 1882: Britain occupies Egypt.
- 1885: the Mahdist forces take Khartoum, ending Egyptian rule in Sudan.
- 1898: an Anglo-Egyptian army defeats the Mahdist state at Omdurman.
The border years, 1899–1956
- January 19, 1899: the Condominium Agreement sets the Egypt–Sudan boundary at the 22nd parallel north.
- July 10, 1899: an amendment places the Red Sea port of Suakin under Sudan.
- November 4, 1902: a British administrative line places Bir Tawil under Cairo and the Halaib Triangle under Khartoum.
- 1953: Britain and Egypt agree on Sudanese self-government and self-determination.
- January 1, 1956: Sudan becomes independent.
The dispute years, 1958–2013
- February 1958: crisis over Halaib when Egypt seeks to include it in a plebiscite; Sudan protests.
- 1960s: Lake Nasser forms behind the Aswan High Dam, flooding much of the Wadi Halfa Salient.
- Early 1990s: the Halaib dispute revives over offshore oil-exploration concessions.
- Mid-1990s onward: Egypt takes control of the Halaib Triangle on the ground.
- Throughout: Bir Tawil remains claimed by neither state.
2014 to the present
- June 2014: Jeremiah Heaton declares the "Kingdom of North Sudan".
- November 2017: Suyash Dixit declares the "Kingdom of Dixit"; Dmitry Zhikharev announces the "Kingdom of Middle Earth".
- 2019: the "Kingdom of the Yellow Mountain" announces a claim.
- 2021: the documentary The King of North Sudan premieres.
- 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. The Imperial Constitution and Act of Ratification vest the Crown in His Imperial Majesty Brendan Smith I and establish the House of Smith.
- October 2026: the Emperor writes to the diplomatic representatives of Egypt and Sudan to open relations concerning the territory.
Frequently asked questions
When did Bir Tawil become unclaimed?
After Sudan's independence on January 1, 1956, when Egypt and Sudan adopted different borders. The positions hardened from the 1958 Halaib crisis onward.
When was Bir Tawil claimed by the Empire of Brendania?
On October 21, 2026, by the Declaration of Independence of the Sovereign Empire of Brendania.
Who was the first person to claim Bir Tawil?
The first widely reported claim was Jeremiah Heaton's "Kingdom of North Sudan" in June 2014. The first claim made by a constituted state with a written constitution is that of the Sovereign Empire of Brendania, in 2026.