The word defuffa is though to derive from either the Nubian word for a mud-brick building or the Arabic word daffa, meaning “pile.” There are only three deffufa remaining in the world, all of which are located at the former site of the Nubian Kingdom of Kerma, which existed between 2500 and 1500 B.C. The remains of the walled city of Kerma are one of the largest archaeological sites in ancient Nubia. Archaeologists have identified a system of roads and well-differentiated neighborhoods. It is likely that this metropolis was reserved for members…
