Nubia extends from modern Aswan, Egypt, to south of Khartoum, Sudan. For thousands of years this region has served as a corridor of contact linking the Mediterranean, Egypt and central Africa. Attention briefly focused on Nubia at the turn of the 20th century with the construction of the Aswan Dam and its subsequent raising in 1908.

Modern Nubiology was born in the early 1960s with the construction of the High Dam at Aswan. At this time, an international salvage campaign was launched by UNESCO to save the monuments of Lower Nubia being flooded by the construction of the Aswan High Dam and the creation of Lake Nasser. This campaign brought together scholars from over 25 countries from around the world and revealed the richness and cultural diversity of Nubian civilisation.

Founded in 1972 in Warsaw, Poland, The International Society for Nubian Studies provides a focus for those interested in the archaeology and history of Nubia and Sudan, and seeks to promote awareness of the rich cultural heritage of this region.