The Nubian Desert (Arabic: صحراء النوبة Şaḩrā’ an Nūbah) is in the eastern region of the Sahara Desert, spanning approximately 400,000 km2 of northeastern Sudan and northern Eritrea, between the Nile and the Red Sea.
The arid region is rugged and rocky and contains some dunes, and many wadis that die out before reaching the Nile.
The average annual rainfall in the Nubian Desert is less than 5 inches (130 mm).
The Nubian Desert affected the civilization of ancient Egypt in many ways.
Other important cities of the Nubian Desert are Atbara on the river of the same name and Massawa on the Red Sea.