Egypt’s ‘Nubian Code’ soldier during 6th of October War dies aged 84

CAIRO - 21 September 2021: War hero Ahmed Edris, who came up with the idea of making the language of communication among forces during the 6th of October 1973 War the Nubian one, passed away Tuesday aged 84.

The idea was a turning point given it is only spoken with no alphabetics; hence, there was no way the Israeli enemy would be able to decipher it. Edris’ idea capitalized on the fact that there were many Nubian conscripts, who could code and interpret communications.

The hero belongs to Thomas and Afia village located in Aswan governorate, and was honored by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi on the 44th anniversary of the victory in 2017. 

The death of Edris coincided with the passing of Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawy, who also originated from Aswan and fought in the same war.