▁Ful ani ▁arte fact s . ▁ ▁History ▁ ▁Early ▁emp ires ▁Ev idence ▁of ▁human ▁habit ation ▁has ▁been ▁found ▁in ▁the ▁Ch ad ▁bas in ▁and ▁at ▁sites ▁near ▁Mar ou a ▁and ▁M ok olo . ▁The ▁Pale o - S ud an ese ▁pe op les ▁are ▁the ▁earliest ▁known ▁inhabitants ▁of ▁the ▁territory . ▁The ▁arrival ▁of ▁Ne o - S ud an ese ▁groups ▁from ▁the ▁east ▁and ▁west ▁forced ▁the ▁Pale o - S ud an ese ▁into ▁the ▁Mand ara ▁Mountains . ▁The ▁Sh u wa ▁Arab s , ▁descend ants ▁of ▁Ban u ▁Hil al ▁deport ed ▁from ▁the ▁F at im id ▁C ali ph ate ▁in ▁Egypt , ▁arrived ▁from ▁the ▁n ortheast ▁and ▁settled ▁around ▁Lake ▁Ch ad ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 5 th ▁century . ▁ ▁Arch ae ological ▁finds ▁att est ▁to ▁the ▁existence ▁of ▁the ▁Sa o ▁culture ▁in ▁the ▁Log one ▁valley ▁and ▁around ▁Lake ▁Ch ad ▁as ▁early ▁as ▁the ▁ 5 th ▁century . ▁Little ▁is ▁known ▁about ▁the ▁Sa o , ▁except ▁that ▁they ▁were ▁co pper ▁and ▁iron work ers ▁and , ▁legend ▁says , ▁fear some ▁gi ants . ▁Leg ends ▁of ▁later ▁pe op les ▁claimed ▁that ▁the ▁Sa o ▁were ▁descend ants ▁of ▁the ▁Hy ks os ▁who ▁arrived ▁in ▁the ▁area ▁in ▁several ▁waves . ▁Another ▁theory ▁makes ▁them ▁the ▁original ▁inhabitants ▁of ▁the ▁Ch ad ▁bas in , ▁tradition ally ▁an ▁o asis ▁to ▁the ▁north ▁of ▁the