ɪnhˈæbɪɾɪŋ ðə nˈɔːɹθ ʌv suːdˈæn ænd sˈaʊθ ʌv ˈiːdʒɪpt æɾə tˈaɪm wɛn ɪslˈɑːm wʌz ɛkspˈændɪŋ sˈaʊθ ˌʌp ðə nˈaɪl, ðə mˈɑːhəz ʌv ðɪs ɡɹˈuːp wɜːɹ ˈæɹɐbˌɪzd ɹˈɛlətˌɪvli ˈɜːli.
Inhabiting the north of Sudan and south of Egypt at a time when Islam was expanding south up the Nile, the Mahas of this group were Arabized relatively early.