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The Medjai represents the name Ancient Egyptians gave to a region in northern Sudan–where ancient people of Nubia inhabited. They became part of the Ancient Egyptian military as scouts and minor workers.The first mentioning of the Medjai in the written record dates back to the Old Kingdom, when they were listed among other Nubian peoples by Weni, who was at the time a general serving under Pepi I. During this time the term “Medjai” referred to people from the land of Medja, a district estimated to be located just north of the Second Cataract in Nubia. A decree from Pepi I's reign, which lists different officials (including a chief interpreter of Medja and the surrounding districts), illustrates that Medja was at least to some extent subjugated by the Egyptian government.
During the Middle Kingdom, "Medjai" no longer referred to the district of Medja, but to a tribe or clan of people. It is not known what happened to the district, but, after the First Intermediate Period, it and other districts in Nubia were no longer mentioned in the written record. Written accounts detail the Medjai as nomadic desert people. Over time they were incorporated into the Egyptian army. In the army, the Medjai served as garrison troops in Egyptian fortifications in Nubia and patrolled the deserts as a kind of gendarmerie. This was done in the hopes of preventing their fellow Medjai tribes people from further attacking Egyptian assets in the region. They were even later used during Kamose’s campaign against the Hyksos and became instrumental in making the Egyptian state into a military power.
By the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom period, the Medjai were an elite paramilitary police force. No longer did the term refer to an ethnic group and over time the new meaning became synonymous with the policing occupation in general. Being an elite police force, the Medjai were often used to protect valuable areas, especially royal and religious complexes. Though they are most notable for their protection of the royal palaces and tombs in Thebes and the surrounding areas, the Medjai were known to have been used throughout Upper and Lower Egypt. Each regional unit had its own chiefs and captains. The Medjai were also known to have been used as desert scouts during this time period as well.
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