Omdurman

Omdurman (ŏmdərmän`), Arab. Umm Durman, city (1993 pop. 1,271,403), central Sudan, on the White Nile opposite Khartoum. It is the largest city and chief commercial center of Sudan and part of a tricity metropolitan area (with Khartoum and Khartoum North) that forms the country's industrial and cultural heart. Industries include leather tanning and furniture and pottery making. In 1884 the Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad made his military headquarters at the village of Omdurman. After the Mahdist forces destroyed Khartoum (1885), the Mahdi's successor, Khalifa Addallah, made Omdurman his capital, and the city grew rapidly as the site of the Mahdi's tomb. The battle of Karari, which took place (1898) near Omdurman, marked the defeat of the Mahdist state in Sudan by the Anglo-Egyptian army of Lord Kitchener. Although most of the city was destroyed after the battle, the Mahdi's tomb has been restored and embellished. The Khalifa's former residence is now a museum.

Bibliography

See P. Ziegler, Omdurman (1974).

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Omdurman

The tomb of al-Mahdi in Omdurman, The Sudan.

(credit: Charles Beery/Shostal Associates)

City (pop., 1993 est.: 1,267,000), east-central Sudan. It is situated on the left bank of the Nile River just below the confluence of the Blue and White Niles. It was an insignificant village until the victory of al-Mahdi over the British in 1885. It grew rapidly after al-Mahdi and his successor, 'Abd Allah, made it their capital. It was captured by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1898 but continued to develop into the cultural, religious, and commercial centre of The Sudan. Sites of interest include 'Abd Allah's house (now a museum) and the tomb of al-Mahdi.

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Omdurman

a city in the central Sudan, on the White Nile, opposite Khartoum: the largest town in the Sudan; scene of the Battle of Omdurman (1898), in which the Mahdi's successor was defeated by Lord Kitchener's forces. Pop.: 1 267 077 (1993)

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Omdurman 

(Umm Durman), a city in the Sudan on the left bank of the White Nile River, at its confluence with the Blue Nile. Population, 258,500 (1971). Together with the cities of Khartoum and Khartoum North (on the right bank of the river), Omdurman forms a single metropolis, known as the Three Towns. The city is a transportation junction. It has textile, leather, and food-processing industries, as well as artisans’ shops. It is a center of trade for livestock, hides, fabrics, and gum arabic.