Khartoum

Khartoum at the Bend of the Nile

Muhammad Ahmad al-Mahdi, religious leader of the Mahdist War

Khartoum in 1888

In 1821, Khartoum was established 24 kilometres (15 mi) north of the ancient city of Soba, by Ibrahim Pasha, the son of Egypt's ruler, Muhammad Ali Pasha, who had just incorporated Sudan into his realm. Originally, Khartoum served as an outpost for the Egyptian Army, but the settlement quickly grew into a regional centre of trade. It also became a focal point for the slave trade.[13] Later, it became the administrative center and official capital of Sudan.

On 13 March 1884, troops loyal to the Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad started a siege of Khartoum, against defenders led by British General Charles George Gordon. The siege ended in a massacre of the Anglo-Egyptian garrison when on 26 January 1885 the heavily damaged city fell to the Mahdists.[14]

On 2 September 1898, Omdurman was the scene of the bloody Battle of Omdurman, during which British forces under Herbert Kitchener defeated the Mahdist forces defending the city.[15]

Satellite view of Khartoum

Khartoum with White and Blue Niles

In 1973, the city was the site of an anomalous hostage crisis in which members of Black September held 10 hostages at the Saudi Arabian embassy, five of them diplomats. The US ambassador, the US deputy ambassador, and the Belgian chargé d'affaires were murdered. The remaining hostages were released. A 1973 United States Department of State document, declassified in 2006, concluded: "The Khartoum operation was planned and carried out with the full knowledge and personal approval of Yasser Arafat."[16]

In 1977, the first oil pipeline between Khartoum and the Port of Sudan was completed.[17]

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Khartoum was the destination for hundreds of thousands refugees fleeing conflicts in neighboring nations such as Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Uganda. Many Eritrean and Ethiopian refugees assimilated into society, while others settled in large slums at the outskirts of the city. Since the mid-1980s, large numbers of refugees from South Sudan and Darfur fleeing the violence of the Second Sudanese Civil War and Darfur conflict have settled around Khartoum.

In 1991, Osama bin Laden purchased a house in the affluent al-Riyadh neighborhood of the city and another in Soba. He lived there until 1996, when he was banished from the country. Following the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings, the United States accused bin Laden's al-Qaeda group and, on 20 August, launched cruise missile attacks on the al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory in Khartoum North. The destruction of the factory produced diplomatic tension between the U.S. and Sudan. The factory ruins are now a tourist attraction.[18]

In November 1991, the government of President Omar al-Bashir sought to remove half the population from the city. The residents, deemed "squatters", were mostly southern Sudanese who the government feared could be potential rebel sympathizers. Around 425,000 people were placed in five "Peace Camps" in the desert an hour's drive from Khartoum. The camps were watched over by heavily armed security guards, many relief agencies were banned from assisting, and "the nearest food was at a market four miles away, a vast journey in the desert heat." Many residents were reduced to having only burlap sacks as housing. The intentional displacement was part of a large urban renewal plan backed by the housing minister, Sharaf Bannaga.[19][20][21]

The sudden death of SPLA head and vice-president of Sudan, John Garang, at the end of July 2005, was followed by three days of violent riots in the capital. The riots finally died down after Southern Sudanese politicians and tribal leaders sent strong messages to the rioters. The situation could have been much more dire; even so, the death toll was at least 24, as youths from southern Sudan attacked northern Sudanese and clashed with security forces.[22]

The Organisation of African Unity summit of 18–22 July 1978 was held in Khartoum, during which Sudan was awarded the OAU presidency.[23] The African Union summit of 16–24 January 2006 was held in Khartoum.[24]

The Arab League summit of 29 August 1967 was held in Khartoum as the fourth Arab League Summit. The Arab League summit of 28–29 March 2006 was held in Khartoum, during which the Arab League awarded Sudan the Arab League presidency.[25]

On 10 May 2008, the Darfur rebel group, Justice and Equality Movement, moved into the city, where they engaged in heavy fighting with Sudanese government forces. Their soldiers included minors, and their goal was to topple Omar al-Bashir's government, though the Sudanese government succeeded in beating back the assault.[26][27][28]

On 23 October 2012, an explosion at the Yarmouk munitions factory killed two people and injured another person. The Sudanese government has claimed that the explosion was the result of an Israeli airstrike.[29]

On 3 June 2019, Khartoum was the site of the Khartoum massacre, where over 100 dissidents were murdered (the government said 61 were killed), hundreds more injured and 70 women raped by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in order to forcefully disperse the peaceful protests calling for civilian government.[30]

On 1 July 2020, activists demanded that al-Zibar Basha street in Khartoum be renamed. Al-Zubayr Rahma Mansur was a slave trader and the al-Zibar Basha street leads to the military base where the 2019 Khartoum massacre took place.[31]

Panorama of Khartoum

Khartoum is located in the middle of the populated areas in Sudan, at almost the northeast center of the country between 15 and 16 degrees latitude north, and between 31 and 32 degrees longitude east.[32] Khartoum marks the convergence of the White Nile and the Blue Nile, where they join to form the bottom of the leaning-S shape of the main Nile (see map, upper right) as it zigzags through northern Sudan into Egypt at Lake Nasser.

Khartoum is relatively flat, at elevation 385 m (1,263 ft),[32] as the Nile flows northeast past Omdurman to Shendi, at elevation 364 m (1,194 ft)[33][34] about 101 miles (163 km) away.

The Souq Al Arabi is Khartoum's largest open air market. The "souq" is spread over several blocks in the center of Khartoum proper just south of the Great Mosque (Mesjid al-Kabir) and the minibus station. It is divided into separate sections, including one focused entirely on gold.[44]

Al Qasr Street and Al Jamhoriyah Street are considered the most famous high streets in Khartoum State.

Afra Mall is located in the southern suburb Arkeweet. The Afra Mall has a supermarket, retail outlets, coffee shops, a bowling alley, movie theaters, and a children's playground.

In 2011, Sudan opened the Hotel Section and part of the food court of the new, Corinthia Hotel Tower. The Mall/Shopping section is still under construction.

Al-Mawahib Schools - Khartoum Bahry

• Khartoum Old High Secondary School for Boys
• Khartoum Old High Secondary School for Girls
• The British Educational Schools (BES)[48]
• Khartoum American School, KAS, established in 1957.
• Khartoum International Community School, KICS, established in 2004.
• Unity High School.[49]
• Suliman Hussein Academy
• Comboni and St. Francis, Khartoum new high secondary school for boys
• Khartoum International preparatory school (KIPS)|Khartoum International preparatory school, established in 1928.
• Qabbas Private International Schools
• Riad English School, established 1987
• Nile Valley School, founded 2012[50]
• Mohamed Hussein High Secondary School for Boys in Omdurman

Khartoum Airport and Africa street, Khartoum, Sudan

Khartoum is home to the largest airport in Sudan, Khartoum International Airport. It is the main hub for Sudan Airways, Sudan's main carrier. The airport was planned for the Southern outskirts of the city; but with Khartoum's rapid growth and consequent urban sprawl, the airport is still located in the heart of the city.

White Nile Bridge, Omdurman to Khartoum, Sudan

Bridges over the Blue Nile connecting Khartoum to Khartoum North:

• Mac Nimir Bridge
• Blue Nile Road & Railway Bridge

Kubri Bridge or "Armed Forces Bridge", Bahri to Khartoum

• Cooper Bridge, also known as The Armed Forces Bridge
• Elmansheya Bridge

Bridges over the White Nile, connecting Khartoum to Omdurman:

• Omdurman Bridge
• Victory Bridge
• Al-Dabbasin Bridge

Bridges connecting Tuti Island:

Tuti suspension bridge, Khartoum Sudan

• Tuti Bridge
• Tuti North Bridge

Khartoum has rail lines from Wadi Halfa, Port Sudan on the Red Sea, and El Obeid. All are operated by Sudan Railways. Some lines also extended to some parts of south Sudan

The largest museum in Sudan is the National Museum of Sudan.[56] Founded in 1971, it contains works from different epochs of Sudanese history. Among the exhibits are two Egyptian temples of Buhen and Semna,[57] originally built by Queen Hatshepsut and Pharaoh Tuthmosis III, respectively, but relocated to Khartoum upon the flooding of Lake Nasser.

The Republican Palace Museum,[58] opened in 2000, is located in the former Anglican All Saints' cathedral[59] on Sharia al-Jama'a, next to the historical Presidential Palace.

The Ethnographic Museum[60] is located on Sharia al-Jama'a, close to the Mac Nimir Bridge.

Khartoum is home to a small botanical garden, in the Mogran district of the city.[61]

Khartoum is home to several clubs such as the Blue Nile Sailing Club,[62] the German Club, the Greek Hotel,[63] the Coptic Club, the Syrian Club and the International Club.[64] There are also two football clubs situated in Khartoum – Al Khartoum SC[65] and Al Ahli Khartoum.[66]