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- Mahdī over the British in 1885. It grew rapidly after al-Mahdī and his successor, Abd Allāh , 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 ʽAbd Allāh's house (now a museum) and the tomb of al-Mahdī.
The tomb of al-Mahdi in Omdurman, The Sudan.
Charles Beery
Shostal/EB Inc.