Ansar (Sudan)The Ansar (Arabic: أنصارsupporter) are a Sufi religious movement in the Sudan whose followers are disciples of Muhammad Ahmad (12 August 1844 – 22 June 1885), a Sudanese religious leader based on Aba Island who proclaimed himself Mahdi on 29 June 1881. His followers won a series of victories against the Egyptians, culminating in the capture of Khartoum in January 1885.
Abdallahi ibn MuhammadAbdullah ibn-Mohammed al-Khalifa or Abdullah al-Taashi or Abdallah al-Khalifa, also known as "The Khalifa" (Arabic: c. عبدالله بن سيد محمد الخليفة; 1846 – 25 November 1899) was a Sudanese Ansar ruler who was one of the principal followers of Muhammad Ahmad. Ahmad claimed to be the Mahdi, building up a large following.
Siege of KhartoumBelligerentsMahdist StateKhedivate of EgyptCommanders and leadersMuhammad AhmadCharles Gordon†Strength 30,000 to 50,000 troops 7,000 troops9 gunboatsCasualties and losses Small Entire force destroyed ~4,000 civilians dead, many others enslavedThe siege of Khartoum (also known as the battle of Khartoum or fall of Khartoum) took place from 13 March 1884 to 26 January 1885.
Turco-Egyptian SudanSince 1955 By regionDarfurKhartoum By topicCoupsCinemaEconomicDemographyLanguagesLiteratureMediaMusicDecorationsPhotographyReligionSlaverySportTelevisionWomenTimelineTurco-Egyptian Sudan (Arabic: السودان التركي المصري), also known as Turkish Sudan or Turkiyya (Arabic: التركية, romanized: at-Turkiyyah), describes the rule of the Eyalet and later Khedivate of Egypt over what is now Sudan and South Sudan.
Mahdist WarBelligerentsBritain • Egypt • India • Canada • New South WalesItaly • EritreaEthiopiaCongo Free StateMahdist StateCommanders and leadersCharles Gordon†William Hicks†Garnet WolseleyHerbert KitchenerReginald WingateFrancis GrenfellHector MacDonaldLeslie RundleCharles ParsonsArchibald HunterHerbert Stewart (DOW)Stanley ColvilleColin KeppelDavid BeattyTewfik PashaMuhammad PashaHassan PashaYohannes IV†Alula Engida (WIA)Tekle HaimanotOreste BaratieriGiuseppe ArimondiLouis-Napoléon ChaltinMuhammad Ahmad#Abdallahi ibn Muhammad†Othman Digna (WIA)Ali Wad Hilu†Muhammad Sharif(POW)Sanin HusainCasualties and losses According to Sir Reginald Wingate, Sudan's population was reduced by more than half during the period of Mahdist rule with estimates varying between 4 and 6 million.
SudanSudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the southeast, and South Sudan to the south. Sudan has a population of 51.8 million people as of 2025 and occupies 1,886,068 square kilometres (728,215 square miles), making it Africa's third-largest country by area.
Mahdist StateThe Mahdist State, also known as Mahdist Sudan or the Sudanese Mahdiyya, was a state based on a religious and political movement launched in 1881 by Muhammad Ahmad (later Muhammad al-Mahdi) against the Khedivate of Egypt, which had ruled Sudan since 1821. After four years of struggle, the Mahdist rebels overthrew the Ottoman-Egyptian administration and established their own "Islamic and national" government with its capital in Omdurman.
MahdiThe Mahdi (Arabic: ٱلْمَهْدِيّ, romanized: al-Mahdī, lit. 'The Guided One') is the Islamic messianic and eschatological figure, who is believed to appear before the End Times to restore justice and defeat tyranny alongside Isa (Jesus). He forms an important part of Islamic eschatology, although Sunni and Shia Muslims differ slightly in their interpretation of him. While the Mahdi is mostly developed in Shia Islam, he is also present in numerous Sunni hadiths.
Central AfricaCentral Africa (French: Afrique centrale; Spanish: África central; Portuguese: África Central) is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions.
Red SeaArm of the Indian Ocean between Asia and Africa This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This article needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources.
TyphusTyphus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms such as fever, headache, and a rash typically begin one to two weeks after exposure. The diseases are caused by specific types of bacterial infection.
ArabicCentral Semitic languageArabic is a Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns language codes to 32 varieties of Arabic, including its standard form of Literary Arabic, known as Modern Standard Arabic, which is derived from Classical Arabic.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.