OMDUR!
Omdurman is the old twin town of Khartoum and Khartoum North. It is Known as the National Capital, because the Mahdi has chosen it as his capital. Many has been said about the meaning of the word Omdurman . Ãã ÏÑãÇä In Arabic "Um dar Al Aman" meaning the dwelling of Peace or safety. According to writer, H. C. Jackson, the origin of the word ‘Omdurman’ is not known for certain. Some say it was called after two small hills (durman) in the neighborhood, and the village was known as the “mother of the two small hills”. Others prefer the story that the place was named after the mother of a man called ‘Durman’, who came from the west many years ago. He is reputed to have made a fortune, and his mother, an enterprising woman, is said to have started a ferry service between Omdurman, the island of Tutti, the settlements of Halfaya and what was later known as Khartoum. Visitors to these places when asked how they had crossed the river and would reply that they had been brought by “UmmDurman” (the mother of Durman)

Omdurman is also a very pleasant town. Rather different from Khartoum, the town has a classical and traditional sphere of social life. If you would like to taste the original traditional Sudanese style of life and live the real Sudanese culture, then you should cross the White Nile towards Omdurman. Crossing the river you will witness the modern sights of the town where official buildings such as the Parliament Building ( built by the Romanian in the 70s), the Town Hall, the National Radio and Television Stations are located. The famous Al-Nilein mosque with its ultra-modern minarets rise prominently in the entrance air space of Omdurman. Not far from there, you see the Mahdi Tomb, the historical museum of the Khalifa House.

Omdurman is also known by its Dervishes. These Sufi groups or Islamic mystics gather to praise Allah in feverish prayer and dance. They live in a very simple life using rough clothes and rags but most colorful. They praise Allah using drums and spiritual songs in a very mystic atmosphere. You can hear their voices calling repeatedly: Allah..Allah.. Allah! You can see them in the mid of a circle moving trilling and dancing in a style of a just- let- the- body- go. They dance, dance and dance until midnight. You can see them in the suburb of Khartoum also in places like Ailafoon or Um Dawan Ban. Always round a tomb or mausoleum of a holy-man a “walli”. Yet the Hamad El-Nil Tomb dervishes are the most vivid and famous.

Sheikh Hamad El Nil, was a Muslim propagator who was active in Medieval Sudan. Followers of Quadriya Sufi sect gather every Friday afternoon around his Tomb for recital called Zikr, which usually attracts large crowds of local people and tourists. The word dervish is a Persian term meaning poor. Ancient Arab knowledge seekers and Koran scholars used the term. More often it is used to describe active Sufis. During the Mahdiya State in the Sudan, the Dervishes or Drawiesh as they are called in Arabic formed a pillar of the military apparatus.




Muhamed Ahmed Al-Mahdi, the Founder of the Mahdist State with its capital at Omdurman



The Mahdi tomb being bombed by Lord Kitchener, following the fall of Omdurman in 1898



The Mahdi tomb today at the White Nile Blouvard, Omdurman



The first and oldest vehicle in the Sudan, The Khalifa House Museum, Omdurman


A Sufi spiritual dance in Hamad el-Nil, Omdurman



El-Nieleen Mosque at the entrance of Omdurman



The National Assembly Building, Omdurman

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