Khartoum
Khartoum
الخرطوم | |
---|---|
UTC+2 (CAT ) |
Khartoum or Khartum (. With a population of 6,344,348, Khartoum's metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan.
Khartoum is located at the confluence of the White Nile – flowing north from Lake Victoria – and the Blue Nile, flowing west from Lake Tana in Ethiopia. Divided by these two parts of the Nile, the Khartoum metropolitan area is a tripartite metropolis consisting of Khartoum proper, and linked by bridges to Khartoum North (الخرطوم بحري al-Kharṭūm Baḥrī) and Omdurman (أم درمان Umm Durmān) to the west. The place where the two Niles meet is known as al-Mogran or al-Muqran (المقرن; English: "The Confluence").
Khartoum was founded in 1821, north of the ancient city of Soba. In 1882 the British Empire took control of the Egyptian government, leaving the administration of Sudan in the hands of the Egyptians. At the outbreak of the Mahdist War, the British attempted to evacuate Anglo-Egyptian garrisons from Sudan but the Siege of Khartoum in 1884 resulted in the capture of the city by Mahdist forces and a massacre of the defending Anglo-Egyptian garrison. In 1898 it was reoccupied by British forces, and was the seat of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan's government until 1956.[7]
In 1956, the city was designated as the capital of an independent Sudan. Three hostages were killed during the attack on the Saudi Embassy in Khartoum in 1973.
In 2008, the
Khartoum is an economic and trade center in North Africa, with rail lines from Port Sudan and El-Obeid. It is served by Khartoum International Airport with the New Khartoum International Airport under construction. Several national and cultural institutions are in Khartoum and its metropolitan area, including the National Museum of Sudan, the Khalifa House Museum, the University of Khartoum, and the Sudan University of Science and Technology.
Etymology
The origin of the word Khartoum is uncertain. One folk etymology is that it is derived from Arabic khurṭūm (خرطوم 'trunk' or 'hose'), probably referring to the narrow strip of land extending between the Blue and White Niles.[9] Scholars posit that the name derives from the Dinka words khar-tuom (Dinka-Bor dialect) or khier-tuom (as is the pronunciation in various Dinka dialects), translating to "place where rivers meet". This is supported by historical accounts which place the Dinka homeland in central Sudan (around present-day Khartoum) as recently as the 13th-17th centuries A.D.[10]
Captain
History
19th century
In 1821, Khartoum was established 24 km (15 mi) north of the ancient city of Soba, by Ismail Kamil Pasha, the third 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 center of trade. It also became a focal point for the slave trade.[15] Later, it became the administrative center and official capital of Sudan.
On 13 March 1884, troops loyal to the Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad started the siege of Khartoum, against occupying British led by 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.[16]
On 2 September 1898, neighbouring Omdurman was the scene of the bloody Battle of Omdurman, during which British forces under Herbert Kitchener defeated the Mahdist forces defending the city.[17]
20th century
The fourth Arab League summit was held in Khartoum on 29 August 1967.
In 1973, the city was the site of a 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."[18]
In 1977, the first oil pipeline between Khartoum and Port Sudan was completed.[19]
The Organisation of African Unity summit of 18–22 July 1978 was held in Khartoum, during which Sudan was awarded the OAU presidency.[20]
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Khartoum was the destination of hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing conflicts in neighboring nations such as
In 1991,
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 whom 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.[22][23][24]
21st century
The sudden death of
The African Union summit of 16–24 January 2006 was held in Khartoum;[26] as was the Arab League summit of 28–29 March 2006, during which they elected Sudan the Arab League presidency.[27]
On 10 May 2008, the Darfur rebel group Justice and Equality Movement attacked the city with the goal of toppling Omar al-Bashir's government. The Sudanese government held off the assault.[28][29][30]
On 23 October 2012, an
On 3 June 2019, Khartoum was the site of the
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.[33]
On 26 October 2021, the city was locked down following a military coup that left at least 7 dead, triggering protests and calls for a general strike. Prime minister Abdalla Hamdok was arrested during the coup, and held along with other cabinet members in an unknown location.[34]
On 15 April 2023, fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF broke out across Sudan,
Geography
Location
Khartoum is located at the confluence of the Blue Nile and the White Nile.[35]
Khartoum is relatively flat, at elevation 385 m (1,263 ft),[36] as the Nile flows northeast past Omdurman to Shendi, at elevation 364 m (1,194 ft)[37] about 163 km (101 mi) away.
Climate
Khartoum features a
The very irregular, very brief, rainy season lasts about 1 month as the maximum rainfall is recorded in August, with about 48 mm (1.9 in). The rainy season is characterized by a seasonal reverse of wind regimes, when the Intertropical Convergence Zone goes northerly. Average annual rainfall is very low, with only 121.3 mm (4.78 in) of precipitation. Khartoum records on average six days with 10 mm (0.39 in) or more and 19 days with 1 mm (0.039 in) or more of rainfall. The highest temperatures occur during two periods in the year: the first at the late dry season, when average high temperatures consistently exceed 40 °C (104 °F) from April to June, and the second at the early dry season, when average high temperatures exceed 39 °C (102 °F) in September and October. Temperatures cool off somewhat during the night, with Khartoum's lowest average low temperature of the year, in January, just above 15 °C (59 °F). Khartoum is one of the hottest major cities on Earth, with annual mean temperatures hovering around 30 °C (86 °F). The city also has very warm winters. In no month does the average monthly high temperature fall below 30 °C (86 °F). This is something not seen in other major cities with hot desert climates, such as Riyadh, Baghdad and Phoenix.[38]
Climate data for Khartoum (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 42.7 (108.9) |
42.5 (108.5) |
45.6 (114.1) |
46.5 (115.7) |
47.5 (117.5) |
46.5 (115.7) |
44.7 (112.5) |
44.0 (111.2) |
45.3 (113.5) |
43.5 (110.3) |
41.5 (106.7) |
39.5 (103.1) |
47.5 (117.5) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.0 (87.8) |
33.7 (92.7) |
37.0 (98.6) |
40.6 (105.1) |
42.1 (107.8) |
41.5 (106.7) |
38.8 (101.8) |
36.9 (98.4) |
38.9 (102.0) |
39.5 (103.1) |
35.6 (96.1) |
32.1 (89.8) |
37.3 (99.1) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 23.6 (74.5) |
25.9 (78.6) |
29.1 (84.4) |
32.8 (91.0) |
35.0 (95.0) |
34.9 (94.8) |
32.7 (90.9) |
31.1 (88.0) |
32.7 (90.9) |
32.9 (91.2) |
28.8 (83.8) |
25.0 (77.0) |
30.4 (86.7) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 16.1 (61.0) |
18.0 (64.4) |
21.1 (70.0) |
24.9 (76.8) |
27.9 (82.2) |
28.2 (82.8) |
26.7 (80.1) |
25.4 (77.7) |
26.5 (79.7) |
26.4 (79.5) |
22.0 (71.6) |
18.0 (64.4) |
23.4 (74.1) |
Record low °C (°F) | 7.5 (45.5) |
8.4 (47.1) |
12.5 (54.5) |
16.0 (60.8) |
18.5 (65.3) |
20.2 (68.4) |
17.8 (64.0) |
18.0 (64.4) |
17.7 (63.9) |
17.5 (63.5) |
14.5 (58.1) |
10.4 (50.7) |
7.5 (45.5) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.4 (0.02) |
4.7 (0.19) |
3.4 (0.13) |
24.9 (0.98) |
53.1 (2.09) |
24.5 (0.96) |
9.1 (0.36) |
0.3 (0.01) |
0.0 (0.0) |
120.4 (4.74) |
Average precipitation days | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 2.8 | 4.8 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 12.4 |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
26 | 21 | 16 | 14 | 19 | 26 | 42 | 53 | 44 | 30 | 25 | 29 | 29 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 316.2 | 296.6 | 316.2 | 318.0 | 310.0 | 279.0 | 269.7 | 272.8 | 273.0 | 306.9 | 303.0 | 319.3 | 3,580.7 |
Mean daily sunshine hours | 9.8 | 9.8 | 9.7 | 9.8 | 8.9 | 8.2 | 7.3 | 7.4 | 8.3 | 9.5 | 10.0 | 9.9 | 9.1 |
Source 1: | |||||||||||||
Source 2: Deutscher Wetterdienst (sun, 1961–1990)[41] |
Demographics
Year | Population | |
---|---|---|
City | Metropolitan area | |
1859[42] | 30,000 | n.a. |
1907[43] | 69,349 | n.a. |
1956 | 93,100 | 245,800 |
1973 | 333,906 | 748,300 |
1983 | 476,218 | 1,340,646 |
1993 | 947,483 | 2,919,773 |
2008 Census Preliminary | 3,639,598 | 5,274,321 |
Almost 250,000 Syrians lived in Khartoum as of 2019, representing 5% of the total population of the city. Most are young men who have fled war in Syria. Sudan was the only country in the world to accept travelers carrying a Syrian passport who lacked a visa.[44]
Economy
After the signing of the historic Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLA), the Government of Sudan began a massive development project.[45][46] In 2007, the biggest projects in Khartoum were the Al-Mogran Development Project, two five-star hotels, a new airport, El Mek Nimr Bridge (finished in October 2007) and the Tuti Bridge that links Khartoum to Tuti Island.
In the 21st century, Khartoum developed based on Sudan's oil wealth (although the independence of
Among the city's industries are printing, glass manufacturing, food processing, and textiles. Petroleum products are now produced in the far north of Khartoum state, providing fuel and jobs for the city. One of Sudan's largest refineries is located in northern Khartoum.[47]
Retailing
The
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 of 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.
Education
Khartoum is the main location for most of Sudan's top educational bodies. There are four main levels of education:
- Kindergarten and day-care. It begins in the age of 3–4, consists of 1-2 grades, (depending on the parents).
- Elementary school. The first grade pupils enter at the age of 6–7. It consists of 8 grades, after which, at 13–14 years old, students are ready to take the certificate exams and enter high school.
- Upper second school and high school. In these three the school methods add some main academic subjects such as chemistry, biology, physics, and geography. There are three grades in this level. The students' ages are about 14–15 to 17–18.
- Higher education. There are several universities and colleges in Khartoum, including the University of Khartoum and Sudan University of Science and Technology.[citation needed]
Transportation
Khartoum is home to the largest airport in Sudan, Khartoum International Airport. It is the main hub for Sudan Airways, Sudan's main carrier. A new 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.
Khartoum's transportation is limited to the vehicular road system, with buses and personal vehicles comprising the main types of vehicles. As with many cities in the continent, parts of Khartoum are connected through privately owned buses.[49][50]
Khartoum has a number of bridges across both tributaries of the Nile. The
Khartoum has rail lines from
Architecture
The architecture of Khartoum reflects the city's history since the early 1820s and is marked by both native Sudanese, Turkish, British and modern buildings. In general, the architecture of Sudan reflects a wide diversity in its shapes, materials, and use.
Since independence, the people of Sudan have introduced new infrastructure and technology, which has led to new and innovative building concepts, ideas and construction techniques.[51]
Culture
Museums
The largest museum in Sudan is the
The
The Ethnographic Museum[56] is located on Sharia al-Jama'a, close to the Mac Nimir Bridge.
Botanical gardens
Khartoum is home to one of the oldest botanical gardens in Africa, National Botanical Garden in the Mogran district of the city.[57]
Clubs
Khartoum is home to several clubs including the
Places of worship
The
In popular culture
Literature
Khartoum's unique history and cultural significance have inspired literary works that explore its past, present, and future. For example, in "Reading Khartoum," the city is depicted as a space shaped by movement, political instability, and socio-cultural changes, resulting in underlying layers of meanings and ambiguity. Arabic-written poetry also offers a personalized glimpse of the city, reflecting its distinct cultural appearance and setting it apart from other Arab and African cities.[65]
Movies
- Song of Khartoum (1955)
- Khartoum (film) (1966)
- Khartoum Offside (2019)
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Bibliography
External links
- Kidnapped, tortured and thrown in jail: my 70 days in Sudan The Guardian, 2017
- Werner, Louis (April 2018). "Khartoum: A Tale of Two Rivers". AramcoWorld.