📰 Khartoum · page 2

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.79 The Sudanese government held off the assault.[39][40][41]80

On 23 October 2012, an explosion at the Yarmouk munitions factory killed two people and injured another person.81 The Sudanese government claimed that the explosion was the result of an Israeli airstrike.[42]82

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) soldiers in order to forcefully disperse the peaceful protests calling for a civilian government.[43]83

On 1 July 2020, activists demanded that al-Zibar Basha street in Khartoum be renamed.84 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.[44]85

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.86 Prime minister Abdalla Hamdok was arrested during the coup, and held along with other cabinet members in an unknown location.[45]87

On 15 April 2023, fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF broke out across Sudan, including in Khartoum.88 Fighting was reported at the presidential palace, the RSF's headquarters, Khartoum International Airport and Merowe Airport, which the RSF claimed to have captured.89 The Sudanese Armed Forces regained full control of Khartoum on 26 March 2025.[46]90

Geography

Location

Khartoum is located at the confluence of the Blue Nile and the White Nile.[47]91

Khartoum is relatively flat, at elevation 385 m,[48] as the Nile flows northeast past Omdurman to Shendi, at elevation 364 m[49] about 163 km away.92

Climate

Khartoum features a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh) with a dry season occurring during winter, typical of the Saharo-Sahelian zone, which marks the progressive passage between the Sahara Desert's vast arid areas and the Sahel's vast semi-arid areas.93 The climate is extremely dry for most of the year, with about eight months when average rainfall is lower than 5 mm.94 The very long dry season is itself divided into a warm, very dry season between November and February, as well as a very hot, dry season between March and May.95 During this part of the year, hot, dry continental trade winds from deserts, such as the harmattan, sweep over the region; the weather is stable and very dry.96

The very irregular, very brief, rainy season lasts about 1 month as the maximum rainfall is recorded in August, with about 48 mm.97 The rainy season is characterized by a seasonal reverse of wind regimes, when the Intertropical Convergence Zone goes northerly.98 Average annual rainfall is very low, with only 121.3 mm of precipitation.99 Khartoum records on average six days with 10 mm or more and 19 days with 1 mm or more of rainfall.100 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 from April to June, and the second at the early dry season, when average high temperatures exceed 39 C in September and October.101 Temperatures cool off somewhat during the night, with Khartoum's lowest average low temperature of the year, in January, just above 15 C. Khartoum is one of the hottest major cities on Earth, with annual mean temperatures hovering around 30 C. The city also has very warm winters.102 In no month does the average monthly high temperature fall below 30 C. This is something not seen in other major cities with hot desert climates, such as Riyadh corpus, Baghdad corpus and Phoenix.[50]103

Demographics

• Year; Population104
• City; Metropolitan area105
• 1859[51]; 30,000; n.a.106
• 1907; 69,349; n.a.107
• 1956; 93,100; 245,800108
• 1973; 333,906; 748,300109
• 1983; 476,218; 1,340,646110
• 1993; 947,483; 2,919,773111
• 2008 Census Preliminary; 3,639,598; 5,274,321112

Almost 250,000 Syrians lived in Khartoum as of 2019, representing 5% of the total population of the city.113 Most are young men who have fled war in Syria.114 Sudan was the only country in the world to accept travelers carrying a Syrian passport who lacked a visa.[52]115

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.[53][54]116 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.117

In the 21st century, Khartoum developed based on Sudan's oil wealth (although the independence of South Sudan corpus in 2011 affected the economy of Sudan negatively[55]).118 The center of the city has tree-lined streets.119 Khartoum has the highest concentration of economic activity in the country.120 This has changed as major economic developments take place in other parts of the country, like oil exploration in the south, the Giad Industrial Complex in Al Jazirah state and White Nile Sugar Project in Central Sudan, and the Merowe Dam in the North.121

Among the city's industries are printing, glass manufacturing, food processing, and textiles.122 Petroleum products are now produced in the far north of Khartoum state, providing fuel and jobs for the city.123 One of Sudan's largest refineries is located in northern Khartoum.[55]124

Retailing

The Souq al Arabi is Khartoum's largest open air market.125 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.126 It is divided into separate sections, including one focused entirely on gold.[56]127

Al Qasr Street and Al Jamhoriyah Street are considered the most famous high streets in Khartoum State.128

Afra Mall is located in the southern suburb of Arkeweet.129 The Afra Mall has a supermarket, retail outlets, coffee shops, a bowling alley, movie theaters, and a children's playground.130

In 2011, Sudan opened the Hotel Section and part of the food court of the new, Corinthia Hotel Tower.131 The Mall/Shopping section is still under construction.132

Education

Main article: Education in Khartoum

Khartoum is the main location for most of Sudan's top educational bodies.133 There are four main levels of education:134

• Kindergarten and day-care.135 It begins in the age of 3–4, consisting of 1-2 grades, (depending on the parents).136
• Elementary school.137 The first grade pupils enter at the age of 6–7.138 It consists of 8 grades, after which, at 13–14 years old, students are ready to take the certificate exams and enter high school.139
• Upper second school and high school.140 In these three the school methods add some main academic subjects such as chemistry, biology, physics, and geography.141 There are three grades in this level.142 The students' ages are about 14–15 to 17–18.143
• Higher education.144 There are several universities and colleges in Khartoum, including the University of Khartoum[57] and Sudan University of Science and Technology.[58]145

Transportation

Khartoum is home to the largest airport in Sudan, Khartoum International Airport.146 It is the main hub for Sudan Airways, Sudan's main carrier.147 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.148

Khartoum's transportation is limited to the vehicular road system, with buses and personal vehicles comprising the main types of vehicles.149 As with many cities in the continent, parts of Khartoum are connected through privately owned buses.[59][60]150

Khartoum has a number of bridges across both tributaries of the Nile.151 The Mac Nimir Bridge, the Blue Nile Road & Railway Bridge, the Cooper Bridge (also known as the Armed Forces Bridge), and the Elmansheya Bridge span the Blue Nile, connecting Khartoum to Khartoum North.152 The Omdurman Bridge, the Victory Bridge, and the Al-Dabbasin Bridge span the White Nile, connecting Khartoum to Omdurman.153 The Tuti Bridge connects Tuti Island with Khartoum.154 Prior to the construction of the Tuti Bridge in 2008, residents of Tuti Island relied on water taxis to cross the Blue Nile into Khartoum.155

Khartoum has rail lines from Wadi Halfa, Port Sudan on the Red Sea, and El Obeid.156 All are operated by Sudan Railways.157

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.158 In general, the architecture of Sudan reflects a wide diversity in its shapes, materials, and use.159

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.[61]160

Culture

Museums

The largest museum in Sudan is the National Museum of Sudan.[62]161 Founded in 1971, it contains works from different epochs of Sudanese history.162 Among the exhibits are two Egyptian temples of Buhen and Semna,[63] originally built by Pharaoh Hatshepsut and Pharaoh Tuthmosis III, respectively, but relocated to Khartoum upon the flooding of Lake Nasser.163

The Republican Palace Museum,[64] opened in 2000, is located in the former Anglican All Saints' cathedral[65] on Sharia al-Jama'a, next to the historical Presidential Palace.164

The Ethnographic Museum[66] is located on Sharia al-Jama'a, close to the Mac Nimir Bridge.165

Botanical gardens

Khartoum is home to one of the oldest botanical gardens in Africa, National Botanical Garden in the Mogran district of the city.[67]166

Clubs

Khartoum is home to several clubs, including the Blue Nile Sailing Club,[68] social clubs such as the German Club, the Greek Club, the Coptic Club, the Syrian Club and the International Club,[69] as well as football clubs Al Khartoum SC[70] and Al Ahli Khartoum.[71]167

Places of worship

The places of worship in Khartoum primarily consist of Muslim mosques.[72][73]168 There are also Christian churches and temples: Coptic Orthodox Church, St. Matthew's Cathedral, Khartoum, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Khartoum (Catholic Church), Sudan Interior Church (Baptist World Alliance), the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation and Presbyterian Church in Sudan (World Communion of Reformed Churches).169

In popular culture

Literature

Khartoum's unique history and cultural significance have inspired literary works that explore its past, present, and future.170 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.171 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.[74]172

Movies

• Song of Khartoum (1955)173
• Khartoum (1966)174
• Khartoum Offside (2019)175

Notable people

• Sara Berkai, Eritrean and British social enterprise founder and STEM educator, born in Khartoum[75]176
• Mohamed Altoum, Sudanese photographer177
• Amna Elhassan, visual artist and architect.178
• Mohammad Omer Khalil, Sudanese-American artist179
• Alaa Satir, visual artist180
• Mahmoud Abdulaziz, singer181
• Alsarah, singer182
• Mazin Hamid, musician183

Bibliography

See also: Timeline of Khartoum § 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.